For many people, trading is a full-time job. But what if you don’t have the time to commit to it full-time? Is it still possible to make money day trading part-time? The answer is yes — but it takes a little bit of extra effort. In this blog post, we’ll share some tips on how to make the most of your limited time and maximize your profits when day trading part-time.
Decide what hours you can realistically trade without impacting your work performance.
Establishing specific hours for trading is essential to find successful trades. You should decide how many hours you can dedicate to trading without sacrificing your performance in the workplace, either by minimizing the amount of time spent trading or by creating distinct schedules for work and trading. Consider that the goal of successful trading is long-term growth and that taking too many risks during a single day can heavily impact your chances of garnering future success. Determine what works best for you and be sure to keep regular habits with rigorous records to ensure your success.
Set up a trading schedule (and stick to it) to help you stay disciplined.
Although it can be tempting to check the charts on a whim, having and sticking to a trading schedule is a critical part of becoming a successful trader. Whatever time and frequency of trades work best for you, establishing it as part of your disciplined plan will give you structure and help prevent rash decisions. It also ensures that no matter what is going on with any given market, you’ll keep your reliable routine so that fleeting emotions don’t inform your choice but instead informed research and analysis do. A trading schedule isn’t just helpful — it’s essential.
Make sure you have enough money to cover both your living expenses and your trading account.
Trading the markets is an excellent way to make money over time, but it’s important to remember that there are associated risks with trading. To ensure your financial health, you must make sure you have enough money in your trading account as well as your living expenses. Trading capital should be seen as a long-term investment, so don’t forget to factor in the lifestyle changes you may need to make to support this investment. If you can find a balance between your day-to-day expenses and what needs to be allocated for trading, then you’re on your way to setting yourself up for financial success.
Figure out when the best time to trade is for someone with a regular day job.
Determining the best time to trade for individuals with a regular day job can often seem like an insurmountable challenge. That’s because many markets are open during regular daytime business hours, which is when these people are typically working and unable to monitor market activity.
You may find that the best time for you to trade depends on the markets you’re trading. For example, the stock market may not be a good fit for you if you have a regular 9-5 job, since that market would trade during your workday. The forex markets on the other hand trade around the clock and could be a better option for traders that are keeping a full-time job.
Use range orders, bracket orders, and OCO orders when trading.
When trading, it is important to know how to properly manage your orders. Furthermore, some order types may be best for day traders with full-time jobs. Range orders, bracket orders, and OCO orders are three of the most popular order types for traders that have limited time to dedicate to trading.
Range orders allow you to specify a range of prices that you want your order to stay within. These are also called straddle orders. A range entry order is an order to open a Buy or Sell position within a specified price range. The range is set by the Stop Entry and Limit Entry order rates. First, the range entry order’s rate is specified as follows:
- A range entry order to buy is placed above the current market price.
- A range entry order to sell is placed below the current market price.
Bracket orders provide a layer of protection, allowing you to specify both a limit price and a stop loss price. Bracket orders are designed to help limit your loss and lock in a profit by “bracketing” an order with two opposite-side orders. A BUY order is bracketed by a high-side sell limit order and a low-side sell stop order. A SELL order is bracketed by a high-side buy stop order and a low-side buy-limit order.
Finally, by using OCO (one-cancels-other) orders, you can combine two different types of orders into one package and save time while still maintaining the desired level of control. All three order types have their uses in trading and mastering them can be a great way to enter or exit the market without having to monitor the charts. They allow full-time 9-5ers to identify opportunities, place orders and let them run — even while they’re working.
Start small and only trade with money you can afford to lose.
A common temptation when entering the world of trading is to dive in head-first, dive deep, and hope for the best. However, this approach is often a recipe for disaster. It’s very important to start small and only trade with money you can afford to lose. By limiting your downside risk you not only improve your chances of success but also preserve the capital you can use to gradually increase your investments over time as your experience grows. Experienced traders know that conservative entry points are more likely to be rewarding than big bets. Don’t let yourself get too eager; sometimes slow and steady wins the race in trading.
Keep your job! Maintain financial stability.
If you are going to enter the world of trading, while maintaining a full-time job, you shouldn’t quit your job to chase trading as a full-time money source right away. Many traders have found success while still keeping their full-time job, and if you don’t feel like trading can provide you with a stable financial future, it is wise to keep your job until you know for sure.
The most important thing for any trader is to maintain financial stability. Trading should not be seen as an all-or-nothing venture. You can trade part-time and still make profits consistently. Many successful traders have day jobs and only trade for a couple of hours a day. They don’t put all their eggs in one basket and they diversify their trading across multiple markets and strategies.
So, if you have a full-time job, don’t quit it to start trading. Instead, find ways to use your free time to trade and stay disciplined with money management tactics that will help you grow your account over the long term. Don’t forget that trading is a long-term game and requires patience and discipline to become successful.
In conclusion, trading with a day job can have its rewards, but it won’t be easy. You must decide what hours you can realistically trade without impacting your performance at work and make sure to stick to your trading schedule. Set aside enough money to cover both your trading account and regular expenses, and develop your strategy based on when the best time to trade is for someone with a regular job. As always, start small when trading, and remember to only invest the amount of money you can afford to lose. With that said, the most important advice of all is that whatever you decide, ensure that it does not interfere with keeping your job for financial stability.
Disclaimer: All information provided here is intended solely for study purposes related to trading financial markets and does not serve in any way as a specific investment recommendation, business recommendation, investment opportunity, analysis, or similar general recommendation regarding the trading of investment instruments. The content, in its entirety or parts, is the sole opinion of SurgeTrader and is intended for educational purposes only. The historical results and/or track record does not imply that the same progress is replicable and does not guarantee profits or future profitable trading records or any promises whatsoever. Trading in financial markets is a high-risk activity and it is advised not to risk more than one can afford to lose.
