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A simple trading routine: what to do before, during and after the session

A good routine means fewer decisions on the spot. You know what to check, when to stop and what to write down. Here's a simple one you can copy and shape to fit your day.

Beginner guide · 7-minute read · Updated 2026-10-21

Why a routine helps

Trading asks for a lot of small choices. Which market? Which chart? Is this a setup? How big?

A routine answers most of them before the session starts. That leaves your full attention for the few choices that matter.

It also makes your days comparable. If you prepare the same way every day, your journal can show what really changes your results: the market, or you.

The shape of a routine

Every routine has 4 parts:

1. Before: get ready (15–30 minutes).
2. During: trade the plan (a fixed window).
3. After: log and close (10–20 minutes).
4. Weekly: review and adjust (30–60 minutes).

Keep the times short at first. A 15-minute routine you do every day beats a 2-hour one you skip.

Before the session: 5 steps

1. Check yourself

Ask: "Did I sleep? Am I calm? Is anything big on my mind?"

If you're tired, upset or rushed, plan to trade smaller or not at all today. That's a skill, not a weakness.

2. Check the calendar

Look at today's economic calendar. Note the time of any big report in your time zone. US CPI and the jobs report come out at 8:30 am ET. A Fed decision lands at 2:00 pm ET. See how to read an economic calendar.

3. Look at the bigger picture

For each name on your watchlist, open the daily chart. Is it making higher highs and higher lows, lower ones, or neither? Write one word: up, down or sideways.

4. Mark your levels

Mark the 2 or 3 places where price turned around before and is now close to. Set an alert near each one so you don't have to stare. Our free StructureX chart tool marks those turning points for you on TradingView, including in the phone app.

5. Write today's plan in 3 lines

• "Markets I'll watch: ___"
• "I'm only looking for: ___"
• "I stop after: 2 losses, or ___ trades, or ___ o'clock."

During the session: 4 rules

1. Trade only inside your window. For many stock traders that's a set part of the 9:30 am–4:00 pm ET session. Pick one or two hours, not the whole day.
2. Run the checklist before every entry. Use your pre-trade checklist, every time.
3. Enter with a stop and a target together. Size from the position size calculator.
4. Log each trade before looking for the next. It takes 1 minute and slows things down in a good way.

After the session: 4 steps

1. Close the platform. Not minimize. Close.
2. Finish the journal. For each trade: setup, entry, stop, target, result in units, and one word for how you felt.
3. Score the day on rules. How many trades followed every rule? Out of how many?
4. Write one line for tomorrow. "Tomorrow I'll ___." Just one thing.

Then walk away. The rest of your day doesn't belong to the chart. Our journaling guide has a full template.

The weekly review

Once a week, on a day with no trading, sit down with your journal. Answer these:

• How many trades? How many followed every rule?
• What's the total in units of risk? (Not money. Units.)
• Which setup showed up most? Which felt hardest to follow?
• Was there a pattern in the feelings column before losses?
• What's one change for next week?

Only change one thing a week. If you change five, you won't know which one helped. Need more questions? See our journaling prompts for traders.

A sample day

Here's one example for someone trading US stocks on a free morning. It's just a starting point. Times are Eastern.

If you work during the day, the same shape fits an evening routine on daily charts, or the forex sessions. Our guide to trading with a full-time job has ideas. Check the market hours tool for your market's busy times.

Make it stick

• Same time, same place. Your brain links the routine to the spot.
• Print it. A paper checklist next to the screen is hard to ignore.
• Start smaller than you think. Do the 5 "before" steps for a week before adding more.
• Practice days count. Run the full routine on replay or paper trading days too, so it's automatic when it matters.

Try it today

1. Copy the 5 "before" steps onto a card.
2. Pick your trading window and set a timer for its end.
3. Block 30 minutes this weekend for your first weekly review.

Questions