The Drummond Geometry Forum

Am really under performing here and I may have determined one cause of the problem. Maybe you have suggestions. What I believe is really holding me back here, and preventing me from trading in a relaxed manner by knowing what is unfolding is as follows: I can picture in mind what "should" happen on LTP D this Week if say the W was in C-W down last week so expecting Wdot refresh push down to continue that C-W down this Week; the problem seems to be that I am not recognizing this event as it occurs in real time before my eyes. So when LTP D actually plays out what I "expected" within W C-W down context, I am unsure/uncertain if it is actually occurring. This causes hesitation in execution resulting in missed trades or tardy execution giving me increased risk. What would your diagnosis be?
Am also considering moving to W focus from D as do not always have the time or interest to monitor intraday as LTP. In your experience is there inherently more risk in doing so? I know Charlie recommends trading M highs and lows when getting started until profitable but isn't there more risk in that? I think what I've found here Ted is that I have simply lost the necessary drive and interest to trade D focus and spend my day monitoring the intraday. Maybe that is due to the above mentioned problem and the underperformance may be causing my lack of interest in the smaller TP. Trading the D focus and monitoring intraday has provided mixed results at best for me. So am wondering if I have either not found the proper TP focus for me or if I am applying DG improperly in some manner.

C.G.

Nothing could be more understandable than boredom with trading, and especially the intraday ramble of watching ticks move by.

Changing time period focus is clearly one way to deal with this.

Charlie, when talking about his trade plans, mentions just this: he trades by attitude, which means sometimes long-term, sometimes short term, and always by what feels tight at the moment, and this with the purpose of integrating trading into his life in an easy manner.

This is not an inherently more risky manner of trading. Risk is a function of your understanding of what is happening and your ability to take action as it occurs.

It's funny that I did not mention boredom yet that was your diagnosis. That's interesting and right on I would say. This is the first time I have felt so utterly bored with trading. Even when a recent position was moving against me I could have cared less, although knew where price was and what was likely to happen. Now that's not the best trading attitude I would say. And yet I did appreciate the fact that I was not tying myself to the screen every minute but could stand back and just let the trade play out. So there is a lesson for me here I think. This feeling is very new for me and am wondering what's next. Perhaps it is largely due to under performing. For the last year I have not had the time to give PL 100% of my effort for any fixed length of time due to our family/schooling/work situation and time constraints. Little ones take so much of our time but nowhere is the reward greater.
Perhaps it is likely that the boredom came because of the underperformance. After all, some of our satisfaction in life comes from doing our job well. I have noticed over the last few months that I do not feel very mentally "organized" with a trading plan in mind while at the screen. In a way seems like I am a "spectator" just watching to see what happens. To me "organized" in P&L would be to have an idea of the next bars (D ftp) likely range and how the HTP should impact the FTP, etc... Then being able to determine yes/no of all this on LTP as it unfolds. Also, do you believe that problem is due to boredom?

C.G.

===== yes, boredom,,,, and this sounds somewhat like "screen hypnosis" where you watch but are lost in thought start a mental cycle that seems to follow each tick but really sinks into a sort of trance state... Can be combatted by moving about a lot, being active, setting alarms at critical price levels to let the computer do the monitoring, haveing a better idea of what has to NOT happen if the trade is to be intact, and what WILL happen if the entrance point is approached, etc...

I think your suggestion to change TP is valid. As the above unfolds,,,I notice that over this last year I have felt I am over committed in time when I try to trade intraday and attend to other tasks with the family with intraday bar builds. Within a few minutes of sitting at the screen to monitor, another item requires attention and can feel "stress" manifesting as am getting pulled two ways. Maybe this was the hard way to learn to lengthen my FTP.

C.G.

===yes... the stress of conflicts will distract attention and then you're at risk....

I guess what I am wondering Ted is if these issues are typical of traders or P&Lers in general of if they are due to personal items.

CD has said "problem known, solution known". So I'll have to think on this a bit more. I obviously need to find a way to trade P&L profitably and enjoyably or why bother at all. I think I'll need to come up with a usable trading plan and schedule that will fit into my personal family situation. One lesson I've learned is that instead of getting lost in each tick, my eyes are automatically looking to the right to the HTPs.


C.G.

===all trading is personal. Like the say in Washington "all politics is local." Everyone has to deal with these things, and it is not just you, and yet you will have particular wrinkles on these issues different from anyone else...

==excellent

I have a question for you, how long (months, years, etc....) did it take you before you were trading P&L with consistent profits? How much of that ramp up time would you say was due to settling into your own personal trading plan?

C.G.

Answer is... a number of years... though I have to say I was particularly wooden headed about a few items, like learning to keep losses small. I was always tempted to take a trade that would prove me smart as opposed to listening to what the market has to say.