Social life of a trader: party all the time?
Dear Traders,
You probably wonder what the social life of a trader is like.
The first thing you need to know about trading Forex is that it takes place five days in a row.
It starts Monday at 0:00 and ends Friday at 23:59.
During this time, you are almost 100% connected to the market.
But when it's your off time, you need to relax.
When I arrive at the office, it's usually around 8:00.
At that point, I need to sit down and focus.
But thankfully as we trade from an office or at home, most of us trade in our casual clothes.
The trading day progresses and London traders prepare for lunch, which is usually around London noon.
If the market settles down, then I head to the gym.
Training during your first break
It's fairly standard practice for traders to use their day's first break for exercise.
And apart from gym work, there are many sports you can benefit from playing in this time.
I practice Muay Thai boxing at the gym, as it helps release the accumulated stress.
At the same time, it lowers your sugar levels and normalises your blood pressure.
As soon as I finish my exercise, I take a shower and drink cold-pressed fruit juice.
I'm not alone during this time either - I do it with my mates and my personal trainer.
After work
Some people say that traders are solitary beings and they may be right to some degree.
When I step out of the office, I try to switch off mentally.
This is not always easy when you have been working for eleven hours straight.
If it's a workday, I honestly don't have the time or energy for parties.
But I do usually go out for a drink, or to walk my dog.
All this is fairly contrary to how the movies generally portray traders and businessmen i.e. spending all their nights drinking alcohol with numerous high-powered peers.
But that's Hollywood for you.
In reality, staying out late at night would damage my ability to effectively trade the market next morning.
So I don't do it.
Personally, I like watching some TV series or movies before I fall asleep.
Weekends
There are always good and bad days.
But life is about a billion little moments, that add up to all the things around you.
As buddhists teach, enjoy being in the now.
For traders, weekends can be busy.
Many traders love parties - when they don't interfere with trading.
On weekends, I visit exclusive night clubs to have some quality time with my friends.
Dancing, joking and laughing is all I need to recharge my batteries.
Sometimes, it's better not to get too bogged down by the uncertainty of your future.
What about dating?
Needless to say, traders have a very attractive quality of being flexible - we are the masters of our own schedule.
We have the luxury of spending our time however we see fit.
For example, working on improving ourselves.
So if you are successful trader that works on both your account and your looks - you shouldn't have any problems with dating.
Other social meetings
Traders are humans, after all.
And that means they are social beings.
Thankfully, the Forex industry offers many opportunities for healthy communication like:
- the Forex expo show
- a recent seminar in Zagreb and Ljubljana, where I had an excellent time with Saša Ivanović (CEO of Admiral Markets Croatia) and his team.
After both events, we enjoyed well-deserved parties.
Final thoughts
Trading is a very exciting job and with the right discipline, you can succeed.
This means balancing your social and professional life.
Trading can change your life and potentially give you wonderful financial freedom.
Just don't forget to take care of yourself in the process.
Cheers and safe trading,
Nenad