Field notes · 2026-01-22
Building a Quiet Premarket Checklist
Our mentorship clients often arrive with long checklists copied from forums. We shorten them. A useful premarket sequence for gap and opening-range work fits on one card and can be completed before the cash open without rushing.
First: note the overnight gap in points and as a percentage of the prior true range. Second: mark whether the projected open sits inside yesterday's range, above it, or below it. Third: decide the provisional length of today's opening-range study window — usually sixty minutes, sometimes forty-five when a holiday schedule compresses the session.
Fourth: write one sentence about what would invalidate your preferred plan. That sentence is not a stop-loss formula; it is a reminder that the morning can refuse your thesis.
Private Chart Mentorship sessions often end with a rewritten card like this. Bring your current checklist to the first meeting and expect it to become quieter, not longer.