Do you have structure or routine in retirement?

[JustCurious]

Different people have different expectations about how they will spend their time in retirement, and I am curious to hear about the experiences of the members of this forum as to whether you structure your time or follow a routine? One of the benefits of retirement is that you no longer have to spend a significant chunk of your time working and you can now spend that time any way you like, but I suspect some people fill that time with structure and routine even if they don't have to.

For example, do you get up or go to bed at the same time everyday? Do you do your food shopping the same day every week? Do you have an exercise schedule? Do you eat at the same time everyday? Do you engage in hobbies or activities at scheduled times? Do you travel on a consistent schedule? (e.g. snowbirds who live in the South for the winter) Do you have structured appointments, like volunteering on certain days? Do you visit the kids or the grandkids on certain days? Do you set aside certain fixed times during the day for certain activities?

 

[REWahoo]

I'm sorry, answering this question isn't on my schedule until Tuesday at 2:15 PM, right after my post-lunch nap...

 

[W2R]

Different people have different expectations about how they will spend their time in retirement, and I am curious to hear about the experiences of the members of this forum as to whether you structure your time or follow a routine? One of the benefits of retirement is that you no longer have to spend a significant chunk of your time working and you can now spend that time any way you like, but I suspect some people fill that time with structure and routine even if they don't have to.

For example, do you get up or go to bed at the same time everyday? Do you do your food shopping the same day every week? Do you have an exercise schedule? Do you eat at the same time everyday? Do you engage in hobbies or activities at scheduled times? Do you travel on a consistent schedule? (e.g. snowbirds who live in the South for the winter) Do you have structured appointments, like volunteering on certain days? Do you visit the kids or the grandkids on certain days? Do you set aside certain fixed times during the day for certain activities?

For the first few years, I slept whenever I wanted. However, I found that my body wants a 25-hour day so every night I stayed up later and every morning I slept later. After a few years of retirement I had had enough! I set a soft "birdsongs" alarm to awaken by each morning at the same time. I seem to need that.

We don't travel, but we go to the gym on MWF, we have lunch together every day at the same time, and so on. So yes, I have a routine.

When I first retired, I didn't have a routine and I felt kind of "adrift". After a while I seemed to slowly develop a routine.

 

[mickeyd]

I'm sorry, answering this question isn't on my schedule until Tuesday at 2:15 PM, right after my post-lunch nap...

 

[razztazz]

I always thought I hated routine. As I've gotten older I realized what I hated was their routine. I always hated the soul crushing predictability of Staff jobs but loved controlling airplanes and the associated bits of business because it kept moving and was never exactly the same. I even jockeyed for "demotions" back to Operations just to get out of Staff work.

The reality though is the first thing I always say in any new situation is: "OK, so what's the routine?

What I like in day-to-day life are routine and predictability and things going according to plan. ie Control. What I hate are surprises and needing to be spontaneous. ie Being controlled or forced to react by outside people/forces. Seems to correlate with wanting or liking retirement

 

[RAE]

For example, do you get up or go to bed at the same time everyday? Do you do your food shopping the same day every week? Do you have an exercise schedule? Do you eat at the same time everyday? Do you engage in hobbies or activities at scheduled times? Do you travel on a consistent schedule? (e.g. snowbirds who live in the South for the winter) Do you have structured appointments, like volunteering on certain days? Do you visit the kids or the grandkids on certain days? Do you set aside certain fixed times during the day for certain activities?

Yes, I do have somewhat of a routine, although I'd say I only adhere to it about half the time, due to other things going on (many of my own choosing) that cause me to alter the schedule a bit. I do do my grocery shopping on the same day each week, generally (it's the day after the grocery sale flyers come out, and I go in the morning, to avoid crowds).
I do have my breakfast (more of a brunch) at roughly the same time each day that I'm home, and we usually have dinner at roughly the same time also. I generally go to bed at roughly the same time on most days, and get up at roughly the same time (give or take an hour). Some of our travel is consistent from year to year (like our annual snowbird trip to Texas and back), but the rest of it varies according to what we feel like doing, or what works out best. Grandkids do visit us fairly often, but that schedule varies according to the schedule of their mother, so we stay flexible for that. I do volunteer with several organizations, and some of that occurs at the same time each year, but some of it varies a bit. I do have an exercise schedule that is somewhat consistent, although again, it varies if I am away from home or doing something different (ex.- if I am going to be doing a lot of physical work that day, I may skip the daily long walk and some other exercises that I typically do). Hobbies vary with the season, but in general I do a lot of the same things in each season from year to year, because I enjoy them, and look forward to them (like my vegetable gardening, our wine-making, my fishing, etc.).

So.........yes, I have somewhat of a routine, but it does vary based on what else is going on in my life for that day/week.

 

[Walt34]

We do sort of have a routine, except for when we don't. Most days we get up and eat and such at roughly the same times but a change doesn't bother us if something comes up.

 

[pb4uski]

I tend to do errands and chores in the morning and relax in the afternoon and hopefully get in a nap.

 

[Meadbh]

I would say I have habits but not routines. So, I habitually wake up at about 6 am and make breakfast at eight, and I habitually go to bed between 11 pm and midnight. I play golf twice weekly and those days are more scheduled. In between it's more flexible. I have actually been thinking I would be more productive if I scheduled some of my activities. I am very good at procrastinating!

 

[BBQ-Nut]

I will admit to being a creature of habit, familiar ritual, and routine.

I cherish the early morning ritual of the sunrise, coffee, and quiet start of the day.

Then onto the needed repeated chores of tidying up, cleaning up, putting things in their proper place.

But after that, there can be some randomness to the day - either from running errands or spontaneous explorations for a trail hike around mid-day.

Excursions will eventually be drawn back home for familiar surroundings and tasks that need tending to...the plants begging for some watering for one.

Then, the afternoon will draw to an end and the evening meal will loom and I'll begin preparations for dinner.

After dinner, the usual rituals of clean up, a movie or a favorite show or two on the tv with a sweet for a late dessert before the end of the day.

Then, there are days where everything is random, chaotic, and unplanned - swept away by the current - just go with the flow.

 

[travelover]

I try to structure my days so I'm not competing with the crowds on the road or in the stores.

 

[aaronc879]

I'm not retired but I have blocks of time off ranging from 3 weeks to 3 months. During that off time I almost never have a routine. I do tend to go to bed at around the same time every night but rarely set an alarm and may wake up at the 6 hour mark or the 10 hour mark. I rarely have any event that needs to be scheduled let alone an entire day that's scheduled. As far as groceries, I go based on the weather. I look at the 10 day and decide which day and time is most comfortable. Never go in the rain or the evening or the weekend.

 

[MichaelB]

Since ER'ing my life has evolved in a pleasantly unstructured way. So much so, I don't always know what the date or day of the week is. This is a potential problem - among other questions, the typical test to see if one has dementia asks date and day of the week. Missing those easy answers could put me at risk of the kids getting me taken away and locked up someplace.

 

[unclemick]

I'm sorry, answering this question isn't on my schedule until Tuesday at 2:15 PM, right after my post-lunch nap...

Post lunch nap! Check.

Go to Texas once a year in February. Leave Texas. Check.

Visit my Sis/BIL on the Olympic Peninsula once a year late summer. Check.

His and hers family reunions one each. Missouri for one. The other - somewhere in the USA. Check.

heh heh heh - After that the routine is flexible.

 

[Nemo2]

Since ER'ing my life has evolved in a pleasantly unstructured way. So much so, I don't always know what the date or day of the week is.

My stock response in situations where questions about either are raised, (by those who don't know me), is "The only thing I know for sure is that it's 1983".

 

[audreyh1]

I do use an alarm - I usually wake up just before it goes off. I don't like to miss the magical early morning time.

Yes, I generally do go to bed at the same time each evening - early!

I usually have certain exercise goals each day.

A few regular chores. I go grocery shopping whenever I need to.

We have travel plans each year. They vary from year to year.

Hobbies I do whenever I like. I usually have a couple of projects that I work on when I have a chunk of time available.

That's enough structure for me!

 

[frayne]

My daily routine, get up when I feel sleep is no longer needed, drink coffee, surf the net for an hour or so, walk with the wife for thirty or forty minutes, eat breakfast, play golf, or ride my motorcycle, or play with grandkids (3 days a week during the summer when they are out of school) shower, drink a martini, watch the news and eat dinner, walk with the wife or ride my bicycle, watch some TV or surf the net, go to bed around 11-1130ish, rinse and repeat the next day, week, month or year. I truly enjoy my retired life. It is interrupted on occasion by an extended vacation to parts unknown as well as various and sundry other activities.

Do I have structure, I guess in some ways I do.

 

[scrabbler1]

Like others, I try to do my errands when the roads and stores are empty, like between 10 AM and 12 noon. My meal schedule depends a lot on if it is a square dance night, especially Tuesday when my dancing starts early (7 PM) so I have to eat dinner earlier than usual and therefore try to eat lunch earlier than usual. I make sure to get my daily nap in between ~3 PM and ~5 PM.

 

[Gotadimple]

Structure - yes I have one.

For the first six months I was retired I was busy catching up on maintenance chores around the house, and catching up on much needed rest. Then I got busy with something more or less standard:

At the gym three days a week, walking group on Saturday.
Two classes a week on various subjects except for the summer time
Volunteering once a week at the Humane Society, and occasional volunteering at pledge drives for favorite charities.

Grocery shopping Monday or Tuesday (leaving the stores open for those who are w*orking during the week).

NOTHING scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays - so I can practice my "goofing off" technique, until I perfect it.

-- Rita

 

[Amethyst]

Mr. A. needed to sign an oral surgery consent form the other day, and had to ask me what month it was. Fortunately he remembered the year

So much so, I don't always know what the date or day of the week is.

 

[nuke_diver]

So far yes. But I have a dog and the dog has a stronger routine than I do. Therefore I am up around 8, have a coffee and a bowl of cereal and then take the dog for a walk which is typically 1 hour. If it is Mon/Wed/Fri on returning I get my bike out and ride to the gym where I do a work out and ride back. It will now be about 12:30 and I eat and do whatever else I need to do during those days. On Tues/Thursday instead of the gym I do yardwork/shopping reading whatever I want. Sat/Sun I have 2 walks since my wife doesn't want to walk her dog then but preps dinner etc. Sunday mornings are always a long bike ride day while the weather is ok for it

But really except for the morning and night walks for the dog it's pretty open. I currently NEED to go to the gym regularly though sometimes I swap wed legs day for another long bike ride

 

[Sea Kayaker]

As long as I get my 30 minutes of cardio and 1 hour of strength training in...after that, the day is mine to pursue as I see fit. Gardening, hiking, chillin', reading, cooking, kayaking...a steady rotation of these, in no particular order.

 

[braumeister]

After nearly 14 years, I find that I haven't developed any retirement structure at all. I'm as likely to wake up at 5 am as to sleep until 8. Breakfast can be any time from waking up to noon or even later. And the rest of the day follows that lack of routine.

Since my first career was in the military, I guess I got my fill of structure then. Don't need or want any now, and I'm very happy this way.

 

[Philliefan33]

For the most part I go to bed when I'm tired and wake up when I'm not. My goal is at least 30 minutes of exercise (choosing from running, cycling, strength training, HIIT, yoga, kayaking, or paddleboard) each day. Beyond that I've got no routine.

 

[jjquantz]

DW is still working so up about 6:45, 3 days per week. Telecommute days and weekends we sometimes make it until 7:30. Golf four or five days per week, tee time is always about 10:30 - the frustration there is that I would prefer either 8:00 or 1:00. I like having big blocks of unstructured time. Harpsichord playing usually for about an hour in the morning and the afternoon. I usually start dinner about 5:30 to have it ready about 6:30 shortly after DW gets home. Evenings are usually centered around the Cubs schedule during baseball season, DW is a huge fan. During the fall and winter, evenings depend somewhat on what the recital/concert/opera offerings are - also, astrophotography happens more during the longer nights. To bed shortly after 10:00 most nights.

So, in short, yes there is structure, but it's loose, and, as someone mentioned earlier, it's MY structure, not someone else's.