One of the biggest misconceptions about playing the market is that it is easy money. Sure you may luck into a monster trade and hit big, but for most of us success requires work. In order to work productively you need to have a plan. Organizing your days dedicated to trading stocks will make a world of difference.

The first step to better organization is to plan out when you will be researching, and when you will be trading. If you have the availability to trade any day of the week that can easily turn into a disjointed mish-mash of trading on whims. Pick out certain days of the week to practice stock trading. Look at your schedule for work and home life and make a plan to dedicate a certain time to stock trading. Every trader is different, and has widely varied times available to trade stocks. If you find that you don’t have much time available during market hours then you will have to plan to do your research and put in orders the night before. The whole idea here is to set up a schedule that you will religiously put in time to become a better stock trader. If you can’t keep a set day every week then choose a day (Sundays are usually good) to spend a few minutes planning out when you will be concentrating on your investments that week.

I’m a big believer in using pen and paper for my time management activities. There are many great electronic calendars that offer good functionality, but I like to work with a daily planner on my desk. All of my stock trading takes place on the computer, so I find that being able to organize when I’m going to trade without ever touching the computer is a great buffer. Use whatever tool suits your personality, but don’t be afraid to experiment with alternatives that you haven’t tried. You may just find one that works for you.

The organization techniques that I am describing are useful for more than just stock trading training. Anything that requires you to set aside time for an activity can benefit from a little planning. Whether it’s a picnic with the family or a night at the pub watching the game, if you plan out your time you will feel like you are in more control of your life.