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What to do during trading? Collecting ideas

  • #1
  • First Post: May 26, 2017 7:23am May 26, 2017 7:23am
Hi all together,

I'm a short term trader on the 1 minute chart. It's working great since several years but a tiny problem remains: the attention span. I started to watch youtube documentaries, the Simpsons and other light stuff on the side (using a tablet computer on a goose neck) and it helps. I can trade more hours this way. What else could I do? I need to stay at my computer, it must not be demanding just a little thing on the side to keep me non-bored.

Listening to music turned out to be problematic as it has effects on my mood and really, I can't trade and headbang at the same time ;-)

Thanks!
  • #2
  • May 26, 2017 9:10am May 26, 2017 9:10am
Quoting JensG
Hi all together, I'm a short term trader on the 1 minute chart. It's working great since several years but a tiny problem remains: the attention span. I started to watch youtube documentaries, the Simpsons and other light stuff on the side (using a tablet computer on a goose neck) and it helps. I can trade more hours this way. What else could I do? I need to stay at my computer, it must not be demanding just a little thing on the side to keep me non-bored. Listening to music turned out to be problematic as it has effects on my mood and really, I...
some videogames like Civilization..
  • #3
  • May 26, 2017 9:37am May 26, 2017 9:37am
Learn Programming , Math , Statistic , read some articles about machine learning models to predict market so on.
Take it easy.
  • #4
  • May 26, 2017 5:25pm May 26, 2017 5:25pm
Housework

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Inserted Video
The funniest, is that nobody takes me seriously.
  • #5
  • May 27, 2017 4:06am May 27, 2017 4:06am
Pray while moving stops.
  • #6
  • May 27, 2017 7:47am May 27, 2017 7:47am
I guess I should re-explain my problem:
Looking at a set of charts gets very boring after 2 or 3 hours. Some days are rather wild with lots of movement so they keep my busy quite well, other days are a lot quieter and involve more waiting, that is where the problem starts.

Learning something new (not programming though, that wouldn't be new) is a nice idea in theory but probably too attention demanding. It would distract me from my main task - trading. Walking away from my computer is not an option, so house cleaning really doesn't work and by the way: I pay someone to do that for us.
Praying is a nice idea if there weren't the problem that I'm an atheist, perhaps I should start a question on quora and see if people can recommend a religion to me ;-)

Quoting DavidRP
{quote} some videogames like Civilization..
Thanks, actually haven't thought about that. Games I can enter and leave at any time might do the trick ... I'll have a look around but that seems to do something I can add to my list.

A sunny weekend to all of you!
  • #7
  • May 27, 2017 7:49am May 27, 2017 7:49am
have an easy woman next to you at all times =P

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Time hides Nothing
  • #8
  • May 27, 2017 7:50am May 27, 2017 7:50am
Quoting JensG
I guess I should re-explain my problem: Looking at a set of charts gets very boring after 2 or 3 hours. Some days are rather wild with lots of movement so they keep my busy quite well, other days are a lot quieter and involve more waiting, that is where the problem starts. Learning something new (not programming though, that wouldn't be new) is a nice idea in theory but probably too attention demanding. It would distract me from my main task - trading. Walking away from my computer is not an option, so house cleaning really doesn't work and by the...
this is why i quit full time trading... sick of watching my life tick away with the market. Its unhealthy too... I felt like GOD was testing me in the end
Time hides Nothing
  • #9
  • May 27, 2017 8:42am May 27, 2017 8:42am
Quoting CindyXXXX
{quote} this is why i quit full time trading... sick of watching my life tick away with the market. Its unhealthy too... I felt like GOD was testing me in the end
I guess work-life balance depends a lot on the time zone we're in. Sure, if I would have to trade in the evening when all my friends and my wife enjoy their after work hours I would be very unhappy about that. Being located in Europe however I start my working day in the morning like everyone else and usually call it a day somewhere in the early afternoon, so nothing to complain about from my side. Some days I work longer, some days I quit after 3 hours, usually on a Friday, and make the spontaneous decision to spend the weekend in Paris, Lille, Brussels or Ghent (easy and quick ride on the Eurostar) - who with an ordinary full time job could do that?
Additionally my trading income is tax free. Paying taxes on my main income would be massive hit to my retirement plans.

I'm not at all unhappy with what I do, I don't feel my life is ticking away, I just seek to improve the days I decide to work longer.
  • #10
  • May 27, 2017 9:03am May 27, 2017 9:03am
Quoting JensG
{quote} I guess work-life balance depends a lot on the time zone we're in. Sure, if I would have to trade in the evening when all my friends and my wife enjoy their after work hours I would be very unhappy about that. Being located in Europe however I start my working day in the morning like everyone else and usually call it a day somewhere in the early afternoon, so nothing to complain about from my side. Some days I work longer, some days I quit after 3 hours, usually on a Friday, and make the spontaneous decision to spend the weekend in Paris,...
Not judging you, just sharing... First world issues man, where you else at work could watch the simpsons and you tube

i feel like theres something deeper going on here like you're reaching out or something

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYkqj4LwEQ
Time hides Nothing
  • #11
  • May 27, 2017 9:18am May 27, 2017 9:18am
drink coffee
  • #12
  • May 27, 2017 1:04pm May 27, 2017 1:04pm
Quoting JensG
Hi all together, I'm a short term trader on the 1 minute chart. It's working great since several years but a tiny problem remains: the attention span. I started to watch youtube documentaries, the Simpsons and other light stuff on the side (using a tablet computer on a goose neck) and it helps. I can trade more hours this way. What else could I do? I need to stay at my computer, it must not be demanding just a little thing on the side to keep me non-bored. Listening to music turned out to be problematic as it has effects on my mood and really, I...
why not just put in cinema center (best what you can pay for) or fitness center or massage chair. best traders are most healthy traders and have so a win win situation, because have most time. over time you will learn to programm most parts what can be done, and its even possible to trade over the smartphone from all over the word (when you get all informations compact by programs served).

best what you can have by much time and money is make a good living. and a healthy living. so only money will start to be important. more you cant do in your live. you simple do what you like to do, some like family, some have children, some like holiday trips,... noone has better live then other, if you do what you like to do and enjoy it, its really that simple. even if someone likes to play computer whoole day he would not have less good live then other who watching all places on earth, because when both like what they do and be healthy a long time, you cant have more to reach on planet.

so simple : enjoy what ever you like. normaly live should not start be noring, and when trading start get boring, its to easy to program this part to inform you when it get interesting again. of course living as single is much more easy as in realationship, because live can be lived much faster and impulsive. but even in relationship there are some advantages that compensate for disadvantages. nothing is perfect.
  • #13
  • May 27, 2017 6:01pm May 27, 2017 6:01pm
Quoting CindyXXXX
{quote} Not judging you, just sharing... First world issues man, where you else at work could watch the simpsons and you tube i feel like theres something deeper going on here like you're reaching out or something
No, nothing deeper going on. The problem of the limited attention span is just s.th. I've repeatedly discussed with other traders and my way of handling that is a trade off between attention span and sharing my attention with other stuff on the side. The dull things like youtube or the simpsons, perhaps simple games, are working best because I don't really have to follow them.
Reading interesting stuff would certainly be a better use of my brain but if I leave a text aside for 15 minutes to take care of a trade I'm likely to face problems finding back into that text.
  • #14
  • May 27, 2017 6:22pm May 27, 2017 6:22pm
I have a laptop and a monitor, so basically two monitors if I want. There was a time in the past, when i thought I'll have the charts running of the big screen, and watching other stuff on the smaller laptop screen. Needless to say, my trading improved a lot, when I stopped doing this and focused on the charts. You'll probably experience the same.

If you trade intraday full time, then consider it as your job. If you would work at somewhere as an employee, your boss wouldn't let you watch other stuff either.

So, if you trade a mechanical system, get it programmed, and do other stuff. If you use a discretionary system, then trade it as long as you can focus, so 2-3 hours for you, then finish up for the day. You'll notice, that when you try to make trades, while you are watching other stuff in the meantime, your performance will deteriorate.
Price and volume reveals everything. The market moves on supply and demand.
  • #15
  • May 27, 2017 7:21pm May 27, 2017 7:21pm
I have this page open on the side: http://boards.4chan.org/pol/

works well for me.
  • #16
  • May 29, 2017 8:27pm May 29, 2017 8:27pm
Quoting JensG
I guess I should re-explain my problem: Looking at a set of charts gets very boring after 2 or 3 hours. Some days are rather wild with lots of movement so they keep my busy quite well, other days are a lot quieter and involve more waiting, that is where the problem starts. Learning something new (not programming though, that wouldn't be new) is a nice idea in theory but probably too attention demanding. It would distract me from my main task - trading. Walking away from my computer is not an option, so house cleaning really doesn't work and by the...
When I first started trading full time, I got some exercise equipment and put a mini gym in my trading room and worked out when the charts went dead. I was on 5min not 1 min and had the cable tv channels on to listen for excitement in the voices.

After a while I realized that when the charts went dead, usually was not a good time to trade so I would just shut down and do something else.

Now my trading plan rarely has me on the 5 min scalps so I only really need to watch after news events and just pop in every hour.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
  • #17
  • Last Post: May 29, 2017 10:42pm May 29, 2017 10:42pm
You could join one of these $97/month "live trading rooms" that spam post educational videos on YT - non-stop sitcom for only $3 a day is pretty cheap entertainment...

Seriously: I think it's a nice problem to have. If I had it, I'd probably just read books all day long. If you already use a tablet on the side, you can just install some ebook reader app on it to try if you like it. If you do, buy some e-ink thingy like a Tolino or Kindle, it's a lot less stressful for the eyes (in my experience, ymmv)
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