Do you schedule your days?

[albireo13]

Hi,
I have been retired since last September. It has been great but, I am finding that my days get consumed with "clutter tasks". By this I mean, things pop up that need to be done (non critical) or I get asked to do things, etc, never ending long term home projects, chores, etc. I find that I rarely have chunks of time where I can do what ever I want ... or do nothing.
Not what I expected in retirement. I am not complaining but, I am feeling like I don't have firm control over my free time. Has anyone else felt this?

Someone suggested I schedule daily chunks of time that are mine alone ... non-negotiable. Easier said than done. : )

Anyway, would love to hear from others on this. Thx.

 

[Gumby]

Marginally. I write things I need to do on a particular day in my desk calendar, so I can make sure to set aside time for them.

 

[Jerry1]

I keep a list of things I want to focus on during the week. I wouldn’t call it a to-do list, because if it doesn’t get done, I’ll either let it slide or just put it on next weeks list if it’s important enough. As for “me” time, I done have to schedule that, but if I don’t feel like doing anything on a particular day, I don’t. Also, if I have a particular thing I want to do, then I wouldn’t let anything get in the way unless it was truly important or an emergency. One thing about retirement is that you get to be in control of your life and that is basically the same as needing to control your time/calendar. If I wanted someone else controlling my schedule, I could have stayed at work and got paid for it. I left that and I don’t have any interest in doing it in retirement and not getting paid is just more the reason it isn’t happening.

Having said that, there’s certain people (daughter and grand kids) that I’ll pretty much drop everything for, but that a choice and I’m happy to be there for them and be part of their lives. But of course there’s the golf league on Friday which is the one scheduled time I have every week.

 

[Dtail]

To some extent. My mornings until 1pm are taken up by Pickleball. Then the errands and projects start. Some of the days are planned and some are not.
If it is raining on and off through the day, then we will say we are on "vacation" that day and literally do nothing.
Still way less stressful than work was.

 

[Aerides]

A little. DH and I take a brisk walk most mornings, and M/W/F mornings I like to work out / lift weights. I have some wiggle room with that and one day will often slip, but at least I try to get in 3 full sessions each week.

Friday mornings I have coffee with my parents, we rotate their place or mine. Friday evenings I have a happy hour with my sister, hers or mine. (that's my busiest day!)
Saturday afternoons I game/dungeon-raid with a group of online friends.

Between that it's whatever I want to do, but I know if things start piling up on the wants list I will more diligently plan the time.

 

[REWahoo]

No.

That's not to say I don't have a calendar where I schedule appointments, medication for the dog, etc. But that's as far as it goes.

 

[Car-Guy]

By the year, not by the day. I have an erasable "Year at a Glance Calendar" hanging on the wall just outside the master bedroom... If I don't see anything written down for the next week or so when I get up in the morning, I don't think much about it beyond that. If there is something written down, I'll make a mental note that something is coming up... Hate that...


Looking ahead, about half of the things I see in my future on the calendar are doctor appointments for the DW or our dog.... "My job", drive them to the appointments, wait, pay, and then return. Oh, and on the way back from these Dr appointments somehow I find out all their aliments are my fault... (DW translates for the dog.) It's no wonder why men loose their hearing as they get older.

 

[MichaelB]

After retirement you become more aware of the many things in daily life you suppressed, postponed or just didn’t do. Now all those other things become more demanding of your time. The demands of work forced you to prioritize. Now you need to find a new way to prioritize daily activities.

You absolutely need to set aside time for yourself and also time for other people important in your life, like a spouse, children, friends. After all, that’s one of the reasons we retire.

If you don’t use that time, other people may (and probably will) try to use it for their own benefit. I can still hear my siblings saying “you need to do “x” for mom because we work and don’t have the time, while you do”.

 

[Dash man]

We used to wonder how we ever had time for work. Now we have plenty of down time. We have to keep an eye on my FIL since he can’t be left alone for too long, so we’re somewhat anchored home.

 

[tb001]

I’m definitely feeling this way, but we have kids at home, which is part of it. Between running them to/from school and activities, dr/dentist appts for them and vet appts for dogs, my own dr and pt appts, maintaining the house and everything that goes wrong and being the primary cook/grocery person/laundry/everything else, I end my days wiped out.

I’m honestly not sure how we would cope if I were working. There are so many projects still on my to do list! Still, I can look back over the last 6 months and see progress. And I’m enjoying myself waaaay more than working!

 

[chilkoot]

Work out at the gym four days a week, but not much beyond that. Write appointments on a calendar if I think about it, otherwise just making a mental note seems to work.

 

[Music Lover]

Not really but I have a regular routine to start the day. Every morning I have my breakfast and coffee while catching up on emails, news, forums, etc. Then I work out and maybe take care of a minor household task.

All my scheduled activities (golf, band rehearsal, appts) go into my phone calendar and days are planned around those.

 

[Freedom56]

Schedule my days? Sometimes we lose track of the day of the week. Every day is a Saturday when you retire. I stopped using Outlook one month after retirement. The only thing that gets scheduled are visits to the dentist and annual check-ups at the doctor.

 

[tb001]

Work out at the gym four days a week, but not much beyond that. Write appointments on a calendar if I think about it, otherwise just making a mental note seems to work.

I find I’m the opposite. When I was working I had my mental calendar that was almost always accurate. Now if it doesn’t get put in my phone I’m toast.

 

[Gumby]

Schedule my days? Sometimes we lose track of the day of the week. Every day is a Saturday when you retire. I stopped using Outlook one month after retirement. The only thing that gets scheduled are visits to the dentist and annual check-ups at the doctor.

I keep track of the weekends, so I can avoid going to stores or restaurants while they are mobbed with working people.

 

[Ronstar]

Yes I have somewhat of a schedule. I generally go for a run Monday and Thursday mornings. Hike or bike other mornings. I mix this up a little when weather is an issue.

Workshop time / yard work/ home projects time is noon to 5 almost every day.

And we have a loose schedule when we travel.

 

[jcretire77]

I hate to schedule almost everything. Heck, even my rare doctor's appointments annoy me, perhaps for a couple of reasons . One of the things I love about being retired is choice. Choosing to be where I want when I want.

 

[Walt34]

A sort of loose schedule, but deviations are liberally allowed. For example tomorrow I'm meeting my R/C flying student at 9:00 and at that time we'll decide whether to also meet up again the next day because the weather is supposed to be nice (clear, no wind, low to mid 80's). Other than that I have nothing scheduled until an eye exam on Tuesday.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

No schedule for the most part. This can be quite helpful, too. As an example, I was scheduled to give blood this AM. I got a call about an hour before asking if I would donate platelets instead since apparently there is a great need. Donating platelets takes 2-2.5 hours vs an hour for whole blood, so without a schedule I was able to help them out.

The only thing I attempt to do on a schedule is on the first of each month. Those include cleaning coffee pot, inspect/change AC filters, run/ops check generator and a couple of other odds and ends. For the most part, all these tasks take me about 2 hours...if that.

 

[jollystomper]

I "schedule" more in the summer, but that is more due to some of the "siesta" culture from my parents. Waking up early is easy for me and it seems to provide more flexibility for my activities throughout the day. Early morning is for physical outdoor activities or, if weather is bad, gym. Errands after that to late morning. late morning to early afternoon is indoors resting from said activities, maybe a nap. Indoor projects until dinnertime. Back outdoors or active indoor projects into the evening.

This is not hard and set. It is best described as my "default" plan in the absence of anything else. If something else interesting occurs at any time - another activity I find on my own, or from DW or friends - those will take priority.

 

[street]

No schedule and I really dislike if I have to have a schedule. There are things like a meeting I had to go to this morning or an appointment for oil change or Doc. When I have a scheduled event it takes away from my freedom to do what ever and when ever.

If there is something that totally needs done the next day, I will take care of it but on my time frame.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I "schedule" more in the summer, but that is more due to some of the "siesta" culture from my parents.

It's funny how in that when I was w*rking, I absolutely HATED early mornings. Today? I love 'em! I tend to be up and about around 7 to which I get a nice walk in before it gets too hot. Then fresh coffee while sitting on the back patio waiting for the deer to come around for breakfast.

Afternoon siestas were pretty common when I first retired, but I might have one a week these days.

All in all, life is pretty fantastic.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Golf - Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and sometimes also on Thursday. Lunch at the club Tuesday to Sunday as club is closed on Monday.
Errand day - Monday.
House cleaning, every other Thursday when/if I am not playing golf.

Most evenings, dinner at home in which I prepare and cook starting at about 4pm.

Evenings, binge on either HGTV or Food Network shows.

We also travel about 3 months spread out through the year, golfing and dining out when we are away.

 

[Midpack]

I keep a calendar, reminders, etc. on my Mac/iPhone/iPad - but it's nowhere near as full as it used to be, and never will be again...

 

[gamboolman]

We schedule only the fun stuff and the few necessary business or health appointments.

The good thing is that in retirement - it is almost all Fun Stuff !

Our Road Trips go on the Mac - it's great that you can have most Hotel, Airline, Rent Car, Poker Tournament dates/times, etc., reservations linked into the Calendar. And we manually enter anything else regarding travel we need to.

Birthdays, Holidays, Anniversaries, Health appointments go on the Mac also.

ms gamboolgal keeps up with everything in her notebook To Do lists - old fashioned habits die hard....

It's a wonderful time of life to enjoy.

gamboolman...