Getting in the zone can be on of the most difficult things to do, due to the fact there is no right or wrong way to do so. Some trades may simply need a good nights rest and be ready to hit the ground running. Others may need to follow a strict morning routine every single day to get prepared for the trading day. How do you know what you should be doing? First off you should already have a set of rules put together. These rules should tell you when/where and how you are going to trade. If you do not have a set of rules together then be sure to do so before continuing on.
The Setup
We know our setups for getting into trades but we also need to know our setups for getting into the zone. As mentioned above there is no right or wrong answer it is going to depend on what you as a trader really need. One of the best ways to find this out is to journal everything that goes on before your trading day and see if you can link a few items together that help you have green days.
For example, if all your green days happen after you worked out in the morning, then it would be fair to say that working out before you start to trade would be a good rule to have. On the other hand maybe you are a coffee fan and cannot function without your morning cup, if that is you then be sure to have your coffee before starting to trade. All this things might sound small but they all add up. You wouldn't run a race without stretching so why would would you start trading without your morning setup.
If you do not currently have a morning setup then start adding this to your journal for the next month and see what works and what doesn't work. Remember to be honest in your journal, it is there to help you find out what works and what doesn't.
The Zone
Now that we have the setup we can then get in the zone, again there is no right or wrong answer for this. For this example I will use my setup, that I use everyday to make sure I am in the zone and ready to place trades when the bell rings.
After my morning setup/routine I like to login to the computer and look through the news from the past 24 hours and see if there has been any change in sentiment. This can come from interest rate news or anything that could effect the economy like Covid-19. Once I gain a good grasp on the news it is then onto the charts. For those of you who are members you will know exactly how I look at the charts from our live morning analysis. If you would like to gain access to those here is a link to do so.
From there I like to de-clutter my screens and put on some relaxing music. For me that is all I need in the morning, I read the news, mark up my charts and make sure my main focus is on the charts.
It really can be that simple, there is no reason to add a hundred different steps to your morning, simply find out what works best for you and make sure you do it every single morning. The best way to do this is to journal everything you do throughout the day, simply add a morning routine column to your journal and add as much detail you can every single day.
Comment down below on how you get into the zone.