so my A type mind has me out of the house during the day, set time out during week

[retiringat50]

but Im realizing it doesnt really matter - as long as I get myself out of the house sometime
Due to working 930-5 (9-530) over 20yrs of my life I have my mind set that I need to at least be out of the house half that amount to not go bonkers - at least 4hrs each day, 28hrs per week, etc LOL
Well yesterday I took a sick day due to my bunion (will be having surgery mid May). Was home during the day but went out for a while at night (looks like same today). Sick days are getting me ready for early retirement after surgery (early July)

Guess what I finally figured out? It really doesnt matter when I get out as long as I do! I can stay home during the day

[ziggy29]

I'd be running all my errands and "doing stuff" during the day Monday through Friday while everyone else is w*rking, and then hole up like a hermit on the weekends.

[travelover]

Originally Posted by ziggy29

I'd be running all my errands and "doing stuff" during the day Monday through Friday while everyone else is w*rking, and then hole up like a hermit on the weekends.

Ditto that - it makes a big difference in my anxiety factor.

[Want2retire]

When I get to ER next year, I plan to make daily exercise my "job". Each day I will go to the gym, or do some other form of exercise, and that will get me out of the house. Instead of showing up at the gym tired and stressed after a day of work, I can show up in the morning and stay as long as I like. I can sign up for one of those free classes at the gym, too. I have a great lifestyle envisioned for ER and I hope it turns out to be even half as nice as I anticipate!

Also, I must admit that I have allowed more spending money in ER than I presently allow myself, so I will also have to devote at least SOME time to wandering through stores and shopping. That will get me out of the house, as well. Let's see - - get up, leisurely cup of coffee, off to the gym for a great workout, home for lunch and a brief nap, then off shopping or to the library. Then back home with plenty of time left to read, post on the ER forum, and relax. That sounds great to me.

I will also have a treadmill at home, in case of inclement weather - - and in that case, I'll hole up in my cozy home until the weather improves!

[CuppaJoe]

We laugh about a guy at the coffee shop who always says, "you are sooo right." But you are! Retiring @ and Want2, you are going to be sooo happy. Years ago after I was pushed out of an 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. job (I spell out the full word because I loved that job), I went out to breakfast every morning near the work neighborhood. This went on for only a few days but I needed the transition. It was this time of the year, and I read every word in the papers about the Ididerod. I then took up cross-country train trips and when I had to go back to another job, I was fully refreshed.

I've also purposely taken off blocks of time and found that the best time (for me) to go to the gym was mid-afternoon, it was just me, a couple of other regulars and the staff, everyone was sooo nice and had time to chat.

[Goonie]

Originally Posted by retiringat50

but Im realizing it doesnt really matter - as long as I get myself out of the house sometime......

Guess what I finally figured out? It really doesnt matter when I get out as long as I do! I can stay home during the day

In 3 weeks it will have been a year since I ER'd, and I get out of the house every day for a while......there may have been (at most) 3 or 4 days that I haven't gone out. I go outside almost everyday just to look around the yard and gardens, to see if anything needs tweaking, or just to watch the birdies.....doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, raining or snowing...I like being outdoors! On days when the weather is too nasty to spend much time outdoors, I meander out to my workshop or hobby room, and spend some quality time messing around around out there. Most days (unless we're getting or have had more than a dusting of snow) I'll jump into the car or onto my bicycle and go for coffee, run errands, or go to the store......or do all three! In the evenings and on weekends when most of the "still working" folks are out doing their thing....running errands and shopping etc., as a courtesy I stay out of their way by staying around the old homestead.

I've always liked being out doing stuff and just enjoying life.......Now that I'm retired and have oodles of free time, I enjoy being able to be out more and having fun, and doing more stuff....with NO set hours & NO time constraints!!! I usually roll out of bed around 7 or 8 a.m., and don't get out of the house until 9 a.m. or later.......that way I don't take a chance of obstructing the journeys of the 'employed' folks out there....I know that ain't much, but I try to do my little part in the grand scheme of things, to keep things moving along smoothly!

[Khan]

I go outside every day to fill the bird feeders and read the meters; only take the car out once or twice a week.

Spring is in the air and I'm restless today as it is too cold and wet to do yard work.

After 3+ years of near eremitism (hermitude?), the need to absent myself from people (and the resultant overstimulation of sight and sound and smell) has diminished. I think I am ready to socialize (in very small doses). I was actually going to go somewhere (a fund raiser) last Saturday; but there was a blizzard. I have been contributing money to some organizations for many years (my name's on some bricks and plaques) and have never met the people involved except by phone and email.

We shall see.

And if it doesn't work, I can just leave.

[oma]

Originally Posted by Want2retire

When I get to ER next year, I plan to make daily exercise my "job". Each day I will go to the gym, or do some other form of exercise, and that will get me out of the house. Instead of showing up at the gym tired and stressed after a day of work, I can show up in the morning and stay as long as I like. I can sign up for one of those free classes at the gym, too. I have a great lifestyle envisioned for ER and I hope it turns out to be even half as nice as I anticipate!

Also, I must admit that I have allowed more spending money in ER than I presently allow myself, so I will also have to devote at least SOME time to wandering through stores and shopping. That will get me out of the house, as well. Let's see - - get up, leisurely cup of coffee, off to the gym for a great workout, home for lunch and a brief nap, then off shopping or to the library. Then back home with plenty of time left to read, post on the ER forum, and relax. That sounds great to me.

I will also have a treadmill at home, in case of inclement weather - - and in that case, I'll hole up in my cozy home until the weather improves!

I like the exercise plan. I expect to do the same next year when I reach FIRE. I also think that Barnes and Noble will have to charge me rent for the amount of time I expect to be in their store (or Borders). Those places are like paradise to me, for some reason.

[lsbcal]

All of this talk about going to the gym has me curious. Do people like the gym because they get a great workout or is that secondary to socializing? Are there any downsides to your gym experiences or are they all positive? I'm especially interested in experiences by the guys out there. It seems to me that women make friends a lot easier then guys.

I currently get my workouts by running in a park. Not a lot of socialization, but occasionally I talk to someone while doing my stretches on a rest stop in the middle of my runs.

[freebird5825]

type A also. almost 1 year FIREd.

now don't laugh everyone, but for the first 2 or so months, i actually used my email calendar feature to set up "appointments" for myself. hold the snickers...

appointments were things like...
get off the computer
water the plants
check the weather
go for a walk
volunteer somewhere
read your book
do a load of laundry
pet the dogs
check the birdfeeder

if i didn't feel like doing it right then, i just rescheduled it for later or the next day.

why did this work for a type A? for me, it gave me something to do besides wonder about what i was going to do next. only an "A" would understand. LOL

seriously though, it helped me decompress from major stressville.

i don't use the calendar anymore...or do I? <chime>

gotta run!

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by freebird5825

now don't laugh everyone, but for the first 2 or so months, i actually used my email calendar feature to set up "appointments" for myself.

If that's what it took to transition you from 'cubebird' to 'freebird', then so be it...

[Want2retire]

Originally Posted by lsbcal

All of this talk about going to the gym has me curious. Do people like the gym because they get a great workout or is that secondary to socializing? Are there any downsides to your gym experiences or are they all positive? I'm especially interested in experiences by the guys out there. It seems to me that women make friends a lot easier then guys.

I currently get my workouts by running in a park. Not a lot of socialization, but occasionally I talk to someone while doing my stretches on a rest stop in the middle of my runs.

Not only do I not socialize, I pretty much "tune out" the entire world and focus intensely on my workout and on my breathing and form while I am lifting. I tend to be an intense person and I enjoy the concentration. Even if a close friend sees me and says something to me, it is not likely to register at all. It has been awkward at times, but if someone says they saw me there I tell them not to be offended because I am nearsighted and just don't notice anyone when I am working out.

When Frank and I go there together, we do our own individual workouts, often in different parts of the gym. We don't really speak, and meet up afterward when we are done.

I think most people in the classes do socialize beforehand and afterwards. If I take one of the classes in ER, I would probably do the same before and after the class. But NOT later on when I am lifting!

My gym experiences have been extremely good. I like my gym because it has an incredible array of great equipment and because it is not a pickup spot (lots of gray-headed boomer guys and their wives, no child care). I can dress in ugly comfortable clothes that give me plenty of room to move, rather than in a cool looking gym outfit, because very few of the others bother with the cool looking gym outfits. If I wanted to socialize, people there are friendly enough, but that is not what I go for. What I don't like about the gym is having to drive through traffic to get there during rush hour after work. During ER I can go in the morning and that should solve THAT little problem.

[lsbcal]

W2R, sounds like your gym experiences are quite positive. The only negatives for me when running in the park are those occasional rude stares I get from the deer . They have no sense of humor.

[Moemg]

Freebird , I understand perfectly . My first few months of retirement were a flurry of activity and then I rested and rested . Now I have my lists and try to accomplish something daily . In fact I get so busy occasionally I scheldue a goof off day . That day I usually read all day or go to the movies . I do get out almost every day in fact that is the one problem with Florida there are never snow days .

[freebird5825]

Originally Posted by Moemg

Freebird , I understand perfectly . My first few months of retirement was a flurry of activity and then I rested and rested . Now I have my lists and try to accomplish something daily . In fact I get so busy occasionally I scheldue a goof off day . That day I usually read all day or go to the movies . I do get out almost every day in fact that is the one problem with Florida there are never snow days .

thanks for the feedback. my first 2 months were very wierd.
i read a lot of books to wipe my mind of it all. and hung on my screen porch, it was April so i wasn't cooped up. and listened to music and read and not a lot of anything complex.
then i got bored and started my volunteer stuff. still doing that.
i also schedule full goof off days. those are niiiiiiiiiiice.

Snow report - i can see bare ground in a few places. YAY! No robins yet. any day now...

snow is preferable to some other weather induced "bad karmas" available in each of our 50 states. to each their own, eh?

[SteveR]

I am looking forward to have to make a list of things to do to keep from being bored. I don't have time to be bored yet.

The house remodeling has been quite a task and has kept me very busy. Once it is done we will be looking seriously at a new house 350 miles away.

I am also doing some tech. upgrades to the RV as well as some basic creature comfort improvements when it is here between trips.

The dogs are 11 months old and are still very much in the puppy stage so they are a handful.

Once winter finally lets go (it snowed 6 inches today) I have the yard to whip into shape.

We are going south for 6 days in the RV on a RnR and house hunting trip. Every hotel room within 80 miles is full. There are some advantages to having an RV sometimes.

DW is going to see family in early April.

We have two other RV trips lined up this year which will last a few months.

Life is good!

We are going on a 7 day cruise in mid April.

[Rivrider]

I am planning to ER later this year. Have been thinking about different ideas on what to do. I like the idea of making a list of a few things to accomplish each day. Whether it's ride the bike, walk the dogs, or just something to get out and be around some people. I'm more a type B, so this would be good to keep me from just sitting around.

[Walt34]

One A/B test is at Type A/B.

Range of scores 35 - 380
Low Scores are Type B
High Scores are Type A

I was a 295. The only thing that really sets me off is being stuck in traffic, it's always because somebody was an idiot either planning or driving. I just don't go to anyplace that has long lines - if they're too busy to take my money I'll spend it somewhere else.

Yesterday I went to two travel trailer dealers to look. Today I'm going to Camping World to look at stuff, trying to figure out what the real cost of ownership is. Also go to rv.net and read, read, read.

Trying to talk DW into going to look at travel trailers later this week since she's out of school. Her enthusiasm is underwhelming. sigh.

The weather and water is still to cold to take the boat out. Maybe next month, yay!