A
W

Disciplined Trading

All chapters

Chapter 9 · Part Three

The Daily Routine

Same prep every morning, so the decisions are already made when it matters.

About 8 minutes

Pre-session, before 8:30 AM CT, on the 2H chart

  • Determine the draw on liquidity
  • Check whether price has failed to seek highs or lows
  • Mark untaken ERL on both sides
  • Is price in premium or discount of the HTF range?
  • Are there HTF FVGs that align with your bias?
  • Write down your bias: BULL, BEAR, or NONE

On the 5m chart

  • Mark PDH, PDL, overnight high and low
  • Mark any equal highs and lows
  • Mark recent unfilled FVGs
  • Identify the intraday range

The kill zone

Time (CT)

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Phase
Manipulation
Action
Watch which side gets swept. Lower probability and more failed setups here, so it is the window to be most selective in, not one to sit out entirely.

Time (CT)

9:00 – 10:30 AM

Phase
Primary window
Action
Look for the AW Reversal. Highest probability setups.

Time (CT)

10:30 – 12:00 PM

Phase
Continuation
Action
If you missed the reversal, look for continuation entries on pullbacks.

Time (CT)

12:00 – 2:00 PM

Phase
Low probability
Action
Avoid unless exceptionally strong setup.

Time (CT)

3:00 PM

Phase
Close
Action
Flatten everything. No overnight holds.

Execution sequence, 1m and 3m

  1. Confirm the ERL was taken

    Not approached. Taken.

  2. Watch for impulsive displacement away from the swept level

    Aggressive, not a grind.

  3. Displacement must break the neckline for MSS confirmation

    This is the gate.

  4. Mark the FVG left by the displacement

    That is your entry zone.

  5. Enter when price retraces into the FVG, or on the flip candle

    Two valid entries, covered in Chapter 10.

  6. Place the stop structurally

    Beyond the swept wick. Below the reaction low for longs, above the reaction high for shorts. Then size so that distance equals your fixed dollar risk.

  7. Set the target

    The opposite ERL. Once the first internal level clears, move the stop to breakeven and hold the full position to target.

Hard rules

Maximum two trades per day. If you hit your daily loss limit, stop for the day. Close everything by 3:00 PM CT.

No trades on FOMC, NFP or CPI until after the release.

Stops are structural. Always. There is no version of this model where a stop is a fixed point distance.

Check yourself

You have taken two trades today, both winners. At 10:15 a third clean setup prints inside the primary window. Do you take it?

Before you move on

  • Your bias is written down before 8:30
  • You know which windows are highest probability, and which need more from you
  • You have a daily loss limit and you know the number

Want the whole model in one file?

All fifteen chapters, including the ones not yet published as lessons, are in the PDF. Free, no email required.

Download the PDF

AW Trades

The whole model, written down and free. Honest prop firm comparisons from someone trading with them.

© 2026 AW Trades. All rights reserved.

Trading futures involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. Nothing here is financial advice. Links to prop firms are affiliate links.