What do you guys do when you're not trading?

thescalpmaster · Oct 28, 2016

Okay, here's my recent problem.

I am a day trader. So, I wait for the next good setup in the markets I follow. In the meantime, I watch youtube videos, read a couple of articles(not news) and basically do the typical stuff.

What's happening is that I'm getting distracted and exhausted. For example, I was binge watching youtube videos yesterday while I waited three hours for a good setup to form. So, after those three hours I find myself exhuasted, distracted and unable to trade correctly.

I personally don't want to watch youtube again while waiting for a trade.

What do you guys do while you're not trading(I mean waiting for a setup)? Give me some ideas to spend my free time.

recession2016 · Oct 28, 2016

i think of the would've/should've moments, and try to get it out of my memory so the next trade i make isn't impacted by the past

zdreg · Oct 29, 2016

thescalpmaster said:
Okay, here's my recent problem.

I am a day trader. So, I wait for the next good setup in the markets I follow. In the meantime, I watch youtube videos, read a couple of articles(not news) and basically do the typical stuff.

What's happening is that I'm getting distracted and exhausted. For example, I was binge watching youtube videos yesterday while I waited three hours for a good setup to form. So, after those three hours I find myself exhuasted, distracted and unable to trade correctly.

I personally don't want to watch youtube again while waiting for a trade.

What do you guys do while you're not trading(I mean waiting for a setup)? Give me some ideas to spend my free time.

congratulations on being disciplined. most traders lose their shirts because they become antsy and trade something other than their setups.

profitlocker · Oct 29, 2016

After the first hour, I do market research while my trades are auto-managed, otherwise at the gym, or out managing real estate investments.

d08 · Oct 29, 2016

Entertaining with TV shows, YouTube while working on new ideas. If you're just sitting around waiting for setups, you're wasting your time - you're supposed to be improving yourself.

FreakofNature · Oct 29, 2016

Anything from playing games, masturbating or simply enjoying music in Spotify as a new signal pops, which is a lot as a great part of successful trading is a waiting game.

jnbadger · Oct 29, 2016

There was an old thread like this. It's nice to see a new one.

Joe Rogan lately. Many cool youtube interviews by him. But in a very small corner of one of my 3 screens, so I'm basically just listening. But if i hear something crazy, I'll go screensize real quick.

And i have to be honest, a little Northern Exposure. I miss that show. I bet I watched 20 episodes this week.

It is important you don't miss anything, but I think it's more important to maintain your sanity. Just don't ever EVER cover up your trading windows with your fun screen.

And for the first few hours of the day, no fun screens. That's where the money is. Just focus. That should just be obvious. If that's a problem, just think of the shitty jobs out there people are living.

FreakofNature · Oct 29, 2016

jnbadger said:
There was an old thread like this. It's nice to see a new one.

Joe Rogan lately. Many cool youtube interviews by him. But in a very small corner of one of my 3 screens, so I'm basically just listening. But if i hear something crazy, I'll go screensize real quick.

And i have to be honest, a little Northern Exposure. I miss that show. I bet I watched 20 episodes this week.

It is important you don't miss anything, but I think it's more important to maintain your sanity. Just don't ever EVER cover up your trading windows with your fun screen.

And for the first few hours of the day, no fun screens. That's where the money is. Just focus. That should just be obvious. If that's a problem, just think of the shitty jobs out there people are living.

Agree the best money is made in the first 90min, 120 at most, past that, you get the bone and miss the meat.

d08 · Oct 29, 2016

FreakofNature said:
Agree the best money is made in the first 90min, 120 at most, past that, you get the bone and miss the meat.

There's a lot going on in the last hour or 90 minutes, that's the bone marrow and often underestimated in value.

victorycountry · Oct 29, 2016

profitlocker said:
After the first hour, I do market research while my trades are auto-managed, otherwise at the gym, or out managing real estate investments.

Good on you if you are talking about stock investment.

A lot of small retail traders now talk about automated trading... but how they build it? as far as I know high frequency trading firms do not share their strategies...

All I can think about is they're probably using some moving average crossover and some volume level, which I seriously don't think it will outperform risk free rate returns in the long term...