Traders Ask: How does your posture affect your trading? Oct 4th, 2011 | By Bella |

Hi. My question concerns body posture when sitting at a screen for hours a day.

I’ve learned i need to be very aware when trading of what’s going on in my brain, what I’m seeing and how I feel and think about it, and what baggage from life might be influencing my mood.

Often though I also realise that my body is there with me too too, often being sadly neglected..

Maybe I’m slumping, hunching shoulders and back. I’ve tried different kinds of chairs, soft and hard regular ones, a special kneeling posture one, now I’m on a large inflatable pregnancy ball. it’s an ongoing search for how best to look after myself physically. I spend a good bit of time doing physical stuff outside trading time but it’s the hours spent on screen when I’m not sure I take best care of my one and only body!

Any advice to offer on how you guys deal with this aspect of a traders lot?

Thanks

Dr. Andrew Menaker responds

Being very aware of what you’re thinking and feeling is a critical component of self-management.

And self-management has a huge impact on how we make decisions. As we move from one mental state to another, our body, including our posture, and breathing, plays an important role. So, learning to tune into your body is a big part of self-management.

There is an abundant amount of research in psychology, medicine, and in business that shows how
posture plays a role in communicating emotional state and influences our decisions and actions. In fact, many technology companies have departments that conduct research on user interface and nonverbal behavior. Microsoft calls their department, Decision Theory and Adaptive Systems Group.

We have both a central nervous system (brain and spinal column) and a peripheral nervous system
(nerves that extend throughout the body). The two systems communicate with each and have a profound impact on decision-making and behavior.

Try this. Spend a few minutes sitting slouched, with your shoulders slumped, legs stretched out, chin
dropped toward your chest. Next, spend a few minutes sitting up straight or slightly forward, raise your chin and lean your head slightly to one side. Notice a difference in how you feel and the type and quality of your thoughts?

Not only does our posture impact our internal state, our body can also act as an emotional warning
system. And if you think about it, that can be very helpful in trading. We may be following price action, order flow or something on the chart as an indicator to help us decide what to do; we can also use our body as an ‘indicator’.

Being aware of your emotional state is an important part of learning how to control your actions.

Many people have difficulty tuning into their emotional state. Focusing on physical sensations throughout the body can help you become aware of your emotional state. Tense shoulders, butterflies or ‘pit’ in the stomach, clenched fist, muscle twinge, ‘nervous tick’, heart rate variability, and depth and rate of breathing can be examples of an emotional state reflected in one’s physiology. Our emotions are a form of self-communication, when we learn what the message is, we can often make better decisions.

In my work with traders, I sometimes recommend a standing desk, instead of sitting, for traders that have an attention or focusing issue.

Many people, including traders, report that regular practice of yoga helps them maintain body awareness as well as reducing stress.

Possibly the single most powerful thing you can do with your body is to become aware of your breathing and change it, if necessary. When trading, anxiety and tension can overtake us, often resulting in decisions and actions that our not in our best interest as a trader. As traders, we must learn to use all the tools available to us, including our own body, to make better decisions and learn to take control of our actions.

Here’s a simple but very effective technique I refer to as “breath first aid” because it can quickly alter
your internal state and influence your decisions and behavior. Take four long, slow deep breaths, filling your abdomen (not your chest) with air. Pause for a second at the end of each inhalation and exhalation.

And if possible, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Dr. Andrew Menaker
@popdoctrader
Dr. Andrew Menaker is a full-time trader, with a PhD in psychology and has worked as a consultant and coach with institutional and retail traders since 1995.

A trader lives two lives.

Written on October 4, 2011 by Eli Radke in Uncategorized

 

Trading is a psychological battle. Trading is unique because it constantly introduces you to yourself, as an astute Canadian once told me. Your life can manifests itself in trading and if you aren’t careful trading will take over your life.

The problem with risking/losing too much is that it makes every risk seem worthwhile. Much has been talked about rouge trading lately. Risk is forever and constantly linked to opportunity. A rogue trader is someone who loses. But in reality they never changed. They just happened to be on the wrong side.

They capture risk instead of realizing it up until that point.

The difference is that when you are winning you are partially protected by your view of opportunity. When your back is against the wall you can only see opportunity. My experience tells me that in fact bad can get worst and it gets their with regularity.

Hope and opportunity is not a trading strategy. When you only see opportunity or profits, you are not seeing it correctly.

You swing for the fences with their money not yours. The risks are less and with a reason. Opportunity should not be a bright light your drawn to like a moth.

Have your limits and stick to them. Don’t let your lives blend into each other and you will be less likely to have this problem.

An ugly trading today as shown from this 5-min. chart.

The market (YM) really made  a very wild swing.

It leaps vertically before the open, then drops like a wild "crazy" horse, climbed up steadily, and abruptly loses its strength into the close.

That's how I can described the trading today as shown from the chart.

Today's market will make you crazy looking for a good setups, looking for setups today will really test your trading discipline.

The way the charts show, you can be stopped out often unless your stops are not wide enough because of the long wicked legs.

The market today was driven by the news and lots of noise, that's why volatility was  rough.

A very wild market indeed!

Traded out at 11141...gain 126 points...not bad for a two hour job...

Moving the stop to 11080...now gaining 65 points...

How To Run A Home Office On A Budget

Setting up an office within your home can be a lot more challenging than you think. A den with a desk, computer and a small filing cabinet would be great for doing your taxes and paying your utility bills, but you would need something a bit more elaborate if you are planning on running an entire business from home. Whether you are selling trade goods like homemade housewares and décor, or rendering specialized services to clients in your area, you'll want to devise an efficient home office system for the most success. Here are some simple suggestions to help you obtain everything you would need to run a home office on a tight budget.

Finding Office Space in Your Home
Some people may have the luxury of a spare bedroom or den to use as their home office, while others may have to build their own home office space. If you're one of the less fortunate and you're looking for a location to setup your home office, don't spend a fortune on adding square footage to your home. All you have to do is find a corner or section of the home and define it as your office space:

Section off your office from the rest of the room with dividers
Having a wall divider or screen to define your office space is no different than having a cubicle in a regular office building. Since you're the boss, make sure you give yourself as much room as possible. You can even give yourself a view by setting up in a part of the home that has a large window. Homebodies can save big on their tax bill.

Choose an area with limited distractions
A walk-in closet or a stair landing might be a more suitable place for your office. Using your living room or bedroom for your office might tempt you into being unproductive with a TV and a bed in such close proximity.

Affordable Office Supplies
If you're running a business from home, the last place you would want to shop for office supplies is from the big office supply chains. Leave these places for the bigger businesses. Head to discount stores and start browsing for the best deals on essential office supplies. Try to buy in bulk at warehouse club stores, or buy second-hand office supplies at garage sales and thrift stores. Keep an eye out for offices in the area that are going out of business and see if they are willing to sell, or even donate, some of their left over office supplies. In the worst case scenario, you can shop at an office supply chain, but make sure you sign up for a club membership and loyalty reward points before you buy.

Cut Your Printing and Paper Costs
The first thing you need to do if you want to save on home office expenses is to go paperless. This will eliminate the need for obtrusive filing cabinets everywhere, lighten the clutter around your desk and save you money on paper costs. Here are a few tips that can help you save big:

Ditch the idea of having your own fax machine
It's an unnecessary expense that can be easily replaced by Internet faxing or emails, which will save money on paper, toner and maintenance on a regular fax machine. Plus, you'll save money by cutting that extra phone line for your fax machine.

Go for a scanner-printer combo
Even if you're trying to go paperless, you're likely to have a few incoming paper documents to deal with. Invest in a scanner-printer combo to convert paper documents into electronic data.

Change your font color and type
This can save you money and help you get the most out of your ink cartridge.

Start using both sides of the printer paper
While you may want to keep certain documents strictly one-sided, you can cut paper costs by printing certain documents and printouts on both sides of the paper.

Furnishing Your Office on the Cheap
Before you set out to buy a new desk, printer, fax machine, computer, filing cabinets, calendars, planners, dry-erase boards, motivational posters and an office lamp, take a moment to plan out what you really need for your home office. If you've decided on going paperless, you probably won't need as many filing cabinets as you think. Internet faxing eliminates the need for a fax machine. Once you've figured out what your essential office items are, you can start furnishing. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Scan your home for old items and decor
Think about any pictures, posters, photos or paintings that you've had to store because they didn't match your new bedroom linens. They might go well in your new office space. Old, empty flower pots can be used to hold various office supplies like pens, pencils and paperclips.

Buy refurbished big ticket items
Garage sales and store clearances are great places to look for an office desk and chair. Search for websites that specialize in selling refurbished computers and laptops. Some of these second-hand items even come with a warranty.

Save on Internet Connection, Phone Lines and Office Software
The final things you'll need for running your home office on a budget are an affordable Internet and phone connection, and office software. For an Internet connection and office phone line, check your local providers for package deals. Many affordable Internet deals can be obtained at very low monthly costs. The only catch is you need to sign up for a phone plan as well. This works perfectly for a home office that would need a separate line from your home phone anyway.

For office software, avoid using the big name brands. You can find much more affordable software online that can meet all of your office needs, from operating systems to affordable word processors. A lot of downloadable software comes free through a trial version, and usually requires a small purchase fee to use the full version instead.

Know Your Business
Saving money on overhead costs is important for running a home office on an affordable budget, but it's also important to know where you need to spend and where you need to save. If your business is reliant on a fast Internet connection and a powerful computer rig, you'll probably want to pay top-dollar on these expenses, while saving elsewhere. Likewise, if you have a business that requires more time spent out of the office than in the office, you can probably afford to save on high end office items, and invest more money on the necessary tools and equipment needed for when you're on a job. Whatever the case may be, make sure you plan ahead before you start setting up your office, so you can devise the most efficient plan for running a business from inside your home.

Looks like it reach the bottom, bought YM at 11015 with stop at 10980...