About Trader Timer

Hi, I'm Darryl B., an Australian trader and the creator of Trader Timer.

My journey into trading started a couple of decades ago with Australian options. When forex and CFDs became more accessible, I went further down the trading rabbit hole.

Over the years I've traded FX, commodities, US options, futures and indices. Today, I mainly focus on the DAX, which suits my timezone and family commitments.

Like many traders, somewhere along the way I found myself watching multiple charts and multiple timeframes and becoming increasingly glued to the screen.

The more I watched every tick, the easier it became to overtrade. Price would move, emotions would follow, and trading could quickly turn into an exhausting cycle of watching, reacting and second-guessing.

I needed a way to step away from the charts without losing track of the moments that actually mattered to my trading plan.

Years ago, a trading mentor told me to use an egg timer.

This was long before smartphones became commonplace, but the idea was simple: instead of watching every movement in the market, set a timer and come back when it was time to reassess the chart.

The concept made sense. The execution didn't.

Traditional timers - and even smartphone timers today - need to be continually reset. If you're monitoring several chart intervals, you may need several timers. And when you're concentrating on a setup, remembering to reset them is the last thing you need occupying your mental headspace.

I wanted something that would automatically keep track of the trading intervals for me.

I also wanted to monitor multiple timeframes simultaneously so I could be aware when different candle closes converged, particularly around times such as the bottom of the hour and hourly rollover.

I needed a trading timer built specifically for traders.

That idea eventually became Trader Timer.

I'm primarily an intraday trader, focusing on market structure, volume and price action around the close of 2-minute, 5-minute and 1-hour candles.

I'll typically watch the market closely around the European open. After that, rather than remaining glued to the screen for the entire session, I can use alerts and Trader Timer to bring my attention back to the charts as the candle closes that matter to me approach.

For me, the purpose of Trader Timer isn't to trade more.

It's almost the opposite.

It's about knowing when to pay attention - and when I don't need to.

This became one of the most important reasons for developing Trader Timer.

Trading shouldn't mean being chained to your screens all day.

If you're trading during business hours, you may have a job or business that needs your attention. You might want to exercise, grab some lunch, get outside, spend time with your family or simply give your mind a break from watching price fluctuate.

Trader Timer helps provide that freedom.

Set the trading intervals and alerts that matter to you, step away, and let Trader Timer bring your attention back as the next important candle close approaches.

For me, that separation also has a psychological benefit.

Constantly watching every price movement can make it very easy to become emotionally attached to what the market is doing. I found that stepping away gave me an opportunity to reset, clear my head and return to the charts with a broader perspective.

Trader Timer isn't about ignoring the market.

It's about choosing when the market deserves your attention.

Less screen time. More focus. More life outside the charts.

One of the biggest challenges I've encountered in trading isn't finding another indicator or another strategy.

It's discipline and patience.

I've experienced the same struggles many traders face: overtrading, chasing price, missing trades, trading what I think should happen rather than what the market is actually showing me, and deviating from my trading plan.

I'm far from perfect, and Trader Timer isn't designed to make anyone a perfect trader.

What it has done for me is provide structure.

Stepping away between important candle closes gives me an opportunity to mentally reset and return when it's time to reassess the market.

It helps me focus on executing my trading plan rather than becoming absorbed in every movement of price.

That experience has shaped one of the core ideas behind Trader Timer:

You don't need to watch every tick. You need to be ready when it matters.

Before returning my focus to trading, my career included commercial construction project and contract management, followed by running an importing and wholesale business.

Interestingly, trading never disappeared completely.

Operating an importing business meant managing foreign-exchange exposure, including using AUD/USD forward contracts to hedge against currency fluctuations.

A conversation with a business coach about the results of that hedging eventually reignited my interest in the markets. After selling the business, I had the opportunity to return my focus to trading.

My experience in business also gave me a different perspective on the freedom trading can potentially provide.

A traditional business can involve employees, premises, large amounts of inventory and substantial overheads. Trading is very different.

But there's little freedom in replacing those traditional business constraints with the feeling that you have to sit in front of a chart all day.

That became another part of the thinking behind Trader Timer.

Today, Trader Timer is being developed around a straightforward principle:

Help traders get the most from their own trading style through better timing, preparation and disciplined execution.

Trader Timer isn't here to tell you what to buy, sell or trade.

It doesn't provide trading signals or financial advice. Your strategy, analysis, entries, exits and risk decisions remain your own.

Instead, we're focused on building practical tools that complement the way you already trade — from candle-close countdowns and multiple trading intervals to configurable alerts, news-event timing and other features designed to help you be ready at the moments that matter.

Trader Timer began as the tool I wanted for my own trading.

The goal now is to make it a tool that can help other traders spend less time unnecessarily staring at charts, reduce emotional decision-making, improve their preparation and create more freedom to focus on everything else that matters outside trading.

Because ultimately:

Trading should fit into your life - your life shouldn't have to revolve around watching every tick.

Trade your plan. Live your life. Let Trader Timer watch the clock.