Life, Trading, Work: Balance?

Saddle Up!

Hi this is Jonny! I'm reaching out to you today to give you a sneak peak in the life of a real trader. Jerremy thinks I have a really busy schedule. I'm married, with three kids at home, a full time job, endless baseball games, and pretty soon, maybe soccer games or ballet recitals to attend. I don't know if what I do is necessarily 'time management', but I would say it's more like I do what I have planned to do.

This article is going to be short and sweet. That's pretty much how I live my life because the short 24 hours in a day that I have been given is one of the most precious commodities in my life. So when I do something, ANYTHING, I make sure I get the best bang for the buck or else I'm wasting money. Yes, money.

Since time is a precious commodity to me, I treat it no different than I would a dollar bill, an ounce of gold. You got the idea. Up front, I'll tell you this. Spending time and building memories with my family IS my priority so that's where I spend most of my time.

I also figure that if I work REALLY hard now, I can become financially free. For me that means having TIME and money so I can do the things I want to do, which in my case, is spending time with my crew!

All that being said, let me tell you how I prioritize and spend my time. Now, I'm not saying for you to do what I do, but more like, figure out what fits do what you say you're gonna do and JUST DO IT!

Here's just one example of 'a” real lifestyle. It happens to be mine:

Monday am – Friday pm:

3:40am-wake up and get ready for the day4am-get on the computer check in the RLTs Morning Trading Room and start reviewing gaps4:30am- 6am – trade6am-7:30am – continue to trade, adjust stops, etc.

-start making the kids breakfast/lunch

-get Mama/kids out the door for school/work

-set stops/ leave for work

8am-5pm – work (I'm not gonna put it on paper, but read between the lines ☺)5-6pm- sneak in a quick workout (as often as possible when time permits)6-7pm pick up my son from baseball practice and get home (Mon, Wed, and Fri)7-8pm – eat / kids time / RLT and trade related things/ get ready for bed8pm -3:40am – sleep (if I don't get 7 hours of sleep a night, I'm worthless the next day)

Saturday-Sunday

Usually 3-4 baseball games a weekendFamily timeErrands / house requirementsRLT / trade related timeGet ready for bed………….and...

Monday am: Groundhog Day! Do it all over again………

Just for me personally, you didn't see TV time and other useless, time sucking events in my daily schedule. Now, do I watch TV on special occasions? Sure! That's one of my wife's so called 'quiet us” time. Do I do other relaxing things when I can? Absolutely! I'm not saying not to. As a matter of fact, I'm not telling you to do anything. As a fellow RLT team member though, I will suggest one simple concept: Know what you want. Why you want it. Prioritize. Walk the talk.

Beyond the money, find YOUR reason why to trade. Mine is freedom to spend time in the most meaningful way possible. When you find your WHY, trading becomes less of a hobby or a must do. It will become part of your life, just like it has become mine. 

Thanks for reading. 

-Jonny Guarco