how long did it take you to adjust/get into a nonwork routine? - Page 2

cute fuzzy bunny · 05-10-2008, 02:24 PM

I think this is officially my fourth use of this, but it fully qualifies...

Recently, I was diagnosed with R. A. A. D. D. - Retirement Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I realize the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers rest on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered.

I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot t he TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

the driveway is flooded,

the car isn't washed,

the bills aren't paid,

there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,

there is still only one check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

VaCollector · 05-10-2008, 02:50 PM

CFB....thanks!!

cute fuzzy bunny · 05-10-2008, 02:52 PM

I'll be here all week!

RonBoyd · 05-10-2008, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas

... but the rest of the day is whatever I want to do, when I want to do it. That's a double edged sword though. Sometimes I'm very efficient, and other times I wander around trying not to get distracted by things with lesser priorities...

There was an interesting bit on the ABC Evening News last night on this subject:

ABC News: AS SEEN ON TV: It's OK to Unplug

Google, for example, attributes it's success to a culture that allows (even demands) employees to spend enormous amounts of time on non-traditional "duties" -- daydreaming or playing pool, for instance -- while clocked in. Schools are also coming to the conclusion that too much pressure is put on students to "keep their nose to the grindstone."

kumquat · 05-10-2008, 06:01 PM

When I ER'd a friend who had 'bin dere dundat' recommended I learn his new Mexican word. Don't remember what it was but the definition was 'kinda like "mañana" but without the dire sense of urgency'..

Everything fits it.

TickTock · 05-10-2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas

What follows is a free-form set of mini-projects that are thought of during the process of doing something else. By the end of the evening I have done 75 things that weren't anywhere near the top of my to-do list (or even on it in some instances) and I'm looking at ceiling fan sitting in the back of the truck wondering, "where did that come from?" Other days are much more focused and I get things done without feeling rushed, but happy with the results.

Eh, I get the same thing at w*rk, except it's, 'I have an exception interrupting the emergency that has co-opted my top priority, but an item has come up for a person that I owe a favor to, and there is something else I can help out on that I judge to be a good use of my time, meanwhile...

et cetera, ad nauseum.

At least you're doing your own projects!

HFWR · 05-10-2008, 08:37 PM

The age-old question "why are we here?"...

I get up from the sofa, walk into the bedroom to get something, stand around for a minute, then ask "why am I here?".

The answer will come to me once I have reseated myself on the sofa...

bbbamI · 05-10-2008, 09:32 PM

Bill Cosby says...the answer is always in your butt...as soon as you sit on it, you figure out what you were going to do.

roger r · 05-10-2008, 09:42 PM

I'm six months into retirement and have to say that I'm still getting used to things. For me there was a little "honeymoon" period for a couple of months of pure bliss. Perhaps a bit of a carryover from 30 years of conditioning, but I'm finding more desire to have some goal oriented projects beyond kicking around the house and leisurely travel. I honestly think it's important to have a routine for excercise and keep a list of projects to be working on beyond the grocery list and gardening type things. A whole lot better than work any way you look at it.

t's funny others have mentioned it....my nightmares are getting less too.

Walt34 · 05-11-2008, 05:27 PM

At first it was like being on vacation. I retired July 1, 2002 and by the end of August we had moved from a highly congested area north of Washington, DC where we had to plan our daily lives around traffic. So we were in a new area, buying some furniture and stuff for the new house, and basically just decompressed for a couple of years from an environment where staying alive is rule one. Enjoying the novelty of having the ex-employer continue to send me money and all I have to do for it is keep breathing.

Then it started to sink in - what to do next. Or, why do I have to do anything? Or, should I be doing anything? What do I want to do? Never had that much freedom from responsibility before and felt kind of lost with it, this is someone who started working at 13 mowing lawns. Helped a friend build an airplane, got a small boat & outboard to go fishing, today we bought a couple of lightly used bicycles for some day trip touring. As an experiment, I was a car salesman for a month, that was an unusual experience - it was the first time I've ever been fired from a job, but I was laughing as I left the parking lot. So I learned something - I have many talents but sales is not one of them.

So I went and got a job that hasn't started yet, but it has the option of working either full time or part time so there is that flexibility built into it. So, I guess I'm just kind of drifting along and seeing what comes up next. A 180 turnaround for someone who's always had a definite goal in mind. So I guess you could say it took me five years to adjust.

I'm looking at boat kits and thinking of building a wooden boat. I like carpentry but never had time to develop a talent for it and some of them are works of art. So I'll start with a rowboat or kayak and see where that interest goes.

RetireeRobert · 05-12-2008, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiringat50

I'll be out of work 6wks due to surgery before going into my ER. So my daily life will be totally different during this time anyways. I'll look forward to the days when I can really say Im in ER.

How long did it take you to adjust/get into a nonwork routine?

About 2 hours! Never looked back, and never any regrets, and never any problem finding anything to do besides going back to that j*b.

UncleHoney · 05-12-2008, 05:54 AM

You'll know you're fully acclimated to retirement when your DW begins to accept you as "being around", rather than "being under foot"

cute fuzzy bunny · 05-12-2008, 07:46 AM

...and the yelling stops

JonnyM · 05-13-2008, 03:00 PM

I don't think I've ever really gotten into a FIRE routine. Everyday is a new day, with infinite possibilities. If anything the routine is that I don't have one, don't "have" to have one, and don't really want to ever heave one, i.e. "you can't make me". For a short time after I had been FIRE'd for a few months I was offered/negotiated a PT deal back at the old plant, I'd work a maximum of One Day Per Week, and I'd recommend what I should do with that time (mostly R&D). I enjoyed that for a few months then found even that minimal W**K experience tiresome and interfering with my freedom to not have a routine. Even after 6 days off (if you allow me) I still felt like I was being forced to return to getting up early (before 11am is my average) and be someplace not of my own choosing. I realize this makes no sense, as I was the one who did the choosing in the first place. Anyway, I'm glad to be back to pure freedom, even as the list of things that need doing doesn't get shorter very quickly at all. It's still a choice...

Oh to answer the true question. I'm still getting used to the idea 2 years later.

Goonie · 05-13-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonnyM

.....Everyday is a new day, with infinite possibilities. If anything the routine is that I don't have one, don't "have" to have one, and don't really want to ever heave one, i.e. "you can't make me".

Same with me. I let everyday "just happen"....and then I "go with the flow"!

This morning I saw an old friend buying 2 flower plants out at the farm store. We yakked for a few minutes, and then as we started to leave, he said "I have to hurry and get home and get these 2 plants in the ground!" I asked him why the big hurry. He said because he only plants 2 plants a day, and then goofs off the rest of the day! He ER'd last October....and has adapted well!

**Want2retire** · 05-13-2008, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goonie

Same with me. I let everyday "just happen"....and then I "go with the flow"!

This morning I saw an old friend buying 2 flower plants out at the farm store. We yakked for a few minutes, and then as we started to leave, he said "I have to hurry and get home and get these 2 plants in the ground!" I asked him why the big hurry. He said because he only plants 2 plants a day, and then goofs off the rest of the day! He ER'd last October....and has adapted well!

That's a wonderful story!! Thanks. Maybe my life will be like that in ER. I hope so.

In-control · 05-16-2008, 05:04 PM

I planned to spend time with the kids each morning, then go to the YMCA and do an areobics class, maybe some coupon shopping on the way home, go to the library. Then work on a project in the afternoon until kids came home from school. I did get addicted to "Mad Money" @ 5pm every day. Which was purley for entertainment - the recent market crashes cured me of that. I also had some rules, like, no TV until 5pm. Tale a long walk after dinner each night with the dog. Etc..

You get the idea.

Cheers

bolobar · 05-19-2008, 12:27 AM

Had some trepidation but that vanished in about a day. I've been retired for 13 years and seldom think about the 35 years I spent with the same employer. While I like what I was doing for the most part, it was time to go. I now keep busy with volunteering and enjoying life to the fullest one day at a time.

"Don't cry becase it's over, smile because it happened."

oma · 05-19-2008, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire

Tell me about it!

Not really, I know. I have 555 days to go and it is really, really hard to keep up my enthusiasm!

477 for me. Although I still put out 100%, I don't get as upset about the small stuff as I would have ten years ago. Also, thankfully, not everyone in the organization is near ER as I am, otherwise everyone would have that "devil may care" attitude.

05-10-2008, 02:24 PM	#21
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hot cross bun Posts: 21,411	I think this is officially my fourth use of this, but it fully qualifies... Recently, I was diagnosed with R. A. A. D. D. - Retirement Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I realize the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers rest on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot t he TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the driveway is flooded, the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, there is still only one check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. __________________ Mr. Poopyhead

05-10-2008, 02:52 PM	#23
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hot cross bun Posts: 21,411	I'll be here all week! __________________ Mr. Poopyhead

05-10-2008, 06:01 PM	#25
kumquat Full time employment: Posting here. Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 694	When I ER'd a friend who had 'bin dere dundat' recommended I learn his new Mexican word. Don't remember what it was but the definition was 'kinda like "mañana" but without the dire sense of urgency'.. Everything fits it. __________________ Life's a bitch and then you come back - Hindu proverb

05-10-2008, 08:37 PM	#27
HFWR Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: May 2005 Location: DFW Posts: 5,145	The age-old question "why are we here?"... I get up from the sofa, walk into the bedroom to get something, stand around for a minute, then ask "why am I here?". The answer will come to me once I have reseated myself on the sofa... __________________ Have Funds, Will Retire I will now proceed to entangle the entire area...

05-10-2008, 09:32 PM	#28
bbbamI Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas Posts: 1,320	Bill Cosby says...the answer is always in your butt...as soon as you sit on it, you figure out what you were going to do. __________________ I put myself on ignore, but I still keep getting in my face.

05-10-2008, 02:50 PM	#22
VaCollector Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 243	CFB....thanks!!

05-10-2008, 09:42 PM	#29
roger r Dryer sheet wannabe Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 18	I'm six months into retirement and have to say that I'm still getting used to things. For me there was a little "honeymoon" period for a couple of months of pure bliss. Perhaps a bit of a carryover from 30 years of conditioning, but I'm finding more desire to have some goal oriented projects beyond kicking around the house and leisurely travel. I honestly think it's important to have a routine for excercise and keep a list of projects to be working on beyond the grocery list and gardening type things. A whole lot better than work any way you look at it. t's funny others have mentioned it....my nightmares are getting less too.

05-11-2008, 05:27 PM	#30
Walt34 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: WV Panhandle Posts: 1,060	At first it was like being on vacation. I retired July 1, 2002 and by the end of August we had moved from a highly congested area north of Washington, DC where we had to plan our daily lives around traffic. So we were in a new area, buying some furniture and stuff for the new house, and basically just decompressed for a couple of years from an environment where staying alive is rule one. Enjoying the novelty of having the ex-employer continue to send me money and all I have to do for it is keep breathing. Then it started to sink in - what to do next. Or, why do I have to do anything? Or, should I be doing anything? What do I want to do? Never had that much freedom from responsibility before and felt kind of lost with it, this is someone who started working at 13 mowing lawns. Helped a friend build an airplane, got a small boat & outboard to go fishing, today we bought a couple of lightly used bicycles for some day trip touring. As an experiment, I was a car salesman for a month, that was an unusual experience - it was the first time I've ever been fired from a job, but I was laughing as I left the parking lot. So I learned something - I have many talents but sales is not one of them. So I went and got a job that hasn't started yet, but it has the option of working either full time or part time so there is that flexibility built into it. So, I guess I'm just kind of drifting along and seeing what comes up next. A 180 turnaround for someone who's always had a definite goal in mind. So I guess you could say it took me five years to adjust. I'm looking at boat kits and thinking of building a wooden boat. I like carpentry but never had time to develop a talent for it and some of them are works of art. So I'll start with a rowboat or kayak and see where that interest goes. __________________ Retired six years ago at age 52

05-12-2008, 05:54 AM	#32
UncleHoney Full time employment: Posting here. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Columbus Posts: 658	You'll know you're fully acclimated to retirement when your DW begins to accept you as "being around", rather than "being under foot"

05-12-2008, 07:46 AM	#33
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hot cross bun Posts: 21,411	...and the yelling stops __________________ Mr. Poopyhead

05-13-2008, 03:00 PM	#34
JonnyM Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 250	I don't think I've ever really gotten into a FIRE routine. Everyday is a new day, with infinite possibilities. If anything the routine is that I don't have one, don't "have" to have one, and don't really want to ever heave one, i.e. "you can't make me". For a short time after I had been FIRE'd for a few months I was offered/negotiated a PT deal back at the old plant, I'd work a maximum of One Day Per Week, and I'd recommend what I should do with that time (mostly R&D). I enjoyed that for a few months then found even that minimal W**K experience tiresome and interfering with my freedom to not have a routine. Even after 6 days off (if you allow me) I still felt like I was being forced to return to getting up early (before 11am is my average) and be someplace not of my own choosing. I realize this makes no sense, as I was the one who did the choosing in the first place. Anyway, I'm glad to be back to pure freedom, even as the list of things that need doing doesn't get shorter very quickly at all. It's still a choice... Oh to answer the true question. I'm still getting used to the idea 2 years later. __________________ It's about the music

05-16-2008, 05:04 PM	#37
In-control Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 50	Like your plan for savings have a plan for your time! I planned to spend time with the kids each morning, then go to the YMCA and do an areobics class, maybe some coupon shopping on the way home, go to the library. Then work on a project in the afternoon until kids came home from school. I did get addicted to "Mad Money" @ 5pm every day. Which was purley for entertainment - the recent market crashes cured me of that. I also had some rules, like, no TV until 5pm. Tale a long walk after dinner each night with the dog. Etc.. You get the idea. Cheers __________________ In-Control and Happy about it!

05-19-2008, 12:27 AM	#38
bolobar Confused about dryer sheets Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 4	Had some trepidation but that vanished in about a day. I've been retired for 13 years and seldom think about the 35 years I spent with the same employer. While I like what I was doing for the most part, it was time to go. I now keep busy with volunteering and enjoying life to the fullest one day at a time. "Don't cry becase it's over, smile because it happened." __________________ "Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."