Between trades/waiting

Play poker, backgammon and chess (trying not to lose all the trading takings)
 
jackjones said:
Hi, what do people here do to pass those quiet times?!
Click to expand...
Jack, if you're consistently bored, you could consider decreasing your timeframe. It all happens a lot quicker the smaller you go.
 
Play poker, Call of Duty, Battlefield 1942, read a lot, watch tv, think about getting a hobby I can do in England (rules out (nice) Diving and Snowboarding).........
 
I play a variety of musical instruments and while I can't really play whole songs without losing my trading concentration, I find that I can work out little riffs and finger techniques.
JO

The life so short, the craft so long to learn - Geoffery Chaucer
 
Jack, if you're consistently bored, you could consider decreasing your timeframe. It all happens a lot quicker the smaller you go.
Click to expand...

I tried that Tony but my charting package only goes down to 1 minute bars.
 
TheBramble said:
Jack, if you're consistently bored, you could consider decreasing your timeframe. It all happens a lot quicker the smaller you go.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was short term (6 months ago) and this was good but I thought long term was smarter ... due to spreads etc... i still think it is and will trade it when i can. Just this week I am back to 1min for some action. So far so good :D... i also have a part time job, i think i'd go nuts without one.
:devilish:

And to think i started trading because someone said i needed a hobby!
 
TheBramble - We do tend toward a 'trance' state every 90 minutes or so during waking periods. It's normal. While I prefer to use these 'opportunities' for other purposes if you don't fancy a 'faerie moment' yourself, you can (and I'm quite serious) come out of it by (a) noticing which nostril you are predominantly breathing through and then (b) blocking it and forcing the other one to take over.
Click to expand...

Thanks TheBramble

I did not know about the every 90 minute thing. It's good to know that its not just me that is prone to struggle with this aspect. 90 minutes does sound like a fairly accurate description of when I tend to feel the need to change tasks - an effective way for me to feel refreshed, which helps renew my concentration. With this in mind - perhaps I will make a point of looking to do something different every 90 minutes.
For me, a lack of activity can lead to me "feeling" or thinking that I am tired - when in fact I am not - it is just a result of sitting around. Therefore the exercise bike idea - to blow away the cob-webs when I feel this way is one i am seriously considering. Alternatives are sit-ups, stomach crunches or a walk round the house, housework etc.

jtrader.
 
Last edited:
A day-trading strategy that relieves boredom goes something like this :-

Enter Long
Play 3 games of Solitaire
Stop to break-even
Play 2 games of pinball
Sell 50%
Play a game of minesweeper
Exit Remainder of position

I tried this yesterday, got a 42 point profit and didn't get bored.

Not even once.
 
careful Salty, or else Billy G will want to start taking a cut of your profits....


what is your stop-loss level on minesweeper?
 
............Having thought about it, I may become bored - when either a task places too much emphasis on mental stimulation, as opposed to physical stimulation, or a combination of the two, and perhaps vice-versa. Therefore, when my concentration runs dry and perhaps when boredom creeps in - the natural and best thing for me to do, is to do something that relies on physical activity rather than mental activity - in order to renew my focus and concentration.

This is all very much common sense................

In the normal work-place a worker can go for a tea-break or on their lunch to escape boredom etc. But when working from home I find that "a break" for example - is less significant - as I remain in the same physical environment, and so it does not really feel like a break - more of a continuation.

Therefore making a point of actually breaking the trading day up with different tasks in the home is something that i feel benefits my concentration, and my mental and phsical levels of alertness.

Thats enough waffling ...........

Cheers

jtrader.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Salty Gibbon
I tried that Tony but my charting package only goes down to 1 minute bars.


Best post of the day by a mile!
Click to expand...


Agreed :LOL: .
 
Sorry Fettered.

I forgot to mention that just before I get on to Minesweeper I do start to feel the first twinges of boredom so I tighten my stop right up behind the trade to practically ensure the coincident closure of both trade and game.
 
What software are you using that alerts you to trades? This sounds very interesting.
Heather

I do find myself losing concentration/getting bored at certain times of the day, and I can sometimes dissappear into a sort of daze if I'm not careful - I think due to a lack of stimulus around me. So to keep myself sharp and alert - I'm thinking of getting an exercise bike - so that I can do a 5 minute slog if I start to feel less than sharp.

Although I do give myself a dinner hour - I remain at hand - for any trade signals that arise.

All in all, I find that there are still plenty of things to do and learn - at my PC and on the Internet - either related to trading, or my hobbies - latest of which is skiing :D

Cheers

jtrader.[/QUOTE]
 
What software are you current;y using that alerts you to trades? This sounds extremely interesting. How does it work. Thanks Heather
 
What software are you using that alerts you to trades? This sounds very interesting.
Heather
Click to expand...

Hi Heather

several charting packages such as tradestation, esignal and metastock, have their own formula languages - which enable a trader to design, back-test (on historical data), optimise TA ' rule based trading strategies' that they can implement to make their trading. An audio alert can be used to signal when the strategy creates entry and exit signals. Audio alerts are simple .wav files that you can create and customise at websites such as http://www.research.att.com/projects/tts/demo.html . Mechanical trading offers a more objective way to trade - removing most of the aspects of trading psychology from the equation.

You can design very complex strategies using tradestation, or very simple indicators such as one that produces a trade entry alert for when the RSI14 goes below and then back above 30.

I am in the process of using tradestation for this task. My task is to become fluent in "tradestation's easy language" so that I can easily design and adapt my strategies. I have also used esignal for very simple indicators such as the RSI one above.

Cheers

jtrader.
 
JTrader: On the back of that comment, does anyone know a good place to get started on learning how to program eSignal, I took a look at it a while ago and it just confused me. I dont think I could find anything that spelt out how to program. I have no programming experience except for a Sharp MZ-700 when I was 10 years old and am not sure where to start...... :confused:
Thanks
Minx
 
hevmic said:
What software are you current;y using that alerts you to trades? This sounds extremely interesting. How does it work. Thanks Heather
Click to expand...
QuoteTracker also provides alert facilities which, although not as customisable as the other products already mentioned, is a good start. Especially as it's free!

You'll need to subscribe to a proper data feed though otherwise I believe you're limited to the number of RT stocks you can process through any of the freebie data providers.

http://www.quotetracker.com/
 
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