Check the dishwasher. That’s the first thing on my written to-do list each morning.
A dishwasher is a system for cleaning dishes—or better yet, for keeping dirty dishes out of the way. Just like that system exists in day-to-day life, there are systems in your trading too. Here’s how you can use them the right way.
Find the Friction Before It Finds You
I have a literal written task to check the dishwasher because of past experience. Depending on exactly how I line up the utensils and how they’re positioned relative to the little door that releases the dishwasher detergent pod, sometimes the pod gets stuck. It doesn’t fully open, it doesn’t release all of its cleaning goodness, and my dishes don’t actually get clean.
So if I check the dishwasher first thing in the morning after I’ve run it overnight—long before I’m going to need any of those dishes—I still have time to fix it. I can put in a fresh pod, rearrange things to give it more clearance, and run it again before it ever becomes a problem.
I want you to think about your trading.
What are the things that, if they don’t go according to plan, can really throw a roadblock into your day?
Maybe it’s making sure your laptop is fully charged. Maybe it’s making sure somebody in the house isn’t streaming video so you have your full internet speed. Maybe it’s making sure your trading area is clutter-free so you don’t get distracted as easily.
Think about the things you can proactively check to minimize friction before your trading day even gets started.
Don’t Rely on Memory
That “check the dishwasher” step isn’t in my memory. It’s on a physical written list of paper.
I actually held this list up yesterday in the webcam during First 40 Trading Club Office Hours. Because we were talking about how having a physical place to put the things you want to do each day makes it SO much easier to actually do them. Especially when life gets busy, you’re tired, or you’re not on your normal schedule.
Our memories are very powerful, but they’re not reliable places for system retrieval.
If you keep thinking, “I know my trading plan. I don’t need to write it down,” or “I don’t need to pick a set time to check my swing trades—I know I’ll do it after dinner,” you’ve left way too much room for everything else that’s competing for your attention to get in the way.
Some Systems Take Care of Themselves
Believe it or not, I don’t actually have “do the dishes” on my to-do list.
The dishes naturally pile up in the sink. They’ll need to be cleaned before they can be used again, and when I take my mid-morning break—usually around 10:30 AM Eastern—that’s when I normally do them.
That part of the system already takes care of itself.
But if I don’t check the dishwasher first thing in the morning, I run the risk of my whole kitchen workflow being delayed. That’s why checking the dishwasher is the first thing I do on any given day.
Work With the Routines You Already Have
Think about this: it may not be the dishes, but there’s probably something in your physical or mental environment that needs to be addressed before you can have a normal workflow.
Whether we intentionally set them or not, we all have routines. We have times of day when we tend to eat, shower, exercise, or run errands. The more aware you become of the routines that are already happening, the more you can use those systems that are already there by default.
You can use them to improve your quality of life and your trading—not just your trading results, but your peace of mind while you’re doing it.
Like my peace of mind with the dishwasher. 🙂
~ Hima
📣 PS — NEW LIVE Stock Setups Tomorrow Night 📣
First you’ll learn my exact method to find stock trade setups LIVE. Then I’ll share how you can have a more consistent, efficient starting point for finding qualified trade opportunities!
👉 Wed Jul 22 at 8:00 PM Eastern → Register here: http://himareddy.com/setupsbonus
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