TL;DR: Trade higher time frames, plan on the weekend, use alerts and pending orders, and check in at fixed times. Don't try to day-trade from your phone in meetings.
Choose a time frame that fits your life
| Style | Charts | Time needed | Fits a job? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scalping | 1 to 5 minutes | Hours of screen time | No |
| Day trading | 15 minutes to 1 hour | A fixed 1 to 2 hour window | Only if the window is before or after work |
| Swing trading | 4 hours to daily | 20 to 30 minutes a day plus weekend planning | Yes |
For most people with a job, swing trading is the practical choice.
The routine
Weekend (about an hour): read the weekly and daily charts, mark levels, check the economic calendar, write two or three if-then plans and set alerts. The full checklist is in a weekly swing trading plan for gold.
Weekday check-ins (10 minutes each):
- Before work: check overnight moves; adjust or cancel pending orders.
- Lunch: only if an alert fired.
- Evening: review; set or adjust orders for tomorrow.
Tools that do the watching
- Alerts at your levels: TradingView alerts.
- Pending orders with stops and targets attached: MT5 pending orders.
- Stops on the server, not in your head.
Time zones matter
Gold is busiest during the London morning and the overlap with New York. Depending on where you live:
- Asia: the London open is your late afternoon or evening, and US data is your evening or night. Evening check-ins work well.
- Europe: London opens before work; US data lands in your afternoon. Morning planning and pending orders work well.
- Americas: London has done much of its work before you wake up; US data comes at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Pre-work planning and avoiding entries right before releases work well.
See when does gold move.
What to avoid
- Opening trades on your phone in a five-minute gap without checking your plan.
- Holding large positions through major releases you won't be able to watch.
- Letting work stress turn into trading decisions, or the other way round.
- Risking money you need for bills.
Questions traders ask
Can I really make progress with 30 minutes a day? Yes, if those 30 minutes follow a plan. Swing trading rewards patience more than screen time.
Should I use an EA because I'm busy? Only one you understand and have tested, with strict risk limits. Busy is not a good reason to hand control to code you don't understand.
When should I consider going full-time? Only after a long live record with a positive result after costs, and savings to cover the lumpy months. The maths is tougher than most people expect.