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What is your daily time investment in trading, on average?
When I first started out with futures 5 years ago it was 8-10 hours a day learning, failing, learning, repeat.
Now I usually reach my target in 1-2 hours unless I get myself in a pickle and have to fight my way out for the rest of the day. Could trade more and make more although I follow the adage that if you try to pick too may cherries you are bound to pick more rotten ones.
But having most of the day free to do as I please is more valuable to me than money and is the main reason I got into trading.
This may go a little longer that I intended and I apologize if it is not the right place to put it in but it is related to the thread and it is for a good reason.
I am, though not recognized too often by myself, long in years and, finally, have come to a place of balance in my life.
Only do a few minutes a day of real trading. That is, been active in a trade, in and out of it.
The two to four hours a day spent with my trading platform are for the most part interlaced with conversation with other traders always of course about trading (ahem), getting up for coffee, bathroom breaks, occasional day dreaming and more...well, coffee, and seeing what the market does, waiting for a good signal.
I have paid my dues with thousands of both enjoyable and frustrating hours studying, testing, changing and refining my trading and I am not done yet. And why not? I believe because that is the nature of human beings. Always search and expand. What is known is comfy, old and boring; hence, search for more.
But my trading makes me a healthy living, for me, that is. Very importantly, in my trading, limited only by acceptance of what I have already been given that day, I move loosely within boundaries of a very strict personal trading plan.
I would like to give you a mental trick I have that helps me decide to stop for the day.
Since I trade every day, I multiply the amount of profit at a particular moment by 252, the days I trade a year, and the result is usually very satisfying.
Let's say, a profit of only $187.08, the amount does not matter here, turns into $47144.16 a year. If, I consider that amount not a bad addition for my needs, I quit for the day.
One rule in my trading plan is unbreakable; Finish the day green. That is, yes, you guessed right, profitable. Minuscule or large at the end the amount of profit comes second when I quit. A chain of consecutive green days does wonders to one's self-confidence and desire to continue.
And that is good for me.
I'd like to finish this with a very BIG THANKS to Big Mike for keeping this extraordinary forum up for us, traders. Of course, included in my deep appreciation are all the programmers, geniuses, generous souls that give their talents and time freely to us and to me in particular in the form of indicators, advice, strategies and so on, forever. You are in deed a rare breed of people.
My gratitude is deep and true since all I wrote about before I achieved through your generous contributions for so many years.
You humble me. Love you, guys.
4-5 hrs daytrading at home when not at work; when at the office managing swing trades
1 of of analysis pre market when daytrading
Weekend analysis if swingtrading
Analyzing my trades after market or weekend
When possible re-play to analyze mistakes or how to improve my trades
Almost every free hour that I have. Once I am finished with my full time job and workouts, I am working on trading related activities. Looking forward to the day I can start trading full time. Then I might go for a walk or something.
I've spent zero time actually trading, have yet to place my first... but countless hours sponging up information. I'm itching to start but am not ready yet. Have done a little sim, probably could use more, but question it's value.
Just trying to figure out a good place to start that will let me stay in the game as long as possible so that the real learning may ensue. Not necessarily looking to make money, I have a solid business that keeps me safe and warm, but I really feel like this is all for naught until I have a stake in the game and am dealing with everything it encompasses.
Too much for my own feeling. I have problems stopping since I have an addictive personality. Working on discipline right now. Plan is to trade morning and afternoon sessions. If targets reached/loss reached or time slots are over, trading must stop. The rest of the time should be working on other business.