Before the first trade: How Nathan Halaba builds discipline into every trading day

Exness Team Pro member Nathan Halaba’s trading day does not begin with a chart. It begins with music.

Before looking for setups or thinking about what the market might do, this Exness Team Pro trader takes time to clear his mind. Soulful music and hip-hop are part of that routine.

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The goal is simple: start the day fresh, without carrying emotions from the previous trading session into the next one.

For Nathan, that mental reset has become just as important as technical preparation. Experience has taught him that being ready to trade is not the same as being ready to open a platform.

“I try to clear my mind before I start trading. I don’t want to carry emotions from the previous session into the next,” he explains.

A strong routine starts earlier.

Preparation before execution

Once Nathan turns to the markets, he does not immediately start looking for an entry.

He begins with the higher time frames to understand the broader market picture.

From there, he identifies key levels and studies how price has reacted around them.

Candlestick formations and previous price action help him build a clearer picture of what the market may be showing.

Only then does he narrow his focus and begin looking for a potential setup. “I use the calendar before I look for entries because I want to know what kind of market I am stepping into,” Nathan explains.

The economic calendar is another important part of his preparation.

Nathan uses the calendar in Exness Terminal to check for high-impact events that could affect the instruments he is watching.

It gives his routine a practical checkpoint before the chart starts demanding decisions: what is scheduled, where volatility may appear, and whether the conditions still suit the plan.

The process is intentionally structured. Technical analysis gives him one part of the picture, the economic calendar adds another, and his own mental state provides a third. None of these works as well on their own.

By the time Nathan considers placing an order, he wants these different parts of the process to make sense as one.

The broader time frame provides context, key levels create reference points, and candlestick behavior helps him understand how price is reacting around them. Scheduled events can then influence how he views the conditions ahead.

This final step is where preparation meets execution.

A level can be well chosen, and a stop loss can be clearly defined, but the trade still depends on how cleanly the order reaches the market.

For Nathan, that is why execution is not separate from discipline. It protects the distance between the plan he prepares and the position he actually opens. With Exness, that prepared entry is supported by the most precise execution in the market, with over three times less slippage. (1) (2)

“I don’t treat preparation as a separate part of trading. For me, it’s where most of the discipline happens.” This preparation gives Nathan a framework before the market begins demanding decisions. Instead of letting the first noticeable move shape his plan, he already has a clearer sense of what he is looking for and why.

Clarity before action

One of the biggest changes in Nathan’s routine has been learning not to react to the first thing he sees. “I mark my levels before the session, so I know what I’m not going to chase.”

Earlier in his trading journey, simply seeing the market move could feel like a reason to participate. With experience, he has become more selective. Today, he looks for clarity first. “If the market reaches my area but the reaction isn’t clean, I’d rather miss the trade than force the entry,” he continues.

That means understanding what price is doing, but also checking his own mindset. If he does not feel focused or confident in how he is reading the market, he is prepared to stay out.

This matters because even a technically valid idea can be handled poorly when a trader is distracted, frustrated, or still emotionally affected by what happened earlier.

Nathan’s routine is designed to reduce that risk before a position is opened.

It reflects one of the lessons that has shaped his career: discipline is not only about following rules once a trade is active.

It also means recognizing when you are not in the right state to participate in the markets.

Rules that protect focus

Markets can offer opportunities throughout the day, but Nathan does not believe that means he needs to trade all day.

His approach centers on defined trading sessions. He also avoids trading between major sessions rather than constantly searching for the next setup.

That can surprise some traders. If the market is still moving, why step away? For Nathan, the answer comes down to discipline.

Knowing when to trade is important, but knowing when not to trade matters just as much.

Defined sessions create clear boundaries and reduce the temptation to keep taking trades simply because the charts are still open.

Those boundaries become even more important after a difficult session. A loss can create the urge to recover quickly. Staying in front of the screen can then turn analysis into revenge trading, where the focus shifts from following a strategy to trying to win the money back.

Nathan’s response is often much simpler: step away.

“I step away from the screen because the longer I stare at a trade, the easier it becomes to interfere with my own plan.”

Taking time away from the charts helps him return with a clearer perspective, rather than carrying frustration into the next decision. Stepping away is not abandoning the process. For Nathan, it is part of the process.

Becoming a better trader away from the charts

Some of the habits that support Nathan’s trading have little to do with the markets themselves.

He reads books about behavior and self-awareness, such as Atomic Habits. He listens to podcasts, uses music to reset his mindset, and deliberately creates periods when he is not looking at charts at all.

“I’ve learned that discipline is not only about how I trade. It’s also about how I arrive at the chart.”

These habits matter because trading can bring personal behavior patterns to the surface.

Impatience, overconfidence, fear, frustration, and the urge to act can all influence trading decisions, but they do not necessarily begin with the market.

Learning to recognize those tendencies away from the screen can make them easier to notice during a trading session. For Nathan, becoming a better trader has also meant understanding himself better.

The screen may be where an order is placed, but discipline can be built elsewhere. “If I recognize I am not in the right headspace to perform, I simply choose to not trade.”

From chasing opportunities to protecting a routine

Experience has made Nathan’s daily trading routine simpler, not more complicated. “I don’t need every session to give me a trade. I need my routine to keep me ready for the sessions that matter.”

The earlier instinct to search for opportunities has gradually been replaced by a stronger focus on preparation. “I don’t need every session to give me a trade. I need my routine to keep me ready for the sessions that matter,” he explains. He reviews the broader market picture, identifies key levels, checks scheduled events, and considers his own state of mind. Then he waits.

If the conditions align, he can act. If they do not, the routine has still done its job. “If the market reaches my area but the reaction isn’t clean, I’d rather miss the trade than force the entry.”

That is one of the less visible parts of experienced trading. Consistency does not simply mean showing up every day and placing an order. Sometimes it means showing up, preparing, and deciding that there is nothing to do.

For Nathan, preparation creates that choice.

The charts come later.

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(1) Most precise execution claims refer to average slippage rates on pending orders based on data collected between September 2024 and July 2025 for XAUUSD, USOIL, and BTC CFDs on the Exness Standard account vs similar accounts offered by four other brokers. Delays and slippage may occur. No guarantee of execution speed or precision is provided.

(2) 3x less slippage claims refer to average slippage rates on pending orders based on data collected between September 2024 and July 2025 for XAUUSD, USOIL, and BTC CFDs on the Exness Standard account vs similar accounts offered by four other brokers. Delays and slippage may occur. No guarantee of execution speed or precision is provided.