Sunday 10th July

[PeterLe]

Hi
Just wondered how others were finding today..?
Doing quite well today; traded 24, lost 8 (avr loss £6.88), Avr win £22.57
Will check the P&L later, but think the main losses were the irish tracks..
Regards
Peter

PS Traded the first 8 or 9 with no losses and hoped for that elusive full card... despite doing this for almost 4 years I dont think I have ever traded a full day without a single loss..(is it really that hard or have I still got lots to learn!!)

[Stanman]

Today's trading seemed to be similar to most days - there's always one race that will bite you in the bum if you get a bit carried away with how easy it all seems!

[PeterLe]

Thats true!
I went out with a bit of wimper towards the end..my second best day over the last 7 days..so happy with that..here's to another week!

[andyfuller]

Managed a decent enough day but still pretty disappointed in myself. Missed out on a couple of huge wins which I let get to me and led to me wasting about 50mins making next to nothing which compounded it.

Ditched that attitude after giving myself a good talking to and smashed a couple of races straight after which was pleasing but overall I thought there was plenty of opportunity especially for a Sunday just I didn't make the most from it.

[aligammack]

Hi Peter,

Just looking through my p&l and I seemed to be doing much better at the beginning of the day and started to fade towards the end. This is normal practice for me. I find it difficult to keep the focus for the full session and I start to make silly mistakes or miss opportunities. I've thought about taking a mid session break but don't want miss anything.

Is this common practice in other traders?

Maybe somebody on here will give me the secret of keeping focus.

[PeterLe]

My first loss was 26p or 27p..and once I had realised that loss, I think i didnt focus as hard (trying for the full card!)..its a bit like playing golf; when you have a bad hole, you shouldn't let it spoil the whole round. Easier said than done.
..anyway a good day nevertheless

Going to spend yesterdays and todays profits on a new TV for the bedroom!!

[andyfuller]

Going to spend yesterdays and todays profits on a new TV for the bedroom!!

Going 3D or down the projector route or something a little more modest? Don't forget to include some surround sound - the sound on TV's are utter rubbish or if you want to be able to watch while the other half is asleep a set of Sennheiser's rs 180 aren't bad but the sound isn't as good as a set of Bose Quiet Comfort but the Bose don't allow you to wander around listening to the TV which is surprisingly handy even for trading.

[andyfuller]

Is this common practice in other traders?

Some days fly by but they are usually the ones where everything is going right and you just want it to go on and on, shame such days aren't more common.

But the rest of the time, especially during the summer I do find it a struggle at times to keep on the ball for the whole day.

I took a tip that Adam Heathcote got slated for, drink lots of water. I find this does help me, also it means I have to get up out of my seat to take a tinkle which also helps keep the blood flowing around your body and gives your eyes a rest away from the screen. It sounds daft but I got a tip from the optician which was to always use the downstairs toilet (my office is upstairs) as this gives you a little longer of a break which is all good for the eyes, body and back.

Make sure you have a good chair is another tip - see it as an investment in your future - you don't want to knacker your back up.

Invest in a good mouse and mouse mat and keyboard, it can make a lot of difference. I like the Loigtech G9 mouse.

Make sure your desk and screens are set up at optimal heights and distances, I ended up building my own custom desk so everything is made to measure, doesn't cost very much at all and is a lot better than any desk you can buy in a shop. I also like to use a foot rest to help my posture. If I remember correctly someone also said to me once they have a second set up where they stand to trade for part of the day.

I also try to get a good nights sleep each night and try to have my lunch just before trading as it seems to give me an energy boost. Likewise during the summer I have a small snack between the afternoon and evening session again to help the energy levels. Try and stay away from stuff that gives you a sudden short energy burst though and then leaves you feeling down.

Hope some of that helps.

[aligammack]

Thanks Andy, I appreciate the pointers.

[Alpha322]

Hi
Just wondered how others were finding today..?
Doing quite well today; traded 24, lost 8 (avr loss £6.88), Avr win £22.57
Will check the P&L later, but think the main losses were the irish tracks..
Regards
Peter

PS Traded the first 8 or 9 with no losses and hoped for that elusive full card... despite doing this for almost 4 years I dont think I have ever traded a full day without a single loss..(is it really that hard or have I still got lots to learn!!)

Hi Peter, i done this the other day, but i think it is always a sure thing with trading that you will get a trade wrong. They say the ratio is 60/40 so if you do 24 trades and you get better than 60% you have an excellent strike rate as i understand it. We will always get a loss trading, its how you control (percentage wise) it according to your system you operate, well done

[PeterLe]

Going to spend yesterdays and todays profits on a new TV for the bedroom!!

Going 3D or down the projector route or something a little more modest? Don't forget to include some surround sound - the sound on TV's are utter rubbish or if you want to be able to watch while the other half is asleep a set of Sennheiser's rs 180 aren't bad but the sound isn't as good as a set of Bose Quiet Comfort but the Bose don't allow you to wander around listening to the TV which is surprisingly handy even for trading.

Thanks Andy,
Just going to keep the bedroom set up fairly simple.
I have thought about getting a 3d, but TBH I'm not sure if I like it??
A projector would be nice!
A few months ago I upgraded the front room, I bought a Sony STR DH 810 Amp. When i built the extension i put four Kef speakers in the ceiling and have two mission speakers front end, the sound is amazing.

Re the headphones; I tend to do a lot of conference calls in my day job and can spend a couple of hours a day on the phone so I did buy some Quiet Comfort 15 and the add on microphone option. They were expensive, but worth every single penny. Wish I had bought some years ago
Last week i was on a ten hour flight and kept the headphones on most of the way. The nose canceling is absolutely amazing.

regards
Peter