My Trading Office
A
number of people have asked about my trading office and how best to set one
up. In this post, I'll talk about how my
office is configured and why. I'll also
show you all the hardware I use and their respective functions.
First,
a trading office needs to be in a quiet and comfortable environment. If you’re trading from home, I recommend
dedicating a separate room for your office.
This will allow you to be removed from distractions like kids, TV,
visitors, etc.
My office is painted a soft light-brown color for a relaxed feel. My furniture is a mix of dark brown and black wood. I keep the shades on my window up for natural light. I don't have a TV, bed, or home phone in my office. When I'm in my office, I'm working and not sleeping, playing, or lounging around. I also keep the door shut and cell phone on vibrate to limit interruptions.
For my primary trading computer, I use an HP desktop with Windows Vista. It has 3GB of RAM and 500GB of hard drive space. You will also notice that I have three E-Machine 19" monitors. They all deliver a 1440×900 resolution. You don't need expensive monitors, just make sure they're all the same size and have the same resolution. TigerDirect.com (www.tigerdirect.com) has great prices on monitors. You should go with nothing smaller than 19" monitors; I wouldn't go any larger than 22".
I rely on noise-cancelling USB headphones to communicate on Skype (www.skype.com) and in our e-mini trading class room. Notice my comfortable chair with an easy roll padding. Also, I have a Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard (fewer cords means less clutter!).
To the left of my desk I have the desktop computer, UPS (uninterrupted power supply), and printer. The UPS protects my computer against electrical surges and will keep the computer running on battery for up to an hour if the power goes out. I only turn my printer on when I need to print something.
Behind my desk you will find a filing cabinet used for my GTD system (read: Getting Things Done by David Allen). I have an inbox and current reading material (I'm currently reading The New Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, and The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss).
I have a Dell laptop ready for travel or as a back-up computer. Typically, I don't trade on the laptop. I’d much rather prefer having at least two screens to trade from. The third screen is used as extra space for checking the economic calendar and hosting our class room.
Feel free to comment about your trading office or send me pictures of your set up! I'm always interested in sharing ideas and helping other traders.
