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My bum hurts!! How many computer hours does your trading require?
How many hours a day do you guys trade and do you take breaks during regular trading hours?
Nowadays, I spend around 10 hours a day on the computer and my butt is hurting! I use a regular office chair and wish I had a sofa to sit in, but am afraid that being too relaxed will not keep me focused. What types of chairs do you guys use? (Feel free to post pictures of your chairs -I'd be interested to see what other people deem comfortable.)
When I used to trade stocks, my trading "work" schedule was as follows: (all times are PST)
6:30am - 8:30/9am = Trade
9am - 10:20am = Break
10:30am - 1pm = Trade (use last 15 min. to log trades)
Total computer time: 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
Often I would return to the computer later in the evening to study charts. Sometimes I would be in a trade all day long, so I would actually be at the computer the whole 6.5 hours. However there were times when I would only trade the first 2 hours.
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Now that I've switched to Futures, I feel like I am "on" most of the day that I am at home.
I am at the computer by 5:50/6am and stay till 2:15pm -that's a little over 8 hours. There doesn't seem to be an obvious lunch break doll-drums period like there is in stocks. If I do take a break it is usually only from 9 to 9:20am, otherwise it's just a quick run to the bathroom or the kitchen. Lately I have been thinking of trading outside of regular trading hours, so now I watch the screen in the evenings as well.
Being new to futures, I can definitively use the screen-time, but it can't be good for my health -so far only my bum is complaining, but I'm sure the eyes and who knows what else will also speak up soon.
So the question is:
What are your regular "work" hours and do you take official breaks during that time away from the computer?
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
The question is good. I am in front of the computer too many hours for sure. I usually trade between 8:00 to 4:15 pm EST. But when i feel i need a break i take it no matter what's going on. I oftentimes misses some moves but i don't really care provided i can reach my daily objective. I know that Wednesday is usually an intensive day so i plan accordingly. We need to take care of our eyes as they are solicited to a high degree. In the summer between may and august i regularly go outside of my office (which is in my house). I trade for the liberty it provides so i try to take advantage of this siuation too. I try to remember we are paid for taking risks not for looking at the screen intensively.
So you don't really have any set break times?
In theory allowing yourself to take a break anytime it's need sounds good, but in practice, at least in my case, that usually translates to no brakes because I figure I don't actually really need it and can wait till after hours. (This does not include short bathroom breaks and quick 2-5 min. kitchen runs which I take when ever needed). However, I guess the cumulative effect of many years in front of the computer, for long periods of time at a sitting, is starting to take an effect on me.
Very good point and something that I find easy to keep in mind during my profitable periods. Right now, I have no income from day-trading so I feel the need to "work" by putting in more screen time.
I was reading the other day about Lance Armstrong. He trained himself to develop a leather ass in order to stay on the bike seat as long as possible... so there would be minimal riding with greater wind resistance.
Here are a few options that may help your rear end:
1. Buy an adjustable height desk so you can stand up part of the day (these are expensive though).
2. Buy a kneeling chair (aka knee chair) and swap it out with your regular chair every couple hours (I'm looking into this option myself).
3. Replace your chair with an exercise bike. A couple people on elite trader have done this -- very cool!
#1 is the best idea and yes, they are expensive. I think I paid like $3,000 for my adjustable desk. But I hate sitting so I stand a lot. I have mentioned in the forum in the past that sitting for long periods of time restrict blood flow to the brain and you need all the brain power you can get in this business. That's why a good diet, being physically fit and plenty of rest is in your best interest.
Yeah, I have started to stand lately since my bum is taking on a new shape even. I have an HP monitor that can be easily raised and tilted so the only inconvenience with the setup is that the keyboard and mouse are lower. I have tried placing them on a stack of books just to see if it is worth modifying the desk, but found that I was never able to stand comfortably for too long anyway. So now I just raise the monitor and stand for brief periods of time and then sit back down later.
I wonder if an exercise ball would be comfortable; I'd always imagine I would get dizzy from it since I would probably rock back and forth on it constantly.
I have been suffering with back pain mainly because of my sitting in front of the computer for long hours.
I already tried several chairs but none of them seem to help.
My doc told me that I need a chair with lumbar support. I was looking into Aeron chairs …
