I hope you are all well.
I just wanted to announce that I am resuming the Workshops in Coventry.
You can read about it here
Cheers
Steve
New Workshop Date
Reply
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Improve your productivity
Featured
If you are reading this, it means you are interested in improving your trading. But let me be very clear. To be successful as a trader. It isn’t just about graphs, ladders and market signals.
I want to discuss productivity. When I worked in a car factory whenever we heard that word “productivity” it meant we were about to get more work. But what does it really mean in our day to day lives?
The biggest barrier we face when we are striving to learn new skills or improve the quality of our lives is TIME.
Time waits for no one.
To take things to that next level. To really “kick on” with your goals and aspirations, you need a strong work ethic and the ability to think clearly and objectively.
There are many barriers in our way stopping us achieving this.
You will have heard this line from so many quarters.
“Hard work = success”.
What about this one?
“Work smarter, not harder”.
I prefer this line.
“Hard work + Smart work = Success”
Adding Value
What I think is much more is important is how you value your time. We have all heard about the old Pareto 80/20 rule, and how it can be applied to so many situations in life.
In this situation we can say that 20% of our input leads to 80% of our outcomes.
Trimming down the excess
Over a decade ago I found Twitter. I saw it as a fabulous way to collect data and opinion. Back then it worked very well. Things have changed. I spoke a while back about the negative bias that operates within Twitter and in fact social media in general. Twitter is now an angry mob.
Not only does social media take you away from doing what you should be doing. It can also alter your mood. How many times have you spent 10 minutes on Twitter and then the next hour being annoyed with something you read? How is that adding any value to your life?
Are there any other “time sappers” in our everyday lives?
Smart phone – It’s probably the biggest drain in your life. Is it possible to have a normal conversation with anyone without them looking at their phone every 2 minutes?
Facebook/Instagram/TickTok etc
Email – I get over 100 emails a day. 95 of them add zero value to my life. The problem with email and the world we live in now is people expect an instant response. I had an email last week from someone. I didn’t reply as I was busy doing something else. 1 hour later I got another one from the same person. It said “????????????”.
Seriously?
Consider an auto responder that says something like.
“Thanks for your email. I answer my emails at xx:xx pm. I will respond in due course.”
The way I use my time and social media has changed. Let me share that with you, and also a way that will prove to you in no uncertain terms just how much time you are wasting each day.
What I would like you to do is create a journal for 30 days. I expect that after a few days you will see what I am saying is shockingly true.
I have knocked up an excel sheet you can download HERE
Fill this in (the instructions are within the sheet)
I think you will be amazed with just how much time you waste. 15 minutes here and there on your phone or Facebook/Twitter, answering pointless emails. Even if you don’t use this time to be productive,
This may sound harsh. But if you want to be productive. To spend time educating yourself. Adding value to your life. You need to eradicate the things that are not adding value and sapping your time and energy.
Once you have freed up all of this time, and have a new energy and positive outlook. Use it wisely.
What can I do myself to help improve my trading?
Did you know that I can help you learn to trade through my online workshop? https://www.sportstradingschool.co.uk
There are some links from the above video (Measurable)
Bandicam – https://www.bandicam.com/
Snagit – https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html
Download the spreadsheet – LINK
The link for my Calendly booking app is HERE
Thanks so much for taking the time to watch these videos. I hope that you can take at lease one small way you can improve your trading.
Please remember to visit Sportstradingschool to see what my online workshop can do for you.
Cheers
Steve
Data Collection & Exchange Trading
I think that whatever your strategy is when it comes to trading. It will almost certainly be driven by data collection of one type or another.
Whether that is pure data as displayed in the betfair ladder columns, such as the historical amounts of money previously traded, or understanding the nuances and variations that make up the reasons why the market is moving in a particular direction. We need accurate and reliable data to make our informed decision.
I have had a great deal of success by collecting data using social media. This is a very powerful tool IF you understand it, and know how to use it. I don’t intend to drone on too much about it. But let me give you a nudge in the right direction and my own thoughts on how you can use it.
Let’s focus particularly on Twitter. Now Twitter is the arsehole of the world. It’s the most negative, vile platform that the masses frequent. it is an anonymous platform that enables the weak and angry to vent their own frustrations about their pathetic lives. It really does bring out the worst in people. You can see I am no fan.
My Twitter use has become less and less, and nowadays I just cannot be arsed to post.
BUT, it can be useful to gauge the mood of people about any given topic. This “mood” is data, and we can use that.
Now, you may say that the actual money traded in any given market is the best data. I would agree to some extent. However, what drives that data? Opinion. Plus only a fraction of the people expressing an opinion on Twitter to Facebook would take a position on the betting exchanges. So it may be used as an “early warning” system.
So, how can we use it? There are a couple of ways.
First. Factual information. Let’s imagine that Liverpool are playing Man City in a crucial game that may decide the Premier League. Both teams are expected to play full strength teams. The market has factored this in. But then Tweets start to appear.
“Just watched the Liverpool team board the coach at the team hotel. Salah and Mane were not on the bus, but saw them in the hotel foyer on crutches”
Now that may be a wind up. But if it gets confirmed and you can get into the market before it becomes mainstream confirmed common knowledge, you have an incredible opportunity.
So substantiated rumours can be gold dust .
Another way is about public opinion. Markets such as I’m a celebrity, Big Brother etc. Where the public vote for the contestants. Even the political events are good examples.
People are more and more getting their news from Social media. Everything from current affairs, sport and celebrity gossip. Even the newspapers get much of their own news from Twitter and Instagram. they trawl though and then create stories based on things people post. Like an article about a Road Rage incident. Taken from a Facebook post that someone who videoed it posted. Or some dash cam footage.
So it would be easy to form opinions about what is happening in the world, based on what you read on Social Media. Can you see how this may be called “data collection”? You will be reading Tweets and then use that information to form an opinion. If you keep reading similar views by different individuals. Then that may influence you too.
But there is a huge flaw with this. There is a huge negative bias at play here. We are making a massive assumption. We are assuming that Twitter is a balanced snapshot of society. It really isn’t. The recent General Election shows that perfectly, let me explain.
If I had posted a Tweet that said.
“I think Boris is a top bloke, and Corbyn is a marxist, jew hating, silly old man”
I may get a few likes. I would without doubt have 100’s of nasty, vile and intimidating replies from the Left wing digital rentamob.
is it true to say it’s far easier to be negative and angry than say something less popular? Twitter is a hotbed of anger. So if I had said
“Fuck Boris! Fuck the Government !”
Like Stormzy and Harry Styles did on stage yesterday. (2 very wealthy young men)> That would have had so many more likes, and a few brave soles may have had negative comments.
Twitter is about getting noticed, you want people to like you and agree with you. So why say anything that may get you abused? Better to keep it to yourself?
So when there is an overwhelming consensus, remember that few people would want to go against that.
The bias of Twitter users is under 40 and male (mirrored by YouTube).
So if you are seeking data about what others are thinking. Twitter may point you in a certain direction. The populist view. You may be think that this data is representative. It is not.
The popularity on Twitter of Corbyn, saw the Conservative majority odds drift from 1.25 to over 1.5 on the morning of the election. People reading Twitter I am sure took this data, saw the Betfair odds and saw the possibility of an upset.
We are told what to think by the media, most are wise to this and ignore it. But Twitter is harder to manipulate isn’t it? People are easily influenced and want to have their opinions confirmed by others.
So in conclusion. When using data from Social media. take what you read with a large inch of salt. use it to your advantage.
My Online Workshop
I have been asked repeatedly over the years if I was ever going to make my workshops available online. After many false dawns, I am very proud to announce that I have created an Online Workshop that fully integrates into my existing support packages.
In the
Putting together an online workshop has posed many challenges and taken a huge amount of time and effort, I didn’t want to create something half-assed. A poor 2nd best. Btw, make no mistake that actually attending a workshop with me is, of course, a much better plan. I believe you would get more from spending a day with me than doing online learning. That’s obvious.
BUT, I have tried to stay true to what I show in the classroom, although those difficult questions being fired at me won’t be missed too much……
I don’t want to bang on about what the workshop is or isn’t here. I have created a brand new site that has a state of the art LMS platform on it that is able to deliver the workshops without clogging up my own site,
You see what’s on offer HERE
The early feedback is overwhelming positive, it comes with a full money back guarantee, and is a gateway into my network. What’s to lose?
The Social Media Conundrum
I think the was Social Media has evolved over the last decade is changing society in a way I don’t think anyone expected. One one hand it’s a brilliant tool for business and consumers alike. Especially small business who want to attract new clients. If you do not have some sort of social media presence you are at a serious disadvantage.
In
As you know, I use Twitter and to a less extent Facebook to keep in touch with people who have followed me. I need to say straight off I detest Twitter (especially) with Facebook not too far behind. In fact, I am very close to deleting Twitter completely. Not because I get abused, in the main I don’t have too much trolling. Although as a high profile trader I get my
Some of the shite that goes in is almost unbelievable. People who are trying to raise their own profile, for their own agenda follow you, the like your posts, they add your @xxxxxxx to they posts and agree with you. So it aligns then with you. Then others with an agenda, who may want to discredit you use fake accounts. Did you know many of the Trading Facebook groups are actually seeded with people who are paid to plant posts, to say negative things about competitors to drive customers their way?
Then you have people trying to impress you. They add your name to posts that are in conflict with others so that it looks like you are on their side. It’s a crock of shit. If
I think I have a decent moral compass. I treat people with respect. Whatever their Race, religion or sexual orientation. I would not intentionally seek to offend anyone, although if I do, I would add I think it’s ok to be offended. It’s ok to take a different view to others, as long as you don’t cross the line. The way I carry myself on the internet is as in real life. If I wouldn’t say it to your face, I wouldn’t type it. I don’t hide behind different profiles. Never have and never will.
What inspired me to write this post was a discussion I was listening to on Talksport yesterday afternoon (Sunday 25th Aug). I was on a long car journey (5 hours) and as always, tune into talk sport. There was a discussion about the racist abuse that Pogba and Rashford were being subjected to for missing penalties. I just cannot get my head around this. It makes me angry, it almost makes me ashamed of my own race.
Let me say that again. It makes me almost ashamed of my own race! Why the fuck should I feel like that? Why am I letting a few lowlife
We also need to start voting with our feet. I am so close to this now. I can’t be done with this. Will, it hurt my business? Yes, but I think this is more important than that. By walking away am I turning the other cheek? Have I as a decent member, responsible member of our society got a duty to speak out, to challenge this vile behavior?
Why can you create an anonymous account on Twitter and then use it to abuse and
This is an incredible tool, but I feel like I need to walk away from it. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. I encourage you all to speak out too.
I’ll leave you with this. If you are a racist, homophobe or cannot tolerate people who hold a different religious view to your own. Please don’t follow me. In fact, I’ll put it in stronger terms than that.
Fuck off, get the fuck away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you.
Webinar 31st July
You may know that I hosted a webinar in June. J
The webinar was a great success and the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. This has inspired me to hold another one.
I have cleared a space in my diary for Wednesday evening 31st July 2019
What I found during the last webinar was the amount of questions that were flying at me. Mostly random. It seems that many of you have a thirst for information.
I would ask that if you wish to take part that you simply subscribe to my email list. Due to the GDPR
A few days before the webinar I will email my whole mailing list and invite you to register with Zoom for the webinar. Places are limited.
I invite you to email me at steve@itsamugsblog.co.uk with any questions or topic you would like me to discuss. I will do my best to fit as many as I can in. I will as always answer with honesty and a smidgin of humour.
If this is something that interests you. Make sure you are on my mailing list by next weekend 27th July. If you are not sure if you are, simply drop me a line at the above email.
Lets get these questions/ Topics in!
Cheers
Steve
Webinar: Open Invitation
Next Thursday 20th June at 8:00pm I would like to invite you to join me in my 1st “public” webinar. This is something I have never done before. I often conduct webinars for my group of traders in MGW. I have never held one open to all. Details of how to join in will be at the bottom of this page.
Please note that this invitation is open to all and is free
This is a great opportunity for me to reach new people, perhaps people who have not really heard of me, or know what I am about. Most of my YouTube material is becoming dated (I am going to be removing a lot of it soon). A chance to showcase what I do and for some of you guys to get to hear me talk about different aspects of being a Pro Trader, the challenges I have faced, how I overcame them. What works and more importantly, what doesn’t.
I hope I will be able to give you good information, entertain and pass an hour or so with something worthwhile that you can take away. Even if you get just 1 thing that you can implement into your trading, and it makes 5% difference. Then it’s worth the effort, it’s free, so you have nothing to lose (except an hour of your life). You may have to record Emmerdale, and I hope not to run into Love Island……….
What will I be talking about?
I have a few topics that I will be covering. For this webinar, it will be “general” trading advice. I will also hope to answer a few questions too.
I am planning to cover:
- Your Bank
- Race Selection
- Your Trading Operation
- Expectations
- Execution
- Motivation
To be able to participate there are a couple of things you need to do. Firstly is be on my email subscriber list. I will add a subscribe box at the end of this page for you.
On Tuesday evening I will send out an invitation to everyone who is on this list. You will then need to register to join the webinar.
This is completely FREE!
So what is this all about? Why am I doing this?
So “Why”? The cynical bastards amongst you will be wanting to know what I get out of it. If you are thinking that btw. Please don’t bother signing up to come. I am increasingly frustrated with negative people that worry more about what others are getting, losing sight of what they are gaining. I don’t want these people in my life. Simple as that. If you have that attitude you will always struggle to get to where you want to be. I don’t waste my time on people like that anymore.
I do sincerely hope that can join me on Thursday evening.
As part of
Trading v Life
Just wanted to share my thoughts about trading and lifestyle and to let you know how it works for me, and some challenges I have faced.
When I started trading more seriously in 2004 onwards it was relentless. I lived and breathed it. If I wasn’t at work I was trading or doing something trading related. Everything else fitted in. That hard work paid off as I was able to trade full time after I was made redundant from my job in July 2006. Imagine having an ATM in your spare room, where you could help yourself to cash, without the balance of your bank account being affected. That’s how it was.
Friends call around, it’s so obvious you want them to fuck off so you can get back to trading, it makes them uncomfortable after a few visits, they stop coming. Friendships ended, Invitations dry up, family engagements become unpleasant. funerals missed, holidays forsaken, relationships destroyed, families broken. For what? This was my situation.
The pursuit of money, greed for want of another word. The question I ask myself often was was it all worth it? No, it wasn’t. if I had those 10 years again it would be very different. But at this point in my life, I can make different choices.
The expectations of what a “pro trader” is or isn’t are often open for debate on forums and Twitter. I have read some frankly ridiculous statements lately, About what constitutes a “Pro Trader”. How much they should earn to be classified as a Pro, whether or not they pay higher rate Premium Charge and even one first-class numpty trying to say that a true pro would never miss a Saturday trading. A true pro would be involved in the markets every single day, What a load of fucking shite!
You never hear me bragging about how much I do or don’t make. I have stated I am in Betfair’s’ higher rate Premium Charge bracket. You may see a few videos showing decent wins, and the odd screenshot too. But you will have also saw some videos of red screens from me. It’s all part of the game. You will have NEVER seen a Betfair PL shot of my account and you never will. Frankly, it is of no one’s business but my own. My credibility to teach other traders has nothing to do with how much money I make. My ability to explain how to do is much more relevant. Now I can wheel out 100’s of people that will happily testify that I can do that pretty well. The bottom line is this. Come to a workshop or don’t come. I hold 6 a year and that will never increase, currently, I have 20 people at a time. This is a number that works for everyone. It allows the interaction required, and I can comfortably answer every question asked. I often joke at the start of a workshop that no one is leaving until every question has been answered, even if we are still here at 9:00pm tonight! they are always full, without exception. I often turn people away.
In the last few years, I have made some pretty big changes in my personal life. I don’t want to detail them all, because they are personal. But there are some I want to share, because they may help someone reading this, both to understand a little more about me and what drives me as a pro trader.
My workshops and education have been a big part of things for 5 years now. I don’t write too much these days, and rarely make videos for public consumption. But I do have a vibrant community that I look after. I don’t trade every day, in fact, I have completely changed the way I work. I now have a diary where I allocate time slots to different tasks. So when I am answering emails – I answer emails, in that time allotted. When I am trading, I trade. But in the time I have set out. No more and no less. This structure means I get much more done, and I have my life back.
The result is I am very happy with my life now, I can do the things I want. I am happy to trade when I want to, and take time off to do other things when I want to. Trading supplements my life, it doesn’t dictate it anymore. Does this mean that I am unable to articulate how to trade to others? Does this diminish my ability? have I forgotten 14 years worth of knowledge and experience? Seriously?
If you feel you cannot escape from a life that is dominated by gambling or trading. If all you can think about is trading and money, please talk to someone, please reach out for help. I am happy to give my time freely to talk things through with you and try to help or advise some professional councilling. Trading is a fabulous hobby, and even a profession if you get good at it. But please keep in mind that there are things outside of this that
Steve
Moving
Just to let you guys know that I am moving hosting sites. Had quite a lot of downtime recently so time to move on.
We are going to be down for a couple of days max.