What Is Your Daily Trading Workflow? From Scanner to Entry

[ksgtrader]

Hi everyone,

First, I want to sincerely thank all of the members here who generously share their knowledge and experience with the community. The amount of time and effort that goes into developing and sharing these tools is incredible, and it has helped many traders like me learn and improve.

I have been studying many of the scanners and indicators posted here, but I've reached a point where I'm feeling overwhelmed by the number of options available. It seems like there are dozens of excellent scanners, each designed for different market conditions and trading styles.

My question is: If you were starting from scratch, what would your complete workflow look like?

• Which scanner(s) would you run before the market opens?
• Which scanner(s) would you use during market hours?
• What criteria help you narrow hundreds of stocks down to a manageable watchlist?
• After identifying potential candidates, what indicators or chart analysis do you use before taking a trade?
• Do you use different workflows for day trading versus swing trading?
• Which indicators have consistently added value for you, and which ones have you found unnecessary over time?

I'm not necessarily looking for a "holy grail" indicator. Instead, I'm hoping to learn a structured process—from scanning for opportunities to analyzing charts and finally deciding whether to enter a trade.

I think hearing how experienced traders combine the tools shared in this forum into a practical workflow would be incredibly valuable, not only for me but for many newer members as well.

Thank you again to everyone who contributes their knowledge and experience to this community. Your willingness to teach and help others is what makes this forum such a valuable resource.

 

[useThinkScript]

• Do you use different workflows for day trading versus swing trading?

Yes, workflows vary wildly depending on execution style:

* Scalpers: Park on the Active Trader ladder, Level II, and Time & Sales (the tape) using 1-minute or tick charts. They rely heavily on 1-click order submission and Auto-Brackets, rather than technical indicators.

* Low-Float / Imbalance Traders: Dependent on Stock Hacker custom study filters (scanning for float, relative volume spikes, and gap %), feeding those results into dynamic watchlists linked directly to Active Trader color channels.

* Intraday Momentum Traders: Use multi-chart Flexible Grids (5m/15m charts with VWAP, moving averages, and ATR) to catch trend continuations and measure relative strength against the broad market.

* Swing Traders: Focus on higher-timeframe charts (Daily/Weekly), fundamental filters in Stock Hacker, Conditional Orders (orders triggered by chart studies, indicators, or price marks), and GTC stops.

* Some traders are a hybrid of trading types. But if you provide your favorite timeframes that you look at when entrying and exiting and what indicators you rely on; we will be able to determine what workflow works best for you.

Give an example of one of your trades, charts, or overall approach—that way someone with a similar workflow can jump in and exchange ideas with you!

 

[ksgtrader]

Yes, workflows vary wildly depending on execution style:

* Scalpers: Park on the Active Trader ladder, Level II, and Time & Sales (the tape) using 1-minute or tick charts. They rely heavily on 1-click order submission and Auto-Brackets, rather than technical indicators.

* Low-Float / Imbalance Traders: Dependent on Stock Hacker custom study filters (scanning for float, relative volume spikes, and gap %), feeding those results into dynamic watchlists linked directly to Active Trader color channels.

* Intraday Momentum Traders: Use multi-chart Flexible Grids (5m/15m charts with VWAP, moving averages, and ATR) to catch trend continuations and measure relative strength against the broad market.

* Swing Traders: Focus on higher-timeframe charts (Daily/Weekly), fundamental filters in Stock Hacker, Conditional Orders (orders triggered by chart studies, indicators, or price marks), and GTC stops.

* Some traders are a hybrid of trading types. But if you provide your favorite timeframes that you look at when entrying and exiting and what indicators you rely on; we will be able to determine what workflow works best for you.

Give an example of one of your trades, charts, or overall approach—that way someone with a similar workflow can jump in and exchange ideas with you!

Thank you for the detailed explanation. That really helps clarify the different trading styles.

My primary goal is intraday options trading, with swing trading as a secondary objective.

For day trading, my entry timeframe is the 2-minute chart, while I use the 5-minute and 15-minute charts for confirmation, trend, and key levels. For swing trading, I mainly analyze the Daily and Weekly charts.

My biggest challenge isn't the chart analysis itself—it's identifying the right stocks to focus on each day. There are so many scanners and indicators available that I'm unsure which ones experienced traders actually rely on.

I'm trying to build a consistent workflow, something like:

• Which scans do you run before the market opens to build your watchlist?
• Do you run different scans after the market opens?
• How do you narrow hundreds of stocks down to just a handful of high-probability candidates?
• Once you've identified those candidates, which indicators or price action do you use to validate an entry?
• Do you use a different scanning process for swing trading than for day trading?

My goal is to identify quality stocks with strong momentum and liquidity first, then use technical analysis to determine whether an options trade offers a high-probability setup.

I'm not looking for a "holy grail" scanner. I'm hoping to learn a practical, repeatable process—from scanning for opportunities, to chart analysis, to trade execution. I think understanding that workflow would help me much more than adding another indicator to my charts.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain the different workflows.

 

[Adeodatus]

Hello ksgtrader,

I see you attain level of newbie, however; your efforts never without reward.

Do not think, know! Learning does not stop as neither do markets.

Market close Friday, hunt on. Be certain objective opponent. Paraphrase, your open mention 'e "biggest challenge, ...identify right stocks, focus to each day." Each day is massive financial machine waiting slightest movement. Know how scan for all those yet? So, we build custom scanner column. Dynamic change, day move through first hour (or more), better value trade is in front, sometimes even watch list keeps best the top. When going for take, trade it.

Here are two free ones;

CarbonStation Score Column For ThinkOrSwim (one latest),
https://usethinkscript.com/threads/carbonstation-score-column-for-thinkorswim.22572/
and rewrite CarbonStation Energy Elite Scanner For ThinkOrSwim
https://usethinkscript.com/threads/carbonstation-energy-elite-scanner-for-thinkorswim.22605/

DYODD, taking hit is battle, war is no losses.

 

[ksgtrader]

Hello ksgtrader,

I see you attain level of newbie, however; your efforts never without reward.

Do not think, know! Learning does not stop as neither do markets.

Market close Friday, hunt on. Be certain objective opponent. Paraphrase, your open mention 'e "biggest challenge, ...identify right stocks, focus to each day." Each day is massive financial machine waiting slightest movement. Know how scan for all those yet? So, we build custom scanner column. Dynamic change, day move through first hour (or more), better value trade is in front, sometimes even watch list keeps best the top. When going for take, trade it.

Here are two free ones;

CarbonStation Score Column For ThinkOrSwim (one latest),
and rewrite CarbonStation Energy Elite Scanner For ThinkOrSwim

DYODD, taking hit is battle, war is no losses.

Thanks for sharing these indicators. I’ll start looking into them and learning how they work.

 

[YotaTech4x4]

Hey @ksgtrader -

I'm an options day trader focused on primarily 0DTE options. I keep things very simple and will do my best to break it down for, at least for what I have found works best for me.

My Chart:
Extended Hours Off
15minute ORB
I use a 5/12 EMA Cloud for main trend
Prior Days High/Low/Close
I'll manually plot PM High/Low
II use a 50 and 200 EMA as well as a 10minute 34/50 EMA Cloud for bigger picture and support/resistance (just a basic approach).
Volume with RVOL indication
All scripts are my own or derivatives from scripts found here.

Watchlist:
I trade the same 8 to 12 stocks / Indices
SPY, QQQ, TSLA, NVDA, PLTR, etc.

I do run a basic "gap scan" for the first 15 to 30 minutes to see what's running outside my normal watchlist and to see if there is any common theme.

I keep a flexible grid open with $TICK, $ADD, VIX and my top 5 watches from my list and Gap Scan.
With the flexible grid I can change my main watches out quickly and keep my main chart hyper focused for just the chart of the equity I'm currently trading.

My Workflow
45 - 60 minutes before Market Opens I review my watchlist and any stocks with earnings or that I see in the news feed.
I start plotting my Premarket Levels since I like to trade with Extended data turned off.
I review the Economic Calendar and make note of anything that could "shift markets".
No Trades until the ORB Locks in. (This is an 80/20 Rule)
If I take trades right away it's pure momentum and scalps.
5 minutes before Markets Open I go outside, get fresh sunlight and return no sooner than 5 minutes AFTER the Market has opened. This helps me with FOMO.

I then wait and watch for ORB high/low breaks on my watchlist.
Since I can only watch so many tickers at once, I do have a watchlist gadget on the left side with 2 custom columns: % from Open and ORB Status.
% from Open shows me how much price is up/down from the Open.
ORB Status shows me where price is at to the ORB (Above/Inside/Below)
Between my watchlist gadget and my flexible grid of stocks I can keep an eye on whatever stocks / Indices are moving and meeting my criteria.

I'm usually done trading by noon Eastern.
I don't hold Day Trades over night.
I don't add to losers.
I don't chase trades.
I don't chase trades before the ORB is setup (80/20 rule)

I keep it very simple and trade the same names over and over, day after day. I keep my approach simple and stick to my rules.