Getting up between trades: a timer routine
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 11:59 am
Long sessions at the screen tend to bring back pain and slower reactions late in the morning. A timer is a low-tech fix worth trying.
A simple version:
How to tell if it works: tag trades taken within ten minutes after a break and compare them with trades taken after long uninterrupted stretches. Also note how you feel at 11:00 on break days versus non-break days. Two weeks of tags is enough for a first impression.
Some traders use a standing desk for the same reason. Movement seems to matter more than the furniture.
What do you do to stay sharp through a long session?
A simple version:
- Set a timer for 25 minutes when no trade is open.
- When it rings, stand up, walk, drink water, look out of a window for two minutes.
- If a trade is open, the break waits until it closes.
- No phone during the break. Checking charts on the phone isn't a break.
How to tell if it works: tag trades taken within ten minutes after a break and compare them with trades taken after long uninterrupted stretches. Also note how you feel at 11:00 on break days versus non-break days. Two weeks of tags is enough for a first impression.
Some traders use a standing desk for the same reason. Movement seems to matter more than the furniture.
What do you do to stay sharp through a long session?