Well well well, you probably clicked on this article because you are involved in the “art of trading” or want to get into it for various reasons.
As someone who’s been in the space for about 4 years at this I am going to make the following statement as clear as possible.
Choosing the right wait to trade for yourself is the most crucial part.
As humans we are different.
No one is the same as somebody else.
There is so many personalities out there and so many different ways we approach similar situations.
Where some see a bull run, others see a collapse waiting to happen and because of that you need to realize what way is the most comfortable for you in the long run, because the main cause for traders that fail is their inability to stick to a plan and control their emotions.
Choosing between swing and scalping is like choosing between moving to a fast pace city or to a rural area.
As someone whose done both I will have to say that for my personality scalping with trades ranging from 2–3 minutes to like maximum 30 minutes is the way to go.
I only trade for 1h 30 mins each day, because that’s the maximum time I can be 100% locked in without losing a “step” in my reaction time.
Now…if you wander how you can find out what works for you, there are 2 options:
- You waste years of your life trying to figure it out by “trial and error” method
Or you try to implement the rest of this article where I will present the system that I’ve created to determine what you should choose:
Step 1: Be Honest About Your Schedule
First thing first — and I can’t stress this enough — you need to look at your actual life.
Not the life you wish you had. Your actual day-to-day.
If you have a 9–5 job:
Scalping is probably not for you. I’m sorry but that’s the reality.
Scalping requires you to be glued to the screen during specific market hours. For me that’s the London session for EUR/USD or the New York session for NQ. If you’re at work during those times, you can’t scalp. Simple as that.
Swing trading though? That works. You can check charts once in the morning, once at lunch, once in the evening. Set your entries, set your stops, let the trade play out over days or weeks.
If you have flexible hours or work from home:
Now we’re talking. You could potentially do both. But here’s the catch — just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.
I work from home. I run my own schedule. But I still only scalp for 1h 30 mins max because that’s when I’m sharpest. After that my decision-making gets sloppy.
If you’re a student:
You probably have more time flexibility but less money. Scalping with a small account is tough because you need capital to make meaningful profits on small moves. Swing trading might be better for building your account slowly.
Be brutally honest here. Don’t lie to yourself thinking “oh I’ll wake up at 3am to trade the Asian session.” You won’t. And if you do, you’ll burn out in 2 weeks.
Step 2: Know Your Stress Tolerance (This One’s Huge)
Alright so this is where most people screw up. They don’t realize how different the psychological pressure is between scalping and swing trading.
Scalping stress:
You’re making decisions every few minutes. Sometimes every few seconds. The market moves against you, you need to cut the loss immediately. No hesitation. No “let me see if it bounces back.” Just cut it.
I’ve had days where I took 15 trades in an hour. 8 losses, 7 wins. Still profitable because my risk management was tight. But that means I had to take 8 losses in one hour and not let it affect my next trade.
Can you do that? Can you lose 5 times in a row and still take the 6th trade with confidence?
If the answer is no, scalping will destroy you mentally.
Swing trading stress:
Different beast. You hold positions for days or weeks. You go to sleep with open trades. You wake up and check if you got stopped out overnight.
The stress isn’t rapid-fire like scalping. It’s this constant low-level anxiety of “did the trade move against me while I was sleeping?”
Some people can’t handle that. They wake up at 3am to check their phone. They can’t focus at work because they’re thinking about their open position.
If you’re that person, swing trading will eat you alive.
My take:
I can’t do swing trading. I’ve tried. I hate going to bed with open trades. My mind races. I sleep worse. I check my phone first thing in the morning even before I pray or work out.
With scalping? I’m done after 1h 30 mins. All positions closed. Win or lose, it’s over. I can go about my day.
That’s just me though. Some people are the opposite — they love the “set it and forget it” nature of swing trading.
Figure out which stress you can actually handle.
Step 3: Test Your Attention Span (No BS Here)
This one’s simple but nobody wants to admit the truth about themselves.
Scalping requires insane focus.
I’m talking zero distractions. Phone on silent. No music (or only instrumental if you must). No checking Twitter. No YouTube in the background.
For me, 1h 30 mins is my max. After that my reaction time drops. I start second-guessing entries. I miss obvious setups.
If you can’t sit still and focus intensely for at least 1–2 hours, don’t scalp. You’ll lose money because you’ll miss your exits or enter at the wrong time.
Swing trading requires patience.
You set up the trade and then… you wait. For days. Sometimes weeks.
Can you actually do that without constantly messing with your position? Without moving your stop loss because “it looks like it might bounce”?
Most people can’t. They get bored. They start overtrading. They close winning positions too early because they’re impatient.
Here’s a test I give people:
Sit at your desk. Set a timer for 2 hours. Just watch charts. Don’t take any trades. Just observe.
If you get bored or distracted within 30 minutes, scalping probably isn’t for you.
If you can watch patiently and only note down 2–3 good setups in those 2 hours, you might be a swing trader.
Step 4: Look at Your Capital (The Uncomfortable Math)
Nobody wants to talk about this but I’m going to say it anyway.
Scalping with a small account is HARD.
Here’s why: scalping profit targets are small. You’re going for 5–10 pips on EUR/USD or 10–20 points on NQ.
If you have a $500 account and you’re risking 1% per trade ($5), even if you make 10 pips with a micro lot, you’re making like $1 per trade.
You’d need to take 20 winning trades just to make $20. That’s exhausting.
Now if you have a $5,000 account? Different story. Risk 1% ($50), make 10 pips with a mini lot, that’s $10 per trade. 10 winning trades in a day = $100. That starts to feel worthwhile.
Swing trading works better with smaller accounts.
Why? Because you’re going for bigger moves. Instead of 10 pips, you’re targeting 100 pips. Your risk-reward is bigger (1:3 or 1:4 instead of 1:1.5).
With a $500 account, you can risk $5 per trade and potentially make $15–20 if the trade works out. That’s meaningful growth.
My rule:
If you have under $1,000, consider swing trading until you build your account.
If you have $2,000+, scalping becomes more viable if it fits your personality.
This isn’t a hard rule but it’s a practical one.
Step 5: Try Both for 30 Days Each (No Shortcuts)
Here’s the system that actually works:
Month 1: Scalping only
Trade every day. Same time, same session. Keep a journal. Write down:
- How you felt before, during, and after each session
- How many trades you took
- Your win rate
- Your biggest struggle (focus? discipline? emotions?)
After 30 days, ask yourself: “Do I want to do this for the next 5 years?”
If the answer is “god no,” you have your answer.
Month 2: Swing trading only
Set up trades on higher timeframes (4H, Daily). Hold positions for at least 3 days minimum. Keep the same journal.
Write down:
- How you slept with open positions
- Did you mess with your stop losses?
- Did you close trades too early out of fear?
- Your biggest struggle (patience? anxiety? boredom?)
After 30 days, same question: “Do I want to do this for the next 5 years?”
After both months:
Compare the journals. Which one felt more natural? Which one made you sleep better? Which one had better results?
The answer will be obvious.
My Personal Experience (What I Learned)
I tried swing trading first because everyone said it was “easier for beginners.”
It was not easier for me. I hated it.
I would set a trade, go to bed, wake up at 2am to check my phone, see it moved against me, panic, close it early. Next day it would’ve hit my target.
Or I’d set a trade, it would go 50% toward my target, I’d get excited and close it early. Then it would run another 200 pips without me.
My emotions were all over the place with swing trading.
When I switched to scalping, something clicked. I could be hyper-focused for 1h 30 mins, take my trades, close everything, and move on with my day. Win or lose, it was done.
My sleep improved. My stress went down. My consistency went up.
But here’s the thing — I have friends who are the complete opposite. They tried scalping, hated the intensity, switched to swing trading, and thrived.
There’s no universal answer. That’s the whole point.
The Bottom Line
Scalping vs swing isn’t about which one is “better.” It’s about which one fits YOUR life, YOUR personality, YOUR schedule, and YOUR stress tolerance.
Stop listening to gurus who say “everyone should scalp” or “swing trading is the only way.”
They’re not you. They don’t live your life.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Be honest about your schedule
- Know your stress tolerance
- Test your attention span
- Look at your capital realistically
- Try both for 30 days each
After that, you’ll know. Not because some YouTuber told you, but because you tested it yourself.
And once you know? Stick with it. Don’t keep switching back and forth chasing results. Master one approach.
The traders who fail aren’t the ones who picked the “wrong” style. They’re the ones who never picked a style at all.
Not financial advice. Trading is risky. Most traders lose money. But if you’re going to trade, at least trade in a way that fits who you actually are.
By the way, to be fully transparent, Ai was used in the drafting process of this article for reference of sources and correction in writing. I Just want to be transparent. Thanks for understanding.
Beme OUT.
Scalping vs Swing: Learn what works for you. was originally published in The Capital on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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