How I Trade Now...

1. Patience and discipline above all.
2. Control your emotions.
3. Don't set monetary trading goals. Money comes with solid trades anyway.
4. Don't try to force trades; there will be stretches when the plays are just not there.
5. I take a short position only during the morning panic or spike or only during the last hour of the trading day; never during the middle of the day.
6. I only trade relatively small companies. When it comes to the bigger companies, I have close to zero advantage when it comes to the hundreds of millions versus my tiny speck of an account that's trying to just get over the PDT threshold. I find it nearly impossible to predict a big company's move no matter how much research I do. I like to play companies that are a few hundred million dollars in market cap size and not in the billions.
7. I don't care how the Market is doing, only how my play is doing.
8. I don't play earnings expectations.
9. I cut my losses quick and live to trade another day.
10. Hit consistent singles instead of going for a sporadic homeruns each time you're up to bat. I've learned to take small positions instead of large ones. Small consistent gains definitely add up.
11. I prefer to take my profit quickly, but in some instances I will not cover a short position until a company finally finishes a day in the green.
12. I only have a small amount of capital to work with, so I like to narrow my focus down to only a handful of stocks to play for the following day. I have found that this selectivity has enhanced my ability to preserve my capital.