Thanks for the reply Spydertrader. I have pretty much already decided what I'm going to do, I just wanted to hear some of the experiences that others on ET have had. Another question for you though, anything significant that you feel should be mentioned in regards to coming back from an absence? This is really the only thing I'm worried about, losing the routine. I'm not saying I need to live in a structured existence, but the daily routine I have built has been very consistent and my success trading has been very similar. Thanks for all the input from everyone. Who? The writer?
I'm too new a trader to give advice. I know I'm not going to take the summer off as I need to keep working on success before I rest. But... When I was still working in my full time job, I would regularily take a couple months off in the summer or fall. I would rock climb, bum on the beach, drive around Australia, cycle around Holland, and generally think about anything but work. When I left, I would think about work for a few days before I learned to relax, then I would have a wonderful time, and when I returned to work, I would have much more energy and drive than before I left. In the long run, this made financial sense (I made better decisions, could focus on my career with more energy). More than that, it made good personal sense. It reminded me of the reasons I was working. (Hint: I don't work because of the work.) If you have the savings to take the summer off, I think it is an excellent idea. Reconnect, relax, and come back stronger than ever.
While away on holiday, things do tend to pile up, and often, one can feel a bit 'out of sync' with the markets (as well as the rest of one's life) upon returning. As a result, I always give myself one day to 'catch up' before jumping back into full trading. Taking on smaller positions, or simply, sitting and monitoring events in between clearing out the email box (and the pile of regular mail / newspapers), unpacking, returning phone calls and handling life's other chores provides an excellent opportunity to ease back into life (as a whole) when returning from a vacation. Scheduling yourself the time to transition back into 'work' mode works no differently than transitioning from work to vacation. After all, one doesn't simply jump on a plane and head south the instant the market closes. We make plans, purchase tickets, pack clothes and other essentials and schedule time at one location or another well before the time comes to actually begin the holiday. Most people don't live their lives playing 'Red-Light, Green-light' stopping and starting depending on the challenges life provides. Rather (and more like the ebb and flow of the markets themselves), Most people accelerate and decelerate their lives as the 'pace' of life speeds up and slows down. The transition back to 'trading mode' should work for you in the very same way. Enjoy your summer. - Spydertrader
Thank you Spydertrader for the input. I'm hoping everything will turn out that way, the thing I've been thinking about is this, my current office is going to be moved to the new house so I'll have a totally new trading area. I'd thought of a LOT of things to change about the current office and I've planned out an amazing setup for the new one, but when I return to trading not only will I have the usual "Holiday Rust" I'll be in a totally different trading environment, new computers, new OS, new monitors, new desk, new funiture, new putting rug , etc. I'll have a different routine in the morning (I run my subdivision's outer road in the morning) possibly with a "roommate" (I've been thinking of asking her to move into the new place with me, but her digs are pretty nice too... I'm not sure I could still dodge the other "commitment issues" though...) So basically everything about my current setup and routine is changing, and I'm not sure how big of an impact everything will have on my trading. Thanks for the advice, I'm sure enough that I'm going to go through with this that I'm already booking flights, hotels, and stuff for Vacation #1. I'll worry about #2 later. Sounds great, but my last vacation was in Europe. Besides, I'm more into Football than Futbol. I will be watching with the rest of the world though...
well, head down to NZ to watch the All Blacks play their home series, and stop off for a week in Fiji on the way back
Just bumping this question back up, I'm still curious how many traders waited too long before taking a leave of absence.
I have a search window at the upper left of my screen home page (Microsoft Internet Explorer) when I ue it it says at the top MYWEBSEARCH. Google is mentioned at the bottom. I typed in "John T. Hershey" On the first page is a listing (It is the fourth or fifth down): PACA Manual PDF demo John T. Hershey, Alan Sexton, et. al. (Chadbourne and. Chadbourne) 469 pp. Originally published under the auspices of the Environmental ... http://depts.washington.edu/pcmi/resources/PACA Training from ICE.pdf - Cached This 469 page reference you will find is a broad one that takes into account several organizations of note including the reference in my original post. Participatory Analysis of Community Action is something that I do and something I recommend to others to do with either some of their time or some of their profits. I continually advocate for "paying it forward" and solving community problems. It is the basis of one of the three web sites being built. Your post to this thread is outrageous and uncalled for. the same is true for gerry. You two people are some of the biggest assholes I have every run into. I spent years in the Canadian territores exploring and supporting the First Nations effort to have land designated to their use and stewardship. I have stood on a trail I designed and had built with the head of the United Nations World Heritage operations where natioanla parks of the US and Canada were bieng integrated nationally. That spot on that trail was one where 3 of the four hoighest peaks in Canada could be seen for the first time as a consequence of the design and build process. You are a complete asshole.