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

My dog wakes me up between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. for his breakfast. After I feed him I check my bank app for any bills that need paying and pay them, then shower. I then get my Kindle and head off to Starbucks for my morning brew and sit and read. After I read a while I head either to the mall or to the park to do some exercise walking. I love retirement!
 
48Fire said:
I sleep :) Used to get up early, even when I worked part time, but not now.
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Ok, now that I am awake, I can now say what my morning is like. Today was very typical. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise with my wife at 7:30.....sure beats tiptoeing out of the bedroom at 5:30. Had a couple of fresh-ground cups of coffee in the courtyard as the sun came up.....trumps gulping down coffee on way to work and spilling it on my pants occasionally. 30 minute walk with our dog. Homemade granola with local strawberries and blueberries, and fresh squeezed orange juice......much healthier than pre-ER habit of no breakfast or donuts at work. During all this, had several nice conversations with my lovely wife, including one of my favorite questions - "What time are you planning on golfing today?" Watched ESPN for a few minutes, and got ready for golf.

What I DON'T do is even more important. I don't check Quicken, get on the computer, or watch the news. It is usually fluff or depressing.
 
Usually the CBS morning show on in the background over a couple cups of coffee and toast (or occasionally cereal) while checking email and early-retirement.org and contemplating my plan for the day.
 
I've been up for two hours now. I started out with a cup of tea. Spent about 15 minutes straightening up the house. On the computer for an hour--looking at e-mails and reading stock-related stuff. Had breakfast while enjoying the company of the duchess of redduck. Put on my work-out clothes and will begin exercising at 9:00 in what we jokingly call the "weight room".

One of the keys for me is to get into my exercise clothes 20-30 minutes before I plan on working out. Because, if I decide to wait to get prepared for exercising, I seem to have the ability to drag out the time it takes me to start working out--often to the next day. I'm learning that being in a routine in the AM is a big help to me.
 
pb4uski said:
Usually the CBS morning show on in the background over a couple cups of coffee and toast (or occasionally cereal) while checking email and early-retirement.org and contemplating my plan for the day.
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+1 on CBS morning show... I think they have greatly improved with Charlie Rose at the helm.. his rolodex allowed them to snag the big name interviews... I really like what they are doing in the AM. Scott Pelley does a good job for evening news. Just never could get into GMA or Today..too much fluff. Of course all of the nets and cable nets have their points of view... just have to sift through it..

My mornings are feed the critters (3 dogs), coffee, 2 newspapers, internet, treadmill for 2 miles then to the 'to-do' list for the day..

since retirement on 12/31.. have lost 18 pounds.. got a personal trainer for strength.. stopped smoking cigarettes last August after 42 years... feel better than ever.
 
My "morning routine" is about 3 hours long. Not on purpose, but it has to be if I'm going to fit it all in.

I work 9-5 at a desk job too. I get up at 6am. I do some physical therapy exercises on my hip (still in my robe in the dark). After that, I let the dog out for her potty break, feed her. I start up the computer, have some coffee. I have a ton of volunteer related tasks for my local animal rescue - so that takes up about 1 hour of my time. I reply to emails, I update the website, I manage the social media sites, manage volunteers, organize events (all at home in my robe still). Currently I'm organizing a 5k trail run for next month, so that involves some task on a daily basis. I eat breakfast while I'm at the computer. Usually a hot breakfast.

So that is my morning from 6am to 8am.

8am until 9am is spent showering and getting ready for work. Sometimes I set the crockpot up for dinner, or make lunches for H and I if it wasn't already pre-portioned from last nights' dinner. Let the dog out one more time or convince her she needs to go potty once more!

I really don't have enough hours in my day. That I or simply try to pack in too much (probably the latter).

If I get to work at 9am on the dot, that is kind of a miracle.
 
Other than Derslickmeister, all of you need to get a job instead of wasting two of your precious hours. Oh ..., sorry, I am in the wrong forum. So sorry. Ciao.

But since I am here, I wake up, take 30 mins to go to a designated place to take company shuttle, my wonderful shuttle driver then negotiates traffic for an hour, and by the time I am in my office, it'd be exactly 2 hours since I woke up. There, are you happy? :mad: Posted on a Monday before 3 cups of coffee.
 
48Fire said:
Ok, now that I am awake, I can now say what my morning is like. Today was very typical. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise with my wife at 7:30.....sure beats tiptoeing out of the bedroom at 5:30. Had a couple of fresh-ground cups of coffee in the courtyard as the sun came up.....trumps gulping down coffee on way to work and spilling it on my pants occasionally. 30 minute walk with our dog. Homemade granola with local strawberries and blueberries, and fresh squeezed orange juice......much healthier than pre-ER habit of no breakfast or donuts at work. During all this, had several nice conversations with my lovely wife, including one of my favorite questions - "What time are you planning on golfing today?" Watched ESPN for a few minutes, and got ready for golf.

What I DON'T do is even more important. I don't check Quicken, get on the computer, or watch the news. It is usually fluff or depressing.
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OK, now you're just rubbing it in :)
 
robnplunder said:
... I wake up, take 30 mins to go to a designated place to take company shuttle, my wonderful shuttle driver then negotiates traffic for an hour, and by the time I am in my office, it'd be exactly 2 hours since I woke up. There, are you happy? :mad: Posted on a Monday before 3 cups of coffee.
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You are in the Bay area and taking the company shuttle? You should be thankful that you do not have to run the gauntlet by the bus protesters in order to board the bus. ;)

How long until they turn more violent and stone the bus riders? :nonono:

PS. Google company buses are well-known, but I believe other companies also have private buses for employees.

Protesters Block Another Google Bus In San Francisco Ahead Of March Against Evictions« CBS San Francisco
 
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Back when I was working, it was the first 2 hours of the day which were the worst. And it mattered little if it were in my full-time working years (1985-2001) or my part-time working years (2001-2008). The first hour, I struggled to wake up and eat a small , quick breakfast (cold cereal sometimes, hot cereal sometimes, frozen french toast heated in a toaster sometimes), and the tummy was not ready to accept food which only made things worse. I often had a mad dash for the train which often left me nauseous. I was just not cut out for getting up early (7 AM in my full-time years, 7:45 AM in my part-time years).

Once I got on the (LIRR) train, I almost always got a seat, but in the 2000s my ride became a PITA from all the cell phone yakkers who took over the train with their rudeness and total disregard for fellow passengers who did not want to hear their loud conversations. One loud cell phone yakker could ruin the trip of dozens of other pasengers sitting within a few rows of him.

The LIRR ride took about 40 minutes before I would have to transfer to either a NYC subway or a PATH train to New Jersey. The connection for the subway was better but the subways themselves were far more crowded. The PATH train was an easier trip because I was always boarding an empty train. At the destination end of either train, the walk to my office was pretty short so that was a wash. Still, the 25-minute part of the commute was lousy. Getting rid of the commute was by FAR the best part of retiring.

I like the first 2 hours of my day a lot more now. :)
 
scrabbler1 said:
I like the first 2 hours of my day a lot more now. :)
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Me too, although I didn't have the commute you had. I only had a 1.5 mile commute that took 6 minutes. My alarm was set for 5:30 AM, and by 6:00 AM I was sitting at my desk.

However, the rest of my first two hours when I was working was occupied by sitting there bleary eyed and extremely grumpy, while downing massive quantities of coffee, avoiding contact with others, and trying to look and behave more like a human being.
 
Up a bit before seven (basically when DW is done with her shower) and straight into the shower. Then get dressed enough to walk out to pick up the paper on the driveway - no use scaring the local kids waiting for their school bus. Fill the bird feeder. Cook up eggs for DW and me. Usually some variation of an omelet along with bacon or sausage. Then settle down with the local paper eating and drinking coffee.

Finally wander into my office and sit in front of the iMac. Check email (almost nothing these days - YAY!) and read/scan a dozen or so web sites. I have a folder containing the sites I check, so I open a new window, select Open In Tabs and they all get loaded up at once. I close each one as I read them. When I close the last one, I head up to brush teeth/etc and then I move on to whatever else the day has in store for me. This is usually about nine.
 
*IF* I had two hours in the morning before work every day, I would use one of them to knock out a workout. On the rare occasion that I do get a morning off, I never do that, instead opting to make a bacon and egg breakfast and enjoy my coffee with the newspaper.

As it stands, I have about 45 minutes in the morning, and I take a quick shower, let the dogs out, eat breakfast, prep lunch and out the door... I love my mornings when I don't have to rush...
 
Surprising how many here check email. Is there something worthwhile there? I stopped checking mine awhile back.

I'm still woking so first two hours predictable: shower, breakfast, commute, tea, water, work.
 
Can't sleep later than 6a.m. Coffee, breakfast, check news, email, and a couple of internet forums. When I was working, I was up earlier and at work by 6: 30. Don't miss that at all.

Sent from my AT100 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
 
48Fire said:
Ok, now that I am awake, I can now say what my morning is like. Today was very typical. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise with my wife at 7:30.....sure beats tiptoeing out of the bedroom at 5:30. Had a couple of fresh-ground cups of coffee in the courtyard as the sun came up.....trumps gulping down coffee on way to work and spilling it on my pants occasionally. 30 minute walk with our dog. Homemade granola with local strawberries and blueberries, and fresh squeezed orange juice......much healthier than pre-ER habit of no breakfast or donuts at work. During all this, had several nice conversations with my lovely wife, including one of my favorite questions - "What time are you planning on golfing today?" Watched ESPN for a few minutes, and got ready for golf.

What I DON'T do is even more important. I don't check Quicken, get on the computer, or watch the news. It is usually fluff or depressing.
Click to expand...

I barely ever watch the news since ER, which is a big change foe me. DW and I have been life long CNN/current affairs junkies but now the TV is usually off until well after dinner is cleaned up. And then the news channels are rarely on.
 
Derslickmeister said:
OK, now you're just rubbing it in :)
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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.
 
DH make me coffee and breakfast. :)

More than half the mornings we get on our field clothes, hats and bins, and then cycle into the state park. Lately we've been heading to Hawk Tower where we sometimes get to watch the morning hawk liftoff. And talk to the counters as we watch the migrating hawks cross overhead.

Usually some cool nature thing to get us out first thing in the morning, even if it's just bird watching from the back patio while we enjoy our coffee.

Haven't watched morning TV in many, many years. Definitely not since I got an iPad. :)
 
I am not a morning person.

Most days I get up between 10 and 10:30. I get a large glass of iced green tea (it used to be Coke Zero but I've cut it out), then I go to my computer and check various websites while I wake up. I check usually my email, Slate, this forum, maybe the NY Times and Washington Post, and just meander around.

I log onto the game Hearthstone to see what my daily quests are and maybe play a couple of games (it is a collectible card game played online).

I usually eat a Kind bar for breakfast while I'm doing this, pet the cats a little bit and generally work on getting awake.

Three days of the week are different. On 2 days I take my daughter to school and wait for her to get out. She is going to community college but doesn't have her full driving license yet.

Then, on Friday mornings, DH and I go to a Weight Watchers meeting so I have get up about an hour earlier.
 
Thanks, MissMolly and audreyh1;

I initially googled "bin" but that was a mess (and no help at all).
 
After about 2 years of ER, my internal alarm clock started going off between 8-8:30 most days. Take morning pills, dress in sweats or shorts (depending on the season) and head out for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood. Fix coffee and one egg with toast, eat while reading the newspaper. Head to the computer to read morning scriptures/devotional, check e-mail, stock quotes, and Facebook. Shower and dress in real clothes for whatever the day has in store. Sometimes I reverse the shower and computer just to change things up a bit.
 
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