Ergonomic Chair
A very long time ago, we humans were constantly active, hunting for our next meal instead of waiting for it to arrive and judging how much to tip. Our body’s were not designed to stay still for very long at all, which is why taking care of them when we do is so important.
A good, ergonomic chair is the backbone (no pun intended) of a productive office. A model with adjustable armrests, lumbar support, and height are essential in order to help you maintain proper seated posture. In addition, the back and seat of the chair should be mesh in order to provide proper ventilation, as prolonged sitting in leather chairs can actually raise your body temperature. The combination will help make sure that your limbs are receiving adequate blood flow, and that your joints and limbs aren’t under any un-needed stress.
BETTER YET: Get a standup desk. I use one of these http://www.geekdesk.com/ this is probably the best purchase I have ever made for equipment. Sitting down all day is terrible for you. Humans werent meant to be sitting down hunched over all day. I standup over 12 hours a day while working. The first week your feet will hurt the 2nd week you will start to feel great. Your energy levels will improve and so will your posture. Look at how many extra calories you burn when you stand http://www.juststand.org/OnlineToolbox/tabid/637/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Large-Resolution Monitors
Day trading requires monitoring of a lot of moving analytics for a lot of moving positions. It’s possible to track these movements on a single monitor, but in a market place that moves at the speed of light, why take the risk?
Instead, set yourself up for success with multiple large monitors. Multiple monitors help put everything you need to see in plain sight while allowing you to organize your windows for maximum comprehensibility. Larger monitors provide an easier reading experience, allowing you to zoom in on web pages and graphs so that your eyes can easily see vital information.
I travel most of the year so i connect usb monitor to my laptop. Being on the road most of the year your going to trade on your laptop primarily. They cost 80 bucks and are really light weight. AOC usb monitor
Secure Shredder
With money up in the air, peace of mind goes a long way, and with identity theft on the rise, you can never be too careful. Tend to your important documents with a shredder built for the job. Look for one that can also shred CDs and credit cards and has a “micro-cut” setting, largely considered to be the most secure setting. In addition, once your shredding is complete, dispose of half the resulting pile in one trash receptacle and the other half in another at a later time. That way brazen criminals can piece together important records from your garbage.
Foliage
It’s not just your equipment that should enable your success, your environment should too. This doesn’t just mean focusing on the aesthetic of your space, it also means tending to the air that keeps your brain going.
Picking the right plants is a great way to introduce a little life to your space. For starters, green is a calming color that can help ease your mind in challenging situations. But the real benefit is in improved air quality that’ll keep pollutants out of your system and give your energy level a boost. If you find yourself distracted often, consider grabbing some low-maintenance plants that’ll ease your mind without taxing your gardening ability.
Notebook
Business happens online, but inspiration can strike anywhere. In a pinch, nothing beats old-fashioned pen and paper. A good notebook has been a staple of creative and literary geniuses for years, including Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Vincent van Gogh. Even if you don’t write the next great novel, having an always-on, easy-to-use alternative to your laptop will help you capture moments of insight and thoughts about potential stock picks without letting the moment slip by. I use a pen and paper version. Many of my students use Evernote which is an online notebook. It has tons of features and hooks to your phone also.
External Hard Drive
As a day trader, your information is your life-blood. So if something happens to it, whether it’s lost or stolen, the damage can be immense. To combat this, pick up an external hard drive and make it a habit to back up every important document, file, and folder in your care. Many models even include encryption to keep wandering eyes and clever hackers from grabbing anything of value. With your strategy, trading journal, and insights under digital lock and key, you can safeguard your success and beat online intruders.
Cable Organizers
A cluttered desk can be a real distraction, leaving you feeling overwhelmed by the subconscious perception that the world is busier than it seems. The best way to beat this is through cable organizers; tubes, boxes, and other configurations that help stow-away the additional cabling. The resulting calm will help you feel better about your organization and facilitate clearer, less burdened decision making.
The key to cable organization lies in finding your ideal level of clutter. While many would argue that a minimalist space makes for the clearest mind, studies have actually shown that a little clutter can actually fuel creativity and productivity. Optimize your space to work in tandem with your mind, and your profitability will benefit.
Adjustable Height Desk
A great chair is a great start to solving our sedentary lifestyle, but a standing desk is probably the ultimate solution. While a mahogany number with brass door pulls can make you feel like a Russian czar, an adjustable height desk allows you to get the blood flowing during a marathon trading session. Many even have built in motors that make help raise or lower the desk for you, though the irony of using motors to help us exercise is not lost on anyone.
Get a standup desk. I use one of these http://www.geekdesk.com/ this is probably the best purchase I have ever made for equipment. Sitting down all day is terrible for you. Humans werent meant to be sitting down hunched over all day. I standup over 12 hours a day while working. The first week your feet will hurt the 2nd week you will start to feel great. Your energy levels will improve and so will your posture. Look at how many extra calories you burn when you stand http://www.juststand.org/OnlineToolbox/tabid/637/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Adequate Lighting
Our bodies work off of circadian rhythms; an evolutionary adaptation that told us that when the sun was up, it was time to be awake. The converse of this, of course, is that when it’s dark, it’s time to go to sleep.
Beat the mid-afternoon and early-evening blues with adequate lighting built around your tasks. Your space should have floor lamps for ambient lighting, a desk lamp for task lighting, and natural lighting during the day for a little Vitamin D. Avoid fluorescent lighting, which is known to be hard on the eyes, and opt for warm, natural hues that make your brain and your body feel relaxed and focused.
“Go Bag”
Leaving your computer doesn’t put the markets on pause. As a successful trader, you need to be able to do your job wherever you are, whenever the need arises.
The solution to this mobile lifestyle, popularized by productivity blog Lifehacker, is called the “Go bag”. The concept is simple: choose a sturdy bag and fill it with all the essentials you need to get the job done on the road. That way when circumstances are non-ideal, you’ll still be productive. Have a collection of cables, adapters, and a laptop ready to take out the door when running errands, and you’ll ensure that the next profitable position doesn’t escape your grasp.
It’s been said that a carpenter is only as good as his/her tools. When trading is your craft, the tools listed here are what make your efforts shine and your work profitable. Tailor your space and your resources to get the job done, and your productivity and profitability will improve as a result.
