There is a difference between working on a problem and focusing on a solution. Thus, trying to improve performance is different than focusing on limiting losses.
Einstein said: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."
It got me thinking. Most trading charts are time-based (meaning that price change is measured against time). But maybe looking at price change in other ways would provide a different perspective.
There are several interesting techniques gaining favor among technical traders. These include measuring price change based on a certain volume traded or a constant range of directional movement. Here is a link to a brief article about this in StockCharts.com.
In some respects, these are "smoothing" techniques. Nonetheless, they present a different picture of the market, and are something worth investigating.
Here is how the S&P 500 Index looks like in one of these charts.