How to Time Manage your Trading – 6 Ways

When it comes to the world of trading, time isn’t just money – it’s everything.

A minute delay, can miss a profit opportunity.
A minute delay, can make you question the trade.
A minute delay, can affect your emotions.

This is something I am constantly working on (even 20 years later).

I truly want to wake up earlier, spot trades quicker (as they come) and have a better time management system.

I might not be an expert in time management yet, but I will share some crucial tips I have learnt over the years.

This will help you to not miss the trade.

#1: Why you need to be punctual

Being punctual isn’t just a good trait – it’s a survival skill.

The markets move so quickly. They move with or without you.

And they present opportunities on the daily.

You need to be on time and when you see an opportunity that is about to present itself.

Write it down. Stick note it. Set a reminder or something.

But for Flying Spaghetti monster sake, don’t miss it!

#2: Easy to miss a profit – when you don’t time analyses

Every trader has stories about the “one that got away”.

So what can we do to avoid this?

You need to have your watchlists spread out according to what you trade. With TradingView, I have all my watchlists in different categories.

Stocks, Forex, Commodities, Indices, International stocks. Etc…

Then you’ll need to go over each watchlist every day.

Write down the potential trades lining up. Then revisit the markets the next day.

You need to be more punctual and disciplined to monitor, analyse and prepare for execution.

Those golden opportunities missed due to hesitation or distractions.

By maintaining punctuality in monitoring and execution, you can minimize these missed chances and keep your trading performance on the upbeat.

#3: Set Reminders: The Power of Alerts

Luckily, we have the technology to harness.

You can set reminders for price levels to hit, on your own trading and charting platforms.

Use these alerts to remind you when to act, or at least prepare for execution.

#4: Sticky Note It

Old school?

Maybe.

Effective?

Absolutely!

It doesn’t hurt to pick up a pen and a sticky note once in a while.

Keep these visual reminders, to prioritise what you may be trading today.

You’ll be surprised how useful this little pieces of paper are.

#5: Develop a Routine

Trading is a lifestyle.

So you need to establish your routine with it.

If you’re an early Hadeda you need to do a full pre-market review and write down the trades lining up for the day.

If you prefer to look at the markets in the afternoon, choose a time where you will not be distracted by work, social media, kids or the Rugby!

If you are an after the markets kind of trader, then do your research, analyses and even set your trading levels for the next day.

I like to plot and draw all the levels and setups in the charts, and then write down which ones are almost ripe for the picking.

#6: Prioritize Your Trades

Not all trades are ready to action.

Some might take a few days or months.

What you can do is, flag them or colour them.
GREEN – Act soon.
ORANGE – Check over the next few days
YELLOW – Trade could line up in the next few weeks
RED – Potential setup but not likely in a few weeks.

This approach will help you allocate your time better.

So let’s sum up the time-management methods you can apply.

#1: Why you need to be punctual
#2: Easy to miss a profit – when you don’t time analyses
#3: Set Reminders: The Power of Alerts
#4: Sticky Note It
#5: Develop a Routine
#6: Prioritize Your Trades