Poll: Daily Routine or Free Form time

[audreyh1]

I'm sort of in the middle. My exercise is somewhat routine weekly, and more or less our mealtimes. We have most meals at home although I don't cook everyday. And my sleep schedule - I really try to get 8 hours, something my doctor strongly recommended and I think has really helped.

How early I get up depends on the weather and time of year. We get up before sunrise now because it's hot, and the best time to get a good walk in or cycle is first thing. In the winter, spring and fall, our exercise times are much more flexible.

Other than that - no structure as to how I spend my time during the day. Each day is different.

So - if "a combination" had been offered, I would have chosen that option. I did not vote in the poll.

 

[Hermit]

Pretty routine. I work on the house 9:00 to about 5:00 most every day except Sunday, unless something else comes up. Then I do that! If someone stops by in the afternoon, then it is beer time and the work on the house is done early for that day.

 

[Cessna152]

Nobody else stays up till 1 AM or later?
I haven’t got there yet, but might try staying up so late I sleep till noon. Haven’t done that since I was teenager and could get away with it during summer vacations. This old body now wants to wake at 7 am regardless of when I hit the sack. Sigh.

(Though as a computer programmer in the 1980s there were times I rolled into work in the afternoon and worked till 3 AM. Only once did I allow my work cycle to lapse so far that I left work during the 8 am rush hour. Yes, that one firm allowed allowed me that liberty.)

 

[MRG]

I'm enjoying the thread. The calander on my phone reminds me every Sunday night I have no alarms set! Yes, that's by design.

We have gym days, Springs days, cleaning and grocery but they're all flexible. Haven't set an alarm clock a long time. Sometimes the dogs wake us up, most times it's the sun.

Once in a while a little structure is nice, DW does that better than me.

 

[ER Eddie]

Free form. I like to make it up as I go along. Truth is, I end up doing most of the same things every day, but it's still improvised along the way, rather than scheduled.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Pet care, which can be quite variable since they are quite old and volunteer and church activities provide for a schedule for a part of each day most of the time, albeit a somewhat fluid one, as requirements and interests change for me.

I probably should, but almost 3 yrs in still do not have, a set wake up time. I resist that in part because it allows for variability, such as when a pet needs meds or a treatment on a more frequent schedule but also because it reminds me too much of what my work life was like.

Now in ER, if I'm in the mood to watch the sun rise I can, if I want to sleep in except perhaps for a quick out in the back yard for the dog, I can do that too.

 

[traineeinvestor]

Another vote for neither of the poll options.

I like some structure in the day - usually schedule gym + study time in the morning and free up the afternoons for whatever.

 

[athena53]

Nobody else stays up till 1 AM or later?
I haven’t got there yet, but might try staying up so late I sleep till noon. Haven’t done that since I was teenager and could get away with it during summer vacations. This old body now wants to wake at 7 am regardless of when I hit the sack. Sigh.

When I was in college I tried to schedule my classes so I could sleep from 2 AM to 10 AM. I can't imagine sleeping those hours now.

 

[scrabbler1]

When I was in college I tried to schedule my classes so I could sleep from 2 AM to 10 AM. I can't imagine sleeping those hours now.

You sound like me. When I was in college, I had 3 rules for scheduling classes: Nothing Friday, nothing back-to-back, and nothing before noon. I was able to avoid Friday classes. The shortest gap between classes I had was 40 minutes. I did take 3 classes in 4 years which began at 10 AM and I struggled to get to them on time. (And my 3 worst grades were in those classes, too.)

I still like to go to sleep pretty late (between 1 and 1:30 AM) if I am not with my ladyfriend, who gets up early even on the days she isn't working. But I still manage to wake up between 8 and 8:30 AM no matter what, so no more waking up at 10 AM like when I was in college.

 

[audreyh1]

Nobody else stays up till 1 AM or later?
I haven’t got there yet, but might try staying up so late I sleep till noon. Haven’t done that since I was teenager and could get away with it during summer vacations. This old body now wants to wake at 7 am regardless of when I hit the sack. Sigh.

(Though as a computer programmer in the 1980s there were times I rolled into work in the afternoon and worked till 3 AM. Only once did I allow my work cycle to lapse so far that I left work during the 8 am rush hour. Yes, that one firm allowed allowed me that liberty.)

Not here. I need my sleep, and I don’t want to miss the nice early morning weather.

 

[Pellice]

Another vote for neither of the poll options.

I think most people are probably on a spectrum of scheduled time vs free form, but veer towards one end or the other, which is why I only had the two options. But some are exactly in the middle like you!

I am surprised at how evenly divided the two groups are! I can tentatively conclude (from VERY limited and unscientific data, lol!) that FIRE attracts people of both temperaments, and that gender does not appear to play that much of a role.

I wonder if marriage/co-habitation plays a role? That is, if you have a spouse, are you more or less likely to be organized or free form? But that seems evenly divided too, as an organized spouse does not necessarily carry the other along with him/her, judging from the comments here.

For now, I'm still on the more scheduled end. Since I've always been single with no family close by, I've never felt stifled by schedules (except for w*rk), Though I've always had them, e.g. cleaning bathrooms on Tuesdays, there were never any consequences to violating them. So searching for a new one that works for me seems like a positive experience.

 

[Scuba]

After being ER’d for almost 2 years, my schedule/routine or lack thereof continues to evolve. I often do stay up until 1 or 2 am and sleep late, but that depends on whether I have any appointments. Like some others, I try to exercise first thing after I get up, or else it won’t happen. The rest of the day varies a lot - some days are spent entirely at home doing stuff on the computer or around the house. Some days are spent out running errands, going to appointments or meetings for volunteer activities, and meeting up with friends. Other days are a combination.

When I was working, I had a long commute so usually got up between 5:30-6 am. I NEVER do that anymore ... 8 or 8:30 is an early rising day for me now.

I do still create a to do list for the month and for the week, but I’ve gotten better at being ok with things slipping if I don’t get them done when I originally intended.