Necessary Part of Trading

Even though financial markets (excluding crypto) are closed on weekends, it doesn’t mean your work as a trader stops there. Too many people see weekends as “time off,” but for traders, this mindset can be dangerous. Personally, I believe weekends are often misunderstood. They shouldn’t always be about escaping work - they can be about shifting focus.

Don’t get me wrong: rest is important. Recovery matters. But resting doesn’t mean neglecting. Just as an athlete doesn’t stop training altogether when the season ends, traders should not stop engaging with their craft when the markets are closed. Weekends are an opportunity, not an excuse.

I take regular pauses in my trading year - July, August and the second half of December are my usual breaks. But those pauses are not laziness. They are deliberate periods of sharpening. Instead of focusing on market execution, I use that time to refine my data, review my past trades, journal, rethink risk parameters and adjust my long-term strategy. It’s like stepping outside the battlefield to sharpen the sword.

Anders Ericsson, the psychologist behind the concept of deliberate practice, showed that true expertise comes not just from hours of doing, but from hours of reflecting and refining. In trading, that reflection often happens best when markets are closed - when you are not distracted by price action, but fully engaged with learning.

So don’t mistake pause for inactivity. Pausing doesn’t mean not working; it means working differently. The best traders don’t use weekends to escape trading, they use them to build the foundation for their next week, month and year.

When markets open again, you’ll know who used their time wisely - and who wasted it.

- Luke FT.