# Daily Trading Workflow Guide

## Overview

This guide provides a complete daily trading workflow for gold (XAU/USD) traders, integrated directly into the Gold Trading Simulator. Follow this structured approach to maintain discipline, track performance, and continuously improve your trading.

## 🌅 Pre-Market Routine (Before Trading)

### 1. **Review Daily Market Brief**
*Component: Market Brief*

**What to do:**
- Check current price and overnight movement
- Review market sentiment (bullish/bearish/neutral)
- Identify key support and resistance levels
- Review today's economic calendar for high-impact events
- Read top market headlines
- Check AI prediction and confidence level

**Time Required:** 10-15 minutes

**Key Questions:**
- What happened overnight?
- Are there any major events today?
- What's the overall market sentiment?
- What are the key price levels to watch?

### 2. **Complete Pre-Market Checklist**
*Component: Daily Checklist → Pre-Market tab*

**Checklist Items:**
- ✅ Check Economic Calendar
- ✅ Scan Market News
- ✅ Analyze Market Sentiment
- ✅ Identify Key Levels
- ✅ Create Trading Plan
- ✅ Review Risk Parameters
- ✅ Mental Preparation

**Time Required:** 15-20 minutes

**Pro Tips:**
- Don't skip any items - each is important
- Take notes in your journal about market conditions
- Mark the checklist as you complete each task

### 3. **Create Your Daily Trading Plan**
*Component: Trading Plan*

**Define:**
- **Market Bias:** Bullish, Bearish, or Neutral?
- **Daily Target:** How much profit are you aiming for?
- **Max Loss:** Maximum loss you're willing to accept
- **Entry Zone:** Price range where you'll consider entering
- **Target Price:** Where will you take profit?
- **Stop Loss:** Where will you cut losses?
- **Key Levels:** Mark support and resistance levels
- **Max Trades:** Limit your number of trades
- **Trading Notes:** Strategy for the day

**Time Required:** 10-15 minutes

**Example Plan:**
```
Date: November 15, 2025
Bias: BULLISH (on pullbacks)
Daily Target: $500
Max Loss: $250
Entry Zone: $2010 - $2015
Target: $2040
Stop Loss: $2005
Max Trades: 3
Notes: Dollar weakness, Fed dovish, wait for dip to support
```

### 4. **Recommended Preset**
Use the **🌅 Morning Setup** preset which displays:
- Market Brief (prominent)
- Daily Checklist
- Trading Plan
- Price Chart
- News Feed
- Alerts

---

## 📈 During Market Hours (Active Trading)

### 5. **Monitor and Execute**
*Component: Active Trading Preset*

**Checklist (Active Trading tab):**
- ✅ Monitor Price Action
- ✅ Execute According to Plan
- ✅ Manage Open Positions
- ✅ Track Breaking News
- ✅ Log Trades in Real-Time

**Trading Rules:**
1. **Only take trades that match your plan**
   - Entry must be in your defined zone
   - Direction must match your bias
   - Setup quality should be 4/5 or 5/5

2. **Manage risk aggressively**
   - Always use stops
   - Don't risk more than planned
   - Take partial profits
   - Trail stops on winners

3. **Log every trade immediately**
   - Why did you enter?
   - How do you feel?
   - Was it A+ setup?
   - Did it match your plan?

4. **Respect your limits**
   - If you hit max trades → STOP
   - If you hit daily target → Consider stopping
   - If you hit max loss → STOP IMMEDIATELY

**Recommended Preset:**
Use **📈 Active Trading** preset which displays:
- Full-width Chart (pinned)
- Trade Controls (pinned)
- Portfolio
- Risk Management
- Trading Plan (for reference)
- Daily Checklist (track progress)
- News & Alerts

---

## 🌙 Post-Market Routine (After Trading)

### 6. **Complete Post-Market Checklist**
*Component: Daily Checklist → Post-Market tab*

**Checklist Items:**
- ✅ Review All Trades
- ✅ Complete Trading Journal
- ✅ Analyze Daily Performance
- ✅ Update Key Levels
- ✅ Preview Tomorrow
- ✅ Set Price Alerts

**Time Required:** 20-30 minutes

### 7. **Update Trading Journal**
*Component: Trading Journal*

**For Each Trade, Document:**
- Entry and exit prices
- Setup quality (1-5 stars)
- Emotional state (confident/neutral/anxious/fearful/greedy)
- Did you follow your plan? (Yes/No)
- **Entry Reason:** Why did you take this trade?
- **Exit Reason:** Why did you close?
- **Market Conditions:** What was happening?
- **Lessons Learned:** What did you learn?

**Journal Review Questions:**
- What did I do well today?
- What mistakes did I make?
- Did I follow my trading plan?
- How was my emotional state?
- What patterns do I notice?
- What will I do differently tomorrow?

### 8. **Analyze Performance**
*Component: Advanced Analytics*

**Key Metrics to Review:**
- Win rate
- Average win vs average loss
- Risk/reward ratio
- Largest win and loss
- Profit factor
- Sharpe ratio
- Maximum drawdown
- Plan adherence rate

**Analysis Questions:**
- Are my wins bigger than my losses?
- Is my win rate acceptable?
- Am I following my plan?
- Where am I making mistakes?
- What setups work best for me?

### 9. **Plan for Tomorrow**
*Component: Trading Plan*

- Click "New Plan" to create tomorrow's plan
- Review upcoming economic events
- Set price alerts for key levels
- Prepare mentally for tomorrow

**Recommended Preset:**
Use **🌙 End-of-Day Review** preset (Tabs mode):
- Trading Journal (first priority)
- Advanced Analytics
- Daily Checklist
- Trading Plan
- Portfolio Summary
- Chart Review

---

## 📊 Complete Daily Schedule

### Morning (Pre-Market): 35-50 minutes
```
08:00 - 08:15  →  Review Market Brief
08:15 - 08:35  →  Complete Pre-Market Checklist
08:35 - 08:50  →  Create Trading Plan
08:50 - 09:00  →  Final preparation, open positions
```

### Trading Hours: Variable
```
- Monitor price action
- Execute trades per plan
- Log trades immediately
- Manage positions actively
- Stay disciplined!
```

### Evening (Post-Market): 30-40 minutes
```
16:30 - 16:35  →  Complete Post-Market Checklist
16:35 - 16:55  →  Update Trading Journal (all trades)
16:55 - 17:05  →  Review Analytics & Performance
17:05 - 17:10  →  Plan for Tomorrow & Set Alerts
```

---

## 💡 Pro Tips for Daily Traders

### Discipline & Psychology

1. **Stick to Your Routine**
   - Never skip the checklist
   - Always plan before trading
   - Always journal after trading

2. **Respect Your Limits**
   - Daily target hit? Consider stopping.
   - Max loss hit? STOP immediately.
   - Max trades reached? Done for the day.
   - Feeling emotional? Step away.

3. **Trade Your Plan**
   - Only take setups that match your plan
   - If it's not in your entry zone, don't trade
   - If it doesn't match your bias, wait

4. **Manage Risk First**
   - Know your stop before entry
   - Position size for your risk tolerance
   - Never risk more than planned
   - Protect profits with trailing stops

### Performance Tracking

5. **Journal Everything**
   - Winning trades AND losing trades
   - Your emotions and state of mind
   - Market conditions
   - Lessons learned

6. **Review Regularly**
   - Daily: Review today's trades
   - Weekly: Look for patterns
   - Monthly: Assess overall performance
   - Quarterly: Adjust strategy if needed

7. **Focus on Process, Not Money**
   - Did you follow your plan? (Good!)
   - Was it a quality setup? (Good!)
   - Did you manage risk properly? (Good!)
   - Money follows good process

### Continuous Improvement

8. **Learn from Mistakes**
   - What went wrong?
   - Why did it go wrong?
   - How can I prevent this?
   - What's the lesson?

9. **Identify Your Edge**
   - Which setups work best for you?
   - What time of day is most profitable?
   - What market conditions suit your style?
   - Double down on what works!

10. **Adapt and Evolve**
    - Markets change - you should too
    - What worked last month might not work now
    - Stay flexible but disciplined
    - Keep learning and improving

---

## 🎯 Quick Preset Guide

### **🌅 Morning Setup**
*Use from: Market open until first trade*
- Focus: Preparation and planning
- Shows: Market Brief, Checklist, Plan, Chart, News

### **📈 Active Trading**
*Use during: Trading hours*
- Focus: Execution and management
- Shows: Large chart, controls, portfolio, risk, plan reference

### **🌙 End-of-Day Review**
*Use after: Market close*
- Focus: Analysis and learning
- Shows: Journal, analytics, checklist completion

### **⚡ Complete Daily Trader**
*Use for: All-day comprehensive view*
- Focus: Everything visible
- Shows: All daily trading tools in grid layout

---

## 📈 Success Metrics

Track these weekly to measure your progress:

### Process Metrics (Most Important!)
- ✅ Checklist completion rate: Aim for 100%
- ✅ Plan adherence rate: Aim for >90%
- ✅ Journal entries completed: Every trade
- ✅ Trading plan prepared daily: Every day

### Performance Metrics
- Win rate: >50% is good, >60% is excellent
- Average win/loss ratio: >1.5:1 is good, >2:1 is excellent
- Max daily drawdown: Should not exceed your max loss limit
- Profit factor: >1.5 is profitable, >2.0 is strong

### Improvement Metrics
- Are mistakes decreasing over time?
- Is plan adherence improving?
- Are you learning from each trade?
- Is emotional control getting better?

---

## 🚨 Warning Signs

**Stop trading if:**
- ❌ You're trading emotionally (revenge trading, fear, greed)
- ❌ You've hit your max loss limit
- ❌ You're deviating from your plan repeatedly
- ❌ You're exhausted or not focused
- ❌ You're trading without a plan
- ❌ You're increasing position size after losses

**Take a break and:**
- Review your journal
- Identify what went wrong
- Adjust your plan
- Regain emotional control
- Come back tomorrow

---

## 📚 Additional Resources

### Within the Dashboard
- **Risk Management Tool:** Calculate position sizes
- **AI Analysis:** Get market insights
- **News Feed:** Stay informed
- **Alerts:** Never miss key levels
- **Analytics:** Track performance metrics

### Best Practices
1. **Customize Your Dashboard:** Use the Customize button to arrange panels to your preference
2. **Save Your Layouts:** Create custom presets for different phases of your day
3. **Enable Auto-Refresh:** Keep news and alerts updating automatically
4. **Pin Important Panels:** Pin chart and controls during active trading

---

## 🎓 Remember

**Trading is a marathon, not a sprint.**

- Focus on consistency, not home runs
- Follow your process religiously
- Learn from every trade
- Protect your capital first
- Profits will follow discipline

**Success Formula:**
```
Preparation + Planning + Execution + Review = Consistent Profits
```

Every successful trader follows a routine. 
Make this your routine.
Stay disciplined.
Keep learning.
Trade smart.

---

**Good luck and happy trading! 📈✨**
