The Timing in Your Trading

I’m 5 feet tall and used to weigh upwards of 160 pounds. Mostly from bad habits and poor food choices and lack of exercise. Classic situation.

I made a lot of changes and was able to lose over 35 pounds. But with my recent adjustment to braces over the past 3 months, a few pounds have crept back on. I’ve also fallen out of my exercise routine, so I’m making changes now.

One thing I was reminded of as I’m exploring new gyms and personal trainers to reset my routine directly correlates to your trading. And it’s probably not what you think.

The Clock on the Wall and Your Trading

When my weight peaked at 165 pounds, I began working with a dietitian. During initial intake, she asked me not only what I eat in a day, but when I eat.

I asked what she meant, and she clarified that she wanted to know the actual timing—when I had breakfast, when I had lunch, what my typical daily schedule looked like. After I walked her through it, she paused.

Then she said, “With your last investment banking job that you just left, you told me you used to get up at about 4:00 AM. But you weren’t eating breakfast until 7:30 AM. Is that right?”

I nodded to confirm.

“No wonder you experienced rapid weight gain. You were basically training your body to be insulin resistant. And that’s really not good, especially given your family medical history.”

I was like WHOAH. I never even thought about the times I was eating as a factor.

Before I share how we addressed that, I want you to take a moment and think about your trading:

Is there anything that happens in your trading where maybe the timing isn’t right?

And I mean literally the time of day.

If you’re trading futures, is there a particular session you’re trading, like the New York session? Might earlier or later work better for your time zone or day job?

If you’re a swing trader, when are you checking your stock picks? Would it be better to do it before dinner instead of after dinner? Maybe your brain would be fresher.

Would it be better to work on your trading after your small kids or grandkids go to bed so you’re less likely to be distracted?

Take a moment to think about when you trade. 

The Timing Twist that Changed Everything

Coming back to my weight loss experience, after that revelation in the dietician’s office, she gave me my first adjustment to make.

My new rule was that I had to have breakfast within one hour of waking up. 

That sounded insane to me. I had never eaten that soon after waking up in my professional Wall Street life. But I was no longer on Wall Street, so it was something I could do.

She also told me very specifically that in order to reverse my insulin resistance, I needed to make sure I ate more often. Two hours after starting a meal at minimum, three hours at max. So for example if I started eating breakfast at 6:30 AM, I’d need to start eating a snack between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM. And continue on alternating snacks and meals. 

I went from eating about three times a day to SIX times a day. It was super weird.

But a few days in, I noticed I felt a little less puffy around the middle.

Within a few weeks, the weight was dropping, and it was dropping fast. I could not believe it!

Your Trading Cycle

So bringing this back to your trading, your trading may seem like a bunch of separate events – review chart, place order, attend training – but it’s actually a cycle. There’s a routine and repetition to it. 

Take a moment to think about when you’re doing things in your trading and whether those times are helping or hurting your results.

When are you doing your market prep? When are you reviewing charts? When are you checking positions? When are you placing trades?

Sometimes we spend a lot of time looking at what we’re doing without ever stopping to think about WHEN we’re doing it.

Take Note of Timing

As you notice the timing around your trading, when you actually trade, when you do your routine, you may uncover even more specifics you can tinker with.

Maybe it’s the time of day you’re doing your analysis. Maybe it’s the time of day you’re placing trades. Maybe it’s something else entirely.

Just take note of them.

And consider how adjusting them may improve your results over time.

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