The holiday season is a time of cheer, cakes, wine, and giving! We often find ourselves splurging on gifts for our family and friends (don’t forget yourself!). It’s also a time to kick back, relax, and leave your trading workstation for a few days. However, trading discipline during holidays can be a difficult balance to master.
For retail traders who work in the comforts of their own homes, a lack of self-control could turn your two-day vacation into a week if you’re not careful. This could highly impact your trading routine and strategy.
In this article, we’ll talk about five practical facts to maintain discipline during the holidays.
5 Tips for Trading Discipline During the Holidays
1. Plan & Adjust Routine
Even before the holiday arrives, plan ahead and adjust your routine.
The holiday season often brings irregular market hours. The first thing to do is review the holiday calendar for major forex markets to be aware of any closures or shortened trading days.
Most trading operations stop midday during Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year’s Eve (December 31) due to shortened work hours. The exact closing time may vary depending on your broker and trading platform, so be sure to check with your broker about what time they close on these days.
Meanwhile, all financial markets are closed on Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s (January 01).
Below is the usual schedule for major trading sessions during the holiday season.
| UTC | Sydney Session | Tokyo Session | London Session | New York Session |
| Normal Hours | 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM | 12:00 AM – 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM |
| Dec 24 | Shortened | Normal hours | Shortened | Shortened |
| Dec 25 | Normal hours | Normal hours | Closed | Closed |
| Dec 31 | Shortened | Normal hours | Shortened | Shortened |
| Jan 01 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
Review your calendar for market closures or shortened trading days and plan accordingly.
Of course, don’t forget to leave the rest of the day free for holiday activities with your family!
Example Adjusted Forex Trader Trading Routine on Holidays
Here’s an example of an adjusted trading routine for the holidays!
| 7:00 AM | Early Start! Review global market news and overnight developments |
| 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Active Trading Hours Focus on high-liquidity pairs such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD |
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch break with Family |
| 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Reassess market conditions and adjust trading strategy if necessary Continue trades |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Review trades for the day and reflect on performance Plan for your trading strategy the next day (or when the market resumes) |
| 4:00 PM | End the trading day! Spend time with family and friends |
| Evening | Check for major news updates, if any, before calling it a night |
Having a structured schedule, even on your holiday break, will reduce impulsiveness and keep your trading time intentional.
2. Create a Holiday Workout Routine
Just like adjusting a trading strategy for the holidays, you should also adjust your workout routine for the holidays. The most important thing is to continue physical activity even during your vacation!
It has been proven time and again that physical activity positively affects work performance. It can lead to faster responses, increased energy levels, and better concentration in your trades.
While it’s tempting to relax after eating a lot of Christmas desserts, physical exercise is an important item on your to-do list.
3. Communicate Your Priorities
During the holidays, your friends and family will likely expect your full attention and participation in holiday activities.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this, as they just want to spend time with you!
However, if you have a trading commitment, it’s best to inform them in advance so they know when to expect you.
For instance, you are on a family vacation during Christmas Eve but have a trading schedule on the morning of Christmas Eve. Make sure to tell your family you will be absent after breakfast to work.
Make sure to return for lunch and spend the rest of the day with them!
This way, you can maintain clear boundaries with your family while also preventing trading from overshadowing your holiday experience.
4. Take a Full Break
Perhaps the most important tip for holistic trading health is to take a full break. That means turning off your devices, detaching from the market, and being present with your loved ones.
Taking a break is not just for the holiday season. Regular and scheduled breaks can improve mood, cognition, and focus in the long run.
Research also shows that individuals who can psychologically detach from their work during off-hours report higher life satisfaction and less psychological strain. More importantly, these individuals were no less engaged at work than others who did not take full breaks from work.
A rule of thumb for taking a break is to do something that is not similar to the work you’re doing. If you’re a forex trader, it might be best to stay away from charts and numbers or handle the finances of your family trip!
5. Make It Enjoyable
Working during the holiday season might be upsetting, and you might experience extreme FOMO!
However, it’s completely understandable if you choose to trade even during the eve of the holidays. Or maybe you are working on your trading plan during the 25th. If you think this is a necessary step to achieve your trading goals, never feel bad about doing so.
However, you can still make it enjoyable! Think of fun activities to avoid the dreadfulness of working during the holidays.
For instance, if your niece and nephews are staying with you, you can show them your trading workstation! If you have multiple screens, you can spare one screen and play a Disney Movie for them.
That way, you can still spend time with your nieces while you trade!
Once you’re done with your trades, you can have the kids play on your trading chair and act like they’re the captains of a spaceship!
Happy trading and happy holidays!
