Paper trading with purpose: turning a simulator into real skill

Most paper trading fails because it is played on easy mode. Unlimited resets, no sizing rules and no record keeping produce a player who is good at a game nobody is paying for.

Treat the simulated bankroll as if it were the only one you will ever get. Use the same stake percentage you would use live, take the same number of positions per week, and do not reset after a bad run. The drawdown is the lesson.

Log the reason for entry before the outcome is known. One sentence naming the edge is enough. When you review, you will see which reasons actually predicted results and which were narratives you enjoyed telling yourself.

Settle positions honestly and on time. A simulator only teaches calibration if every open position eventually gets a real result written against it, including the ones you would rather forget.

Graduate on process, not profit. Two hundred logged positions, a stable win rate, positive average entry edge and no sizing violations is a far better signal of readiness than a big simulated balance.