Screen Time
Human beings are genetically hardwired to avoid that which causes them pain. It is this flight response to potentially harmful situations and stimuli that protects us from unnecessary suffering, sees us live to fight another day and has allowed our species to outperform in the battle for the survival of the fittest. It’s only natural then that this genetic predisposition should manifest itself in the trading arena. However, what is effective in life is not always effective in trading. If you step into the trading arena you have to be prepared for the rules of the game to change.
There is no denying that one of the keys to success for our elite Proprietary Traders is extended screen time. There is an unquestionable correlation between the amount of effective time spent at the trading screens and the ability to generate consistent, exceptional profits. This is entirely logical to most of you I am sure on the basis that the more you see and are involved in any activity, the better you become. It is the same in many performance-based pursuits; just think of the countless hours of dedicated practice on tennis courts around the world that Wimbledon’s current competitors have invested over the course of their careers. However, when it comes to trading, there is always an incentive to flee the trading screens, and interrupt the necessary exposure. Particularly at the beginning of a career, when the losers are unfortunately more common, traders find it all too tempting to “take a break”. The popular trading media fuel this behaviour by misguidedly recommending that traders take mandatory breaks and get some fresh air in the event of a certain number of consecutive losing trades. If you are making ineffective trading decisions and simply not in the zone then taking a break is entirely logical. However, losing is part of the trading game and a sequence of losers is not uncommon. If you are feeling good and have the strength of character to learn from these losses, it can be the very worst time to walk away. To paraphrase Jesse Livermore, you have just paid for information; it is nonsensical not to use it to your advantage to make your money back, and some. Unfortunately, it can become an all too familiar habit for novice traders struggling to be consistently profitable to spend more and more time away from the screen. It is almost as if they cannot stand to be at the screens for fear of another losing trade. This behaviour can be an early warning sign of a career in turmoil and is thus something that we monitor very closely on our trading floors for those at the beginning of their trading journeys.
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