In Buster Olney’s latest column he offers an interesting thought for us as traders: move on from a trading day. Into The Close and on The Open most traders are in a state of heightened focus. It would be exhausting to stay in this state all day. We would burn out quickly attempting to stay so intensely focused.

Buster asked a former teammate of the retiring all-time saves leader in MLB history, Trevor Hoffman, for Hoffman anecdotes. The teammate responded:

“No. 1: Early in his closing career, after every save opportunity, whether he converted it or blew it, Trevor would sit in the dugout for up to five minutes after his teammates had cleared out. The only reason I noticed was because I would be taking my catching gear off, and I’d be the only other player there. Finally, I asked him why he was sitting there after every appearance. He said he was getting the emotion and adrenaline out, whether it was the high from success or the anger of failure. He told me he sat there, in essence, to put that outing behind him. Once he left the dugout, he had moved on. That is mental toughness, and a huge reason why he has more saves than anyone in the history of the game.”

How do you leave your trading results behind after a trading session? I’ve noticed some go and grab a smoke. I suppose this works but I’m not a fan of smoking. Often I leave the desk, walk outside, buy and eat a protein bar. Others return emails to friends and unwind before they review their work. Still others make a phone call to their significant other. You might browse an internet page that most interests you like ESPN or talkingpointsmemo.

The idea is to develop a routine where you let go of your state of heightened focus. Consider finding a period of time to shut down for a bit so you can move forward with renewed energy. Let me be clear. I’m not recommending that you stop thinking of trading after your period of renewal. Review your work and get back to thinking about your trading after a break. But contemplate leaving that hyper-focused state behind and moving to a sustainable mindset of thought, review, and improvement so you are freshest for the next trading session.

Mike Bellafiore

Author, One Good Trade