You could be experiencing a "burn out" that requires time away from the markets (e.g. vacation or schedule days off from trading). If not a burn out...try doing something enriching or fulfilling prior to starting your trading day (e.g. exercising). For example, I had a similar problem as you but I was exercising either at lunch or in the evenings. I resolved the problem via making changes in my schedule by exercising early in the morning prior to beginning my trading day. Also, if you have any unresolved personal issues (things going on in your personal life) that you keep thinking about when your trading day starts...fix it before it becomes more than just a distraction considering you are implying you're a discretionary trader (someone not using an automated or mechanical trading system). Mark
Learn to meditate. There are a ton of resources on the Internet that can help you. If you don't mind dropping a few bucks, try meditationshift.com because it is quick and easy to learn. Learning to be mindful and present in the moment may sound like new-age mumbo jumbo, but it has been around for centuries and can make all the difference in the world.
I examined a similar issue that was happening to me. If you like to review my thread. What helped me was breaking my day down in smaller time segments, someone suggested the pomodoro time management technique. For me its all fixed. I stay focused from 9AM - 4PM, no problem. Like everything I do, I examined it to death. I looked into red bull, 5 hour energy liquid. Meditation, bike riding, maintaining proper blood sugar level and caffeine are what I am doing every day. I seem to agree with one other poster, you maybe showing signs of a burnout. Good luck to you. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=204236
Thanks Mark, I am thinking about workind out in the morning, I live in SF so my trading day starts at 6:30 AM so would have to get up at 5 to workout before trading. Time away sounds...need to try...
Thanks I actually played with holosync for while i did not make any progress because i did not spend enuf time trying, finding resources but i'll look into meditationshift.com
You should definitely do that, it makes a big difference. More energy, more concentration, more positive mood, more resistance to mental ailments like depression, lower heart disease, better looks, better performance in bed. Pretty good return on 30-60 mins a day investment.