Anyone else hit the burnout point with trading?

T

tango29

I've been at it 17 years fulltime and I do well enough to pay for kids educations, the house , etc, but the last couple years I am hitting a wall of feeling sick and tired of doing this day in and day out. I've looked into expanding into different things like more complex option work, but can't get my interest going enough to really learn enough to do it well and right. I've been reading about spread trading and thinking about it, but again just not making the full commitment. I have adapted my trading over the years to different market conditions and have rewritten the trading plan a couple of times, and/ or made edits to it, but other than keeping me alive trading it just has gotten boring.
There are days I really more or less dread sitting here another day watching the bouncing ball. I have thought about finding another job, but with my experience being 17 years working for myself trading I don't have much to put in a resume that says hire me. I also see a big pay cut coming to get at least some kind of job with my experience. That's not the end of the world, but at the same time I don't really like the idea of a possible significant cut in extra spending and savings.
Outside of when the kids were doing athletics and I'd go to the events, or with our youngest traveling for club soccer, I have pretty much become a hermit with this job. To be honest I'm not sure that bothers me tremendously, but at the same time I doubt it's a healthy way to live.
That's my whine for the day. If anyone has any thoughts how they got past the burnout I'd love to hear it. Heck if you just want to write something abusive go for it, I'll live.
Peace, Bob
 
Been there, best fixes after 21 years that helped:

Change physical layout of where you trade; update desk area, add another monitor, change chart layout etc

Take a few days off

Test new trade strategies
 
I think you should ask yourself if you are willing to give up the freedom you have right now.

You can work whenever you want, if you want to take a day of you just do so, no boss watching your every move, complaining about everything you do, getting mad if you are 5 minutes late, ...

I get bored myself when trading, but i prefer bored at home while trading over bored at work without the option to call it a day whenever i want.

Maybe you should just remind yourself of the advantages and the freedom you have now? Take any temporary job you can find, do it for a few weeks. Still feel like you want to quit trading and go back to a day job then go ahead and do so, but maybe that helps you to appreciate the advantages of trading from home/office on your own terms again.
 
tango29 said:
I'll live.
More...
Second wind
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This article is about the exercise phenomenon. For other uses, see Second Wind (disambiguation).
Second wind is a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons or road running (as well as other sports), whereby an athlete who is out of breath and too tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion. The feeling may be similar to that of a "runner's high", the most obvious difference being that the runner's high occurs after the race is over.[1] Some scientists believe the second wind to be a result of the body finding the proper balance of oxygen to counteract the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles.[2] Others claim second winds are due to endorphin production.

That said, maybe a good look at position sizing and scaling would enable you to do more in less time per session?

You've been at it long enough to have some good stats to look back on and ask questions, like, what if i could only trade for two hours per day, max of 3 sessions totaling two hours per day, what if i could only trade if i am position sized to the max responsible degree.
Ryan Jones has some crap in a book of his about this angle.
Do stats show 50% of your profits :20% of your time? or technique, or attention, or money risked? kinda thing might be interesting to smoke a stogie and have a scotch over.

Teach somebody else what you do?
That might sharpen the old game.

If you are seat of the pants'n it, I have no idea how get second wind there but if you made it 17 productive years, cheers and more power to you.
Take Care Of The Peepers! Hard to trade without 'em.
 
OP,

Go get a job with a 90 minute commute every day, cutthroat work culture where everyone backstabs because they are terrified of losing their jobs, and a cranky boss who takes his problems out on you....oh and for good measure, add a company phone and laptop with emails coming in 24 hours per day (that you are expected to respond to in a timely manner).

You will suddenly miss your old boring trading life tremendously.
 
SteveM said:
OP,

Go get a job with a 90 minute commute every day, cutthroat work culture where everyone backstabs because they are terrified of losing their jobs, and a cranky boss who takes his problems out on you....oh and for good measure, add a company phone and laptop with emails coming in 24 hours per day (that you are expected to respond to in a timely manner).

You will suddenly miss your old boring trading life tremendously.
More...

Exactly. If you can make consistent stitch at this do it over the above.
 
tango29 said:
I've been at it 17 years fulltime and I do well enough to pay for kids educations, the house , etc, but the last couple years I am hitting a wall of feeling sick and tired of doing this day in and day out. I've looked into expanding into different things like more complex option work, but can't get my interest going enough to really learn enough to do it well and right. I've been reading about spread trading and thinking about it, but again just not making the full commitment. I have adapted my trading over the years to different market conditions and have rewritten the trading plan a couple of times, and/ or made edits to it, but other than keeping me alive trading it just has gotten boring.
There are days I really more or less dread sitting here another day watching the bouncing ball. I have thought about finding another job, but with my experience being 17 years working for myself trading I don't have much to put in a resume that says hire me. I also see a big pay cut coming to get at least some kind of job with my experience. That's not the end of the world, but at the same time I don't really like the idea of a possible significant cut in extra spending and savings.
Outside of when the kids were doing athletics and I'd go to the events, or with our youngest traveling for club soccer, I have pretty much become a hermit with this job. To be honest I'm not sure that bothers me tremendously, but at the same time I doubt it's a healthy way to live.
That's my whine for the day. If anyone has any thoughts how they got past the burnout I'd love to hear it. Heck if you just want to write something abusive go for it, I'll live.
Peace, Bob
More...

Learn option basics, it can amplify your winnings while controlling risk as a delta one trader by huge amounts. Once you hv much more risk on the table you become alert and no longer feel bored. Also you can sell options when there is nothing much going on and collect premiums.
 
tango29 said:
I've been at it 17 years fulltime and I do well enough to pay for kids educations, the house , etc, but the last couple years I am hitting a wall of feeling sick and tired of doing this day in and day out. I've looked into expanding into different things like more complex option work, but can't get my interest going enough to really learn enough to do it well and right. I've been reading about spread trading and thinking about it, but again just not making the full commitment. I have adapted my trading over the years to different market conditions and have rewritten the trading plan a couple of times, and/ or made edits to it, but other than keeping me alive trading it just has gotten boring.
There are days I really more or less dread sitting here another day watching the bouncing ball. I have thought about finding another job, but with my experience being 17 years working for myself trading I don't have much to put in a resume that says hire me. I also see a big pay cut coming to get at least some kind of job with my experience. That's not the end of the world, but at the same time I don't really like the idea of a possible significant cut in extra spending and savings.
Outside of when the kids were doing athletics and I'd go to the events, or with our youngest traveling for club soccer, I have pretty much become a hermit with this job. To be honest I'm not sure that bothers me tremendously, but at the same time I doubt it's a healthy way to live.
That's my whine for the day. If anyone has any thoughts how they got past the burnout I'd love to hear it. Heck if you just want to write something abusive go for it, I'll live.
Peace, Bob
More...

To fix your burnout during a Pandemic...

Possible Solutions To Prevent Burnout Upon Completion of the Pandemic:
  • Change your environment of where you're trading.
  • Find other traders and get an office.
  • Take vacations with the family...stay away from the markets during vacations.
  • Get a hobby that takes you away from trading
  • Go see a professional that specifically deals with "burnout"
  • Go back to college and get another degree
You've left out a ton of info involving your current environment such as the current age of your kids. For example, if they're in college...living away from home or what ?

If they're not old enough, obviously the current Pandemic has them home now...your entire family unless your spouse and kids all work essential jobs that takes them out of the house.

Further, it is a Pandemic...see a professional just in case you're confusing "burnout" with "Depression".

I was burnout back in 2010 and started taking more family vacations, making sure I don't spend my weekends with my hobbies, working out and vacations with some of my ex military buddies.

wrbtrader
 
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tango29 said:
I've been at it 17 years fulltime and I do well enough to pay for kids educations, the house , etc, but the last couple years I am hitting a wall of feeling sick and tired of doing this day in and day out. I've looked into expanding into different things like more complex option work, but can't get my interest going enough to really learn enough to do it well and right. I've been reading about spread trading and thinking about it, but again just not making the full commitment. I have adapted my trading over the years to different market conditions and have rewritten the trading plan a couple of times, and/ or made edits to it, but other than keeping me alive trading it just has gotten boring.
There are days I really more or less dread sitting here another day watching the bouncing ball. I have thought about finding another job, but with my experience being 17 years working for myself trading I don't have much to put in a resume that says hire me. I also see a big pay cut coming to get at least some kind of job with my experience. That's not the end of the world, but at the same time I don't really like the idea of a possible significant cut in extra spending and savings.
Outside of when the kids were doing athletics and I'd go to the events, or with our youngest traveling for club soccer, I have pretty much become a hermit with this job. To be honest I'm not sure that bothers me tremendously, but at the same time I doubt it's a healthy way to live.
That's my whine for the day. If anyone has any thoughts how they got past the burnout I'd love to hear it. Heck if you just want to write something abusive go for it, I'll live.
Peace, Bob
More...

Go get a regular job in big-box retail. Grind that out for 6 months. You will be back here before 6 months is up, guaranteed.
 
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