Happy Good Friday, traders…

The market is closed today. I used to treat market holidays like snow days when I was a kid.

No charts. No alerts. No trades. Just the vague feeling I was missing out on something.

But over the years, I’ve realized something: these quiet days are some of the best for improving your skills. 

Not because you’re “supposed to,” but because they give you room to think. And in trading, simply thinking is hugely underrated.

You feel it. During market hours, there’s pressure. Everything moves fast. It’s tempting to react in the moment. 

But when the screens go dark, the pressure comes off. That’s when you can actually look at what’s working… and what isn’t.

It’s kind of like film study for athletes. You’re not trying to win the game right now — you’re trying to understand it better so you can show up sharp when it counts.

So tomorrow, while the market takes a breather, there’s still plenty of work that can move you forward. 

And honestly, this kind of work — reviewing, planning, refining — is what separates the casual gamblers from the consistently profitable winners. 

With that in mind, let me show you what to work on during your day off from trading…

5 Skills To Work On (While the Market is Closed)

1. Replay Your Last 10 Trades

This one’s simple, but it’s pure gold.

I keep a trading journal. Nothing complicated — just the name of the stock, the setup, what I saw, how I felt, and how it played out. 

Some wins, some losses, but every one of them has something to teach.

On market-off days, I’ll scroll back through the last 10 trades and try to answer one question: Would I take this same trade again?

Not from the outcome — that’s out of our hands — but from the process.

• Was it clean?
• Did the volume confirm it?
• Was it a true breakout or a chase?
• Did I follow my risk rules, or did I get cute?

You’d be surprised how many trades feel “smart” in the moment, but once the adrenaline’s gone, you see where things broke down. Or, sometimes, you realize you traded with patience and just took a normal loss.

That kind of clarity is worth more than any indicator.

If you don’t keep a journal yet, start this weekend. Open a spreadsheet. Grab a legal pad. Just start keeping notes. 

Trust me … Future-you will thank you for it.

2. Mark Up Your Charts 

Most folks glance at charts. A few scan them. But the best traders mark them up like they’re planning a mission.

Support. Resistance. Trendlines. Ranges. Risk zones. Even where you wouldn’t take a trade.

I like to pull up names I’ve been watching — whether they’ve moved or not — and start drawing. 

I’ll mark the levels that keep showing up. The pivot zones where price hesitated. The range it’s been stuck in. I’ll color-code them if I’m feeling organized.

Sometimes I’ll go back two, even three months, to see the bigger picture. Is this stock forming a base? Is it trending higher but chopping sideways lately? Or is it grinding lower on weak volume?

That kind of study pays off before you ever click buy. It helps you trust your setups, and it gives you a clear “map” when price starts moving.

And bonus: when you mark it up yourself, you remember it way better than if someone else handed it to you.

3. Study One Pattern Until It’s Tattooed on Your Brain

I’ve traded breakouts and pullbacks for over 20 years. I keep coming back to them because they work, over and over again.

But more than that, they’re patterns I’ve studied so much that I can spot them from a mile away on a chart. 

• I know the volume they usually carry.
• I know the kind of candles that come before them.
• I know what “clean” looks like — and what red flags to look out for. 

If you’re still figuring out your style, a quiet market day is a great time to pick one pattern and study it until it’s second nature.

Go back through your charting platform. Find 10 examples of solid breakouts. Or 10 pullbacks. Take screenshots. Mark up what made each one work.

This isn’t about memorization — it’s about exposure. The more time you spend with a good setup, the faster your brain gets at spotting it. And just as important, the better you get at skipping the bad versions of that same setup (i.e., false breakouts).

If you can build pattern recognition like that, you’ll be practically unstoppable in the market.

4. Take a Break

You can’t trade well if you’re burnt out. (This is why I talk about H.A.L.T.: If you’re Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired, stop trading.)

There’s a difference between zoning out on your phone and real rest. The kind that clears your head. The kind that helps you come back sharp. And a day with no market pressure is the perfect opportunity to actually take a break.

I’m not saying you should sit on the couch eating potato chips and watching Netflix all day. I’m saying you should unplug. Get outside. Touch grass. Hang out with people who couldn’t care less about charts, patterns, and tickers.

For Example: Earlier this week, I took two of my sons and my nephew to a Tampa Bay Rays game. Beforehand, I researched which spot in the stadium had the highest probability of catching a foul ball, and we sat there. (Just like researching which options contract has the highest probability of delivering gains.) Sure enough, all three boys caught foul balls:

Good trading doesn’t come from nonstop screen time. It comes from clear thinking. And that starts with taking a much-needed break. 

5. Sharpen Your Earnings Edge

Last earnings season was wild — we had 100 wins in a row in Earnings Edge.*

And now that earnings season is heating up again, Danny Phee’s ready to map out what’s next — so you don’t miss the next 100.*

Join him for a LIVE Earnings Edge Workshop — This EASTER SUNDAY, April 20 at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Seats are running out — Click here to grab yours before it’s too late. 

Take a little time this weekend to review, study, mark up, rest, and join Danny for the webinar on Sunday. 

That’s how you keep improving while the market is closed. 

Have a great long weekend,

Ben Sturgill

*Past performance does not indicate future results