Do you schedule your days?

[jr6035]

Only my morning run or workout. Then my "cooldown" by the pool with my Ipad. Then lunch. Then whatever. Then Red Sox baseball at 4pm, west coast time. Then a movie or whatever series we are watching. My wife gets her 2 episodes of I Dream of Jeannie.

 

[Calico]

I have one hard and fast "to do" item on my list every day (see below).

If I accomplish anything else, it's gravy.

 

[TheWizard]

I tend to plan (at least) one day trip a week, depending on rain and if it's gunna be too hot �� or too cold .
This week, it's on Friday, over toward Keene, NH for some riding on my mountain bike, followed by a late lunch at a local brewpub...

 

[MarieIG]

I have one hard and fast "to do" item on my list every day (see below).

If I accomplish anything else, it's gravy.

I love it!

 

[Calico]

I love it!

I don't like to make the list too long!

 

[W2R]

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.

I pretty much ignore the non critical things that pop up, unless I feel like doing them. If people ask me to do things I just make a joke out of it, "Who me? The old retired lady? Do I really look THAT bored? " or something like that. Just like in life before retirement, we all need to learn to say "NO" firmly and treasure our time that we have for ourselves.

Frank and I help each other with things like driving each other to and from minor surgery, and I never try to wiggle out of that because I regard it as critical. But for something like a routine doctor appointment to get the normal prescriptions renewed, we just drive ourselves.

We habitually have "fun time" together every day, eating lunch together and then going bird watching down at the lake. But these are things we both WANT to do. We both look forward to our time together as the highlight of our day. If one of us is feeling grumpy, sick, or otherwise is not really "into it" that day, we bow out (like I did yesterday due to a sinus headache). No problems for either of us when that happens.

I feel like having plenty of time alone is also mandatory. This is one reason why living next door to each other is such fun. We have plenty of time together, and plenty of time alone.

If it was me, I'd think about why whoever-it-is that is assigning you tasks for your time, thinks they have the right to do so and why they think that is a friendly, considerate thing to do. Maybe it seems justified to you but I'd probably push back a bit. But there are exceptions - - of course if the person was my kid then I would give them the time they need, since they never asked to be born.

 

[albireo13]

I have Mon and Friday half-day commitments for volunteering. I also am part of HOA committees so I have work to do with that. Also, there are a few big home projects going on ... renovate bathroom, install patio in back, organize basement.
I also foolishly signed on for parttime consulting gig. Not too bad, 10-15 hrs/wk.
That's my on d@mn fault. : )

After all is said and done, there is little unstructured time for spontaneous living.

I think I am learning that

 

[W2R]

I have Mon and Friday half-day commitments for volunteering. I also am part of HOA committees so I have work to do with that. Also, there are a few big home projects going on ... renovate bathroom, install patio in back, organize basement.
I also foolishly signed on for parttime consulting gig. Not too bad, 10-15 hrs/wk.
That's my on d@mn fault. : )

After all is said and done, there is little unstructured time for spontaneous living.

I think I am learning that

Good point! No reason to be so mean to yourself. Just to start with, if it was me I'd quit the volunteer jobs and consulting tomorrow, and quit the HOA committees ASAP too.

 

[RobbieB]

Unless I'm planning a trip or have a doctor/dentist thing I don't set the alarm.

Retired means not having to set an alarm. Get up, shower and do whatever comes next.

 

[Markola]

I really try not to schedule it but I seem to get what I want to do done, at a pace that suits me. I’ve gotten allergic to doing stuff that someone else wants me to do, though I make some exceptions for DW. [emoji41]

 

[Katsmeow]

I struggle with this. Now, to be fair, it isn't so much that I am doing "tasks" and can't do fun stuff. It is more that I end up doing something that I enjoy but then later in the week I wish I had spent more time on something else that I enjoy.

Part of the problem is liking doing a lot of things, all of which can be time consuming. I can happily spend an entire day at most of these. I don't want to give any of them up. It would be easy if I did.

The thing is that I may end up spending several hours, say, playing a videogame that I like. But, then I didn't read the book that I also want to read very much.

And, sometimes, I did procrastinate on tasks that I need to do. Not the time sensitive ones. More then ones that I am able to postpone indefinitely, but then I suddenly need to do them and regret I postponed it so much.

One thing I am slowly trying to do is make a list of things that I want to do over the course of the week at least (or sometimes daily) and putting a time on them. Then doing them for that time period and moving on to something else. I can change my mind. I can skip something if I want. I can spend less time on a fun item if I choose to. But, basically, the idea is to having something written down to remind that I also wanted to do these other things. It is not scheduled in terms of order or what time I will do it. Just that these are things I want to do. I am only just starting this so don't know yet if it will work.

 

[iloveyoga]

I use my Apple calendar for lunches and other things I want to remember. When I first retired, I used yoga to help keep track of my days. When I schedule things, I try to keep plenty of down time in between events.

 

[DrRoy]

At home, no. I do keep a running list of things to remember to do. On trips I make a schedule, although it's flexible.

 

[Ole Red 29]

yes, we schedule projects on a shared calendar app. When I first retired, we found we weren't getting to the large (mainly house) projects due to "clutter" filling our days. Now we have a shared calendar app that we schedule what days will be dedicated to what projects/repairs. we also list all the other things going on in our life on the calendar. it really works well for us.

 

[albireo13]

I think making lists nd keeping a good calendar are great for stepping back and getting the big picture of where your time is going. I need to get better at doing that.
Also, saying "no" to time requests is something I need to be better at.

Last year, my parents both fell ill and passed away from Covid. Of my sibs and I, I lived closest to them plus was their health care proxy. This meant I was the go-to person for everything that popped up and when they needed help. I was still working at the time and was stretched to the max and stressed out at all times. Still, I was glad to help them. This was a major reason I retired last Sept.
I am slowly slowing down and getting used to retirement. A big change from going 120 MPH at all times last year!

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Unless I'm planning a trip or have a doctor/dentist thing I don't set the alarm.

Retired means not having to set an alarm. Get up, shower and do whatever comes next.

The clock that is next to my bed hasn't worked in about 2 years and I have no intention of replacing it. Even if it did work, I don't think I would know how to set an alarm.

 

[iloveyoga]

I was thinking about this a bit more....I have been retired eight years now so it has become a habit to make a rough plan in my head each day.....like three things I really want to get done and also what is the one thing I want to get done. I do like to feel like I have accomplished something most days which could include biking, swimming or yoga .

 

[1242Vintage]

My schedule for each day is pretty much set and the same.

It’s “GTR” = Gym, Tan, Ride

I usually get my Tan working out in the yard or orchard mid-day. And no day is complete with a late afternoon mountain bike Ride.

 

[novaman]

I’m the type of person who does better with a bit of structure in my life and regular interaction with people. The several month shutdown during the pandemic made that apparent to me.

I retired in 2018 and have gradually figured out what works best for me. So now I go into my friend’s dental office and put in about 1.5 days a week. I work a relaxed schedule and can take as much time off to travel as I want. I also volunteer a half day every other week at a charity clinic.

Mornings my wife and I will usually spend 1-2 hours exercising. We might go for a walk, do HIIT, P90X, or just hit the weights.

We also have weekly Bible studies that we attend, and church on Sunday.

The rest of my free time is spent pursuing my interests- woodworking, music, some reading, home repairs and improvements, video and photo archiving projects, and just playing… but I really allow myself the flexibility to do as much or as little of it as I want depending on how I feel.

The simplest way to describe my life now is that I work for about 2 days at a relaxed pace and then have a 5 day weekend[emoji16]

 

[Morricol61]

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.

Same here, every day is Saturday for me with one day a week being Sunday and then back to Saturday time again.

If I don't write notes on calendar to remind me to do something important, it will probably be missed. So much of my working life had to be scheduled that I am very averse to it now

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Simple answer to OQ, Nope.

 

[TheWizard]

Same here, every day is Saturday for me with one day a week being Sunday and then back to Saturday time again.

If I don't write notes on calendar to remind me to do something important, it will probably be missed. So much of my working life had to be scheduled that I am very averse to it now

I put all medical/dental appointments and Red Sox games on my smartphone, Google calendar, and it reminds me ahead of time...

 

[imnontrad]

I find my day goes fine - until I sit down at the computer.

I do best to make a short list the night before of scheduled events and tasks to complete.

 

[2177V]

I do a lot of scheduling in retirement. This year I re-roofed my shingled house by myself which took three months this summer working every day 4 hours a day. I had to fit in trips to the beach during this summer as well as my volunteer services. In the fall and spring, I do a lot of fishing and vacationing. I visit friends and family and now go to the ball game since the pandemic appears to be almost over. Next year I will build a storage shed and a pool house next to my in ground swimming pool. In 2023, I will remodel the kitchen and install a whole house fan. Lots of activities so I need a schedule to avoid conflicts. Winter time is slow so that is when I do not need too much scheduling.

 

[Cerys]

OP

Yes. I schedule a lot. Down to my craft projects. Years ago I discovered that when I am making a big quilt project it’s far more manageable and less intimidating if I parse it out by week.

And in the past two years my dear neighbors kids have gotten married, and now I’m making baby blankets. There is a timeline because they don’t find out if they’re having a boy or a girl until the fifth month, which leaves me about four months to make a blanket.

That’s a deadline I don’t want to miss.

I wish I could do the phone thing because it seems like it’s so handy for people, but it annoys me. I prefer one of those pocket calendars that you can just tack in your purse and write things down on. Then I can open it to the page and it’s all there. I started using the phone since I stopped carrying a purse, but I make the time to get it in the real calendar right away.