How do you spend your first two hours of the day?

[mickeyd]

Sleep from 6AM to 8AM.

 

[Derslickmeister]

It's hard not to come across that way. I won't tell you what my afternoon was like so you don't feel any worse. I hope some of this motivates OMY sufferers or others to stay the course towards ER. Comparing today to my pre-ER Mondays is pretty amazing.

Yup, it's definitely motivation for me. Keep it up, I need the occasional reminder as I get closer to the finish line

 

[redduck]

I added something new to my first two hours in the morning-- I work on a jigsaw puzzle for about 1/2 hour. I used to do this as a kid, started again for awhile after college, and then forgot about it for about 30 years.

 

[NW-Bound]

I added something new to my first two hours in the morning-- I work on a jigsaw puzzle for about 1/2 hour. I used to do this as a kid, started again for awhile after college, and then forgot about it for about 30 years.

Are you saying that you kept that unfinished puzzle for 30 years?

 

[redduck]

Are you saying that you kept that unfinished puzzle for 30 years?

You know, I think that's exactly what I said (but it isn't what I meant). Nice catch.

 

[FUEGO]

I'm 8 months into retirement.

I'm no morning person. Never was, never will be. On the weekends I sleep in till 8 or 9 am.

We have three young kids and 2 of them are in elementary school. That means I have to get up around 7:40 or 7:50, get the kids ready for school, and get out the door by 8:15 for the 10 minute walk to school.

I'm usually back from dropping the older kids off at school by 8:40. Me and the two year old have breakfast, I make a cup of coffee, and the the magic begins.

20% of the time I'll clean up first thing after breakfast. Wash some dishes, wipe down the kitchen, sweep. Clean up little Fuegito and his oatmeal fingerpainting. File some things away, do a couple of odd jobs. That will get me to 9:30 or 10, wrapping up my first 2 hours.

50% of the time I'll have my coffee and bagel in front of the computer. Check some email, maybe play a game. Watch some videos with the little guy. Surf the net, take care of some business (investments, bill pay, snagging some deals).

20% of the time I'll head straight to the back porch with my coffee and lay in the hammock and read a book while little guy plays in the yard. Or I might piddle in the yard for a while. Pluck some weeds, pick up some trash/sticks. Walk the property and do an inspection. Stop and smell the roses. Watch the waterfowl on the lake.

Maybe another 10% of the time I'll bump into someone on my walk to/from school and get into something else. Coffee at a friend's house, helping out someone with something. Chatting with people.

 

[F4mandolin]

I'm a morning person.....love sunny early mornings. My wife....not so much. BEST time of the day is early morning. 6:30ish......3-4 good glugs of prune juice followed by 2 diet Cokes (Walmarts.....Sam's). Not to go into tooooo much detail....wait 30 minutes....stuff happens....then out for my morning walk. Just getting around to playing the mandolin at that time of the morning......I seem to get more things done in the morning.

 

[scrinch]

Another worker bee here. Weekdays up at 5:20, shower, dress, kiss DW still in bed, and out the door by 6:00. Check email and forums in the car, and am in the office by 6:30. A couple days a week I try to call parents or kids on the way to work. It's 4pm where they are on the west coast.

Weekends I get up at about 7:30 and am in the car on the way to tennis by 8:00...playing by 8:30. Usually play doubles til about 11:30.

Looking forward to er when they will all be tennis days if I want.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Moscyn]

First 20 minutes are devoted to stretch exercises with some simple Pilate poses. Then a quick shower, prepare breakfast and eat together with DH. We will be reading the newspaper with the TV on. He'll leave for work and I'll continue reading the papers. I usually have time to check my email or what's app messages before the 2 hours are up.

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

Sometimes DW and I go out to breakfast or sit at Dunkin Donuts sipping coffee and watch the WS's rushing around to get to their j@bs. It brings a smile to my face everytime.

 

[Pharmmgr]

Like clockwork I get up and spend an hour in the hot tub watching the sun rise over Diamond Head drinking a thermos full of Kona coffee.....that takes about an hour and after that I really don't do much until I decide to do some yard work.............

this sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing.

 

[Pharmmgr]

Still working; but for last several months i have been getting up around 5:30 stretch for 10-15minutes, meditate for 10 minutes (really hard stuff), shower, coffee and bowl of oatmeal or cereal and off to office. I never thought i would be the type to meditate but it really is nice way to start the day.

 

[Kimo]

Still working; but for last several months i have been getting up around 5:30 stretch for 10-15minutes, meditate for 10 minutes (really hard stuff), shower, coffee and bowl of oatmeal or cereal and off to office. I never thought i would be the type to meditate but it really is nice way to start the day.

It is amazing what will work for different individuals.....nothing wrong with mediatating....I know a lot of people with so many different ways to start their day...like the saying says...whatever works for you

Aloha!

 

[Regulator]

Coffee seems to be a key factor for most of us. If you're a runner, then you know what a coffee buzz feels like after your post workout high.

 

[outdoorgirl02]

I love this topic and hearing how everyone starts their day.

I spend the first 30 minutes or so in bed reading on my iPad then get up and make breakfast. In the summer, I take a walk out to the yard to check the garden and flowers. I may run over to grab my favorite Starbucks drink before spending a few hours working (self employed part time).


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[Lakedog]

The pup makes sure I am up before sunrise -- first is a few minutes of stretching/exercise before taking Coal out for a long walk, then back to fix breakfast which I usually have on the balcony while watching the boats pass on the intracoastal. I have given up coffee (going on 3 weeks) and really don't miss it even though it was a morning ritual for almost 35 years.

 

[AnIntentionalRoad]

The pup makes sure I am up before sunrise -- first is a few minutes of stretching/exercise before taking Coal out for a long walk, then back to fix breakfast which I usually have on the balcony while watching the boats pass on the intracoastal. I have given up coffee (going on 3 weeks) and really don't miss it even though it was a morning ritual for almost 35 years.

Sounds wonderful! I've been off caffinated coffee for almost 3 years and am so glad I did it.

 

[Jaded salami]

Up at 6:30, wife and I split morning chores, mine involves feeding the sheep and horse (I'm thinking of changing my linkedin page to shepherd), takes around an hour, then make my morning drink (green smoothie) and check internet email and finances.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Sometimes DW and I go out to breakfast or sit at Dunkin Donuts sipping coffee and watch the WS's rushing around to get to their j@bs. It brings a smile to my face everytime.

I do have 87 work days left, so can't quite tell you about my ER morning routine just yet. However, I am taking pleasure in my commute now...I joyfully sit at the red lights and see the horrible look on the other commuters faces. Very few smiles, to be sure and knowing that my days are getting very, very short it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

On the subject of commuting, I have told myself that once retired; when I need to go somewhere, I will only do it during 'retiree drive time'...that being between the hours of 10am and 2pm. Those hours there are rarely people going to work and evil yellow buses are rarely seen. Not only to mention I'm sure the daily commuters appreciate me sleeping in!

And don't worry, if I have the need for D&D or Starbucks, they are both about a mile from the house, so I can just walk.

Sent From My Motorola Startac. Please excuse grammatical errors.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Now that I’m down to working two days a week, I find I have a lot of free time after waking up in the morning (5:30-6:00). I appreciate the time, I just don’t know what to do with it. So, how do you spend your first two hours of the day?

Let's see, if I were you I would spend the next two hours from 6:00-8:00 sleeping some more and then another hour or two sleeping a little longer. Once I retire I never plan on being upright before 9:00 am unless it's something really really important or I have insomnia.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

At my megacorp, we work a 9/80 schedule, so I have every other Friday off (barring a proposal, some important delivery, etc).

I pretend I'm in FIRE and as a morning person, I slip on my favorite cargo shorts and t-shirt ("Old Guys Rule"), go downstairs, turn on the music system with something soft and soothing to play, pull up the blinds to my gorgeous back patio view to the open preserve behind my house and open the patio door letting the morning scent and breeze in thru the screen door.

Fire up the laptop while the coffee brews, then sip and surf.

I'm a piddler by nature, so I'll fiddle and piddle about downstairs putting stuff away, clean up the kitchen, then I'll go out on to the back patio, and throw out some bird seed for the finches, scrub jays, and towhees.

Water the garden and check the health of the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, dill, etc.

After that it is mid morning and maybe time to get going on any errands or chores I've got listed.

It's my morning routine - quite boring, predictable, but I love it!

 

[Walt34]

On the subject of commuting, I have told myself that once retired; when I need to go somewhere, I will only do it during 'retiree drive time'...that being between the hours of 10am and 2pm.

That's what I do, except around here there isn't much morning traffic to speak of. Afternoons after 3:30 until about 6:00 I want to be home or at least not going near downtown.

Your plan will work out very well. At least it has for me.

 

[rodi]

Now that I'm retired I can answer this question - with 2 weeks of data.

Wake up and drink coffee, watch news, read email for about 30 minutes.

Grab dog, leash, etc and go pick up my sister (a teacher on her summer break) - and drive to the beach. Walk the dog 2.5-3miles. My sister calls the beach "dog disneyland" because he is so thrilled with this new routine.

Come home, make breakfast, have another cup of coffee and consider what (if anything) I want to get done that day.

I've been retired for 18 days, and have walked on the beach for 12 of them. I consider this the start of a new routine/trend/habit.

 

[scrabbler1]

On the subject of commuting, I have told myself that once retired; when I need to go somewhere, I will only do it during 'retiree drive time'...that being between the hours of 10am and 2pm. Those hours there are rarely people going to work and evil yellow buses are rarely seen. Not only to mention I'm sure the daily commuters appreciate me sleeping in!

I, too, do most of my daytime driving between 10 AM and 2 PM. Besides the driving being easy during those hours, the errands I do in those hours are also easy. Parking is not a problem. Neither is traffic. The businesses I visit are usually pretty empty with employees often outnumbering customers (i.e. banks). Checkout lines at the supermarket are short. Even the dreaded shopping mall is not too busy.

 

[Bigal50]

Kiss the wife good bye as she heads to work, eat, have tea, read the local paper and WSJ, mediate.

Then I'm ready to tackle the day!!


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