What Do You Do All Day?

[riskadverse]

Start (5:30 -6:00)
Watch the pre and open market activity (no actual trading currently).
Remodeling the house (currently gutting 2nd of 3 bathrooms).
Shower (before or after above depending on remodeling tasks) 
Trip to Home Depot (not every day, but some days twice).
Two hour hike or walk (depending on intensity of remodeling)
Half hour swim (teathered to simulate laps).
Computer time (mostly non-productive).
Dinner (when soon to be retired wife gives up the daily fight).
TV (tivoed)
Bed (9:30 - 10)
goto Start

 

[uncledrz]

Typical:

Projects (e.g. making piano bench, making backpacking alcohol stove, sawing firewood, woodworking projects)

Al when I read this I thought you had found a solution to a real life, real people problem. Backpackng concern is a balance between carry and comfort. Too many time I've opted to "not carry" and left the alcohol behind. Then I read your post, alcohol stove, what an idea......until I realized you were talking about a food cooking stove. I can live with the disappointment, but what an idea, a portable still!!
Uncledrz

 

[MJ]

Projects (........ making backpacking alcohol stove, ..........)

Got to have your warm sake, when experiencing the outdoors, eh Tbone.

 

[MJ]

Only ER'd for several months but right now while I am still at home, here is what I do during a typical weekday,

8 am , wake up by that time, stretch, watch cnn and access my web financial accounts and just laze around.
9 am i'm off to the gym by bicycle. spend about 90 minutes including 15 minutes in the hot steam room.
11 am home for some nice breakfast. back on the internet and more lazing around
1 pm watch some tv, read, shop, various chores around the house, late lunch
3 pm do what ever I feel like doing
6 pm home made dinner, watch some tv, read, web surfing, talk to friends
1 am in bed by that time

I've had a chest cold for a week. As awfull is it feels, it feels better knowing I don't need to come in to work.

 

[haha]

Ha - have you printed up the shirts yet?

I'm sorry Sheryl Honey, but it is just vaporware. 

ha

 

[renferme]

Been 14 months since I ER'd. Have done lots of work around the house, at my own sometimes very slow pace. Last weekend, son-in-law and I installed HW floors in the kitchen and family room. He did the bulk of the work; now I'm installing quarter round in the entire 1st floor; afterwhich I'll repaint the base boards. Boring stuff I guess.
As reported months ago, I took a part time job with the Pgh Pirates... will also work for the Steelers - as a ticket taker. Working about 6 days a month, average of the 3.5 to 4 hours each day... nice job, union job and the pay is really good... so it's nice spending money - mainly using it for vacations and golf.
One of the niceties of working for the Pirates is that I got to work the Jimmy Buffet concert and hope to work the Rolling Stones concert in September.
Also, I keep track of my investments, wife calls it 'counting my money', continue to play in the company golf league on Wednesdays, get exercise by walking the local trail (used to be a railroad line, but converted to a walking, jogging, biking trail).

 

[Dawg52]

Unfortunately, I work. 

 

[Leslie]

Laurence hit it right on the head...the ability to just "be" is really a gift. I'm still working on it.

I've only been ER'd for about 6 weeks, but the routine seems to be much what the rest of you guys are reporting:

Get up around 6 (I used to get up at 4 a.m. )
Drink coffee
Workout for 60-90 minutes (big improvement for me)
Clean/laundry/yard work as applicable
Take a shower
Eat lunch with my ER hubby
Read, nap, do errands, see a movie, computer, etc.
Eat dinner
Read some more
Nighty nite around 10 pm

How did I manage to do the above while I was working No wonder I was a mess! Early on, I was a little freaked about not having a schedule or not seeming to "accomplish" anything. I've relaxed a lot in 6 weeks! Hubs wants to get kayaks for the next project...

 

[Leslie]

Oh yeah...forgot to add daytime Spike TV-- Star Trek TNG...HGTV, and other stuff. I prolly need to cut down on some of that, though. I'm getting too many ideas of stuff to do to my house.

 

[Nords]

Oh yeah...forgot to add daytime Spike TV-- Star Trek TNG...HGTV, and other stuff.   I prolly need to cut down on some of that, though.  I'm getting too many ideas of stuff to do to my house.   

Speaking as the spouse of an HGTV watcher, QUIT NOW!

 

[Sparky]

Okay - 2 years into ER at 44 and 45.

Get up about 9:00 a.m.
Have breakfast.
Walk dogs (it's summer so we have to do it early) at 10:00 a.m.
Wander around - maybe go shopping.
12:30 make lunch.
2:00 gym (me 2 times a week, DW 5 times a week).
4:00 maybe a movie? (Netflix) or shopping
Make dinner at 7:00.
Couple drinks...
Lights out at 10:00,

That's about it ...not bad, eh?

 

[Eagle43]

Be two years 1 January. Up 6-6:15a.m. Breakfast, coffee, paper, net surfing. To the gym at 9:30 or so. Back 11:30; lunch. Nap. More net or reading or shopping honey-dos. Occasional hob-nob with friends for lunch. Fall and Spring I go to Senior classes at local community college. Intersperse with trips (just got back from New Orleans), Hawaii, South Texas, Colorado, and so on. I would sleep later, if I could. I have just volunteered to work in the Base Pharmacy for one day a week, for a few hours. Oh, and my back yard sucks and needs major rehab. Maybe next week!

 

[Nords]

I have just volunteered to work in the Base Pharmacy for one day a week, for a few hours.

Gosh, I've never heard of that before. How do they sucker attract volunteers? What do you do? What will you get for it-- apart from a warm feeling of satisfaction-- free meals or free samples?

 

[SteveR]

Thanks for the information. It gives me a better idea of what I can expect in ER. I think many who are still enslaved in 10-12 hour work days dream of having all that time on our hands. I cannot imagine having time to do stuff that is actually healthy for me like exercise and just chilling out to unwind. What a concept!

You guys are making it hard to work for another two years. Maybe I will jump ship early early..........but my wife would have a cow as she needs to make it to 55 for the Brass Ring in Corporate America. I got a piece of the ring 3 years ago and am now working for a paycheck, 401K and medical only right now. I have turned down two promotions because I don't want the crap that goes with managing more people. That is the worst part about working......dealing with people that actually believe all the BS the company spews forth.

It is nice to know that if I want to bail I can anytime I want to. My boss knows this and so I have some job freedom I would not have otherwise chasing the Brass Ring and having my head up management's collective a**. It is nice not caring about promotions and other Corporate butt kissing incentives. Who cares? Two years to go (or not) and I am done for ever. I will be joining you guys doing instead of dreaming.

Thanks for the view of your ER life.

 

[tozz]

I'm struck by the number of folks that mentioned "napping" as one of their cherished ER daily activities.  Naps?!

 

[REWahoo]

I'm struck by the number of folks that mentioned "napping" as one of their cherished ER daily activities. Naps?!

Some people just do not appreciate the finer things in life....

REW

 

[tozz]

It is enormously exhausting wading through all these reports of retirement leisure.  I need a nap!

 

[preben]

I have not fitted in much napping but I do sleep longer as mentioned (0900-1000 is wake up time).
My workouts are much more consistent and focused so I COULD imagine that I would feel like a nap after each. Good for recuperation and there are studies showing a boost in growth hormone when napping too - great excuse! (now one could also ensure one does not nap ALONE, adding some cardio to the nap). CHeers!

 

[retire@40]

I'm struck by the number of folks that mentioned "napping" as one of their cherished ER daily activities.  Naps?!

When I take a 15 to 30 minute nap in the afternoon, I feel refreshed to do more things until bedtime.

It may not be as common here in the US, but it's a normal routine in Europe.

Don't most people feel a little lethargic in the afternoon, or is it just me?

 

[Nords]

When I take a 15 to 30 minute nap in the afternoon, I feel refreshed to do more things until bedtime.

It may not be as common here in the US, but it's a normal routine in Europe.

Don't most people feel a little lethargic in the afternoon, or is it just me?

Absolutely. Those lunch carbs slam into my brain and stop cognitive processes in their tracks. And a 30-minute timeout returns me a couple hours' evening productivity that otherwise would be wasted sitting on my butt staring slack-jawed at a Windows Solitaire screen.

 

[Dawg52]

I'm struck by the number of folks that mentioned "napping" as one of their cherished ER daily activities.  Naps?!

Hey, when I was in college I use to always take a nap in the afternoon. When I ER, it's gonna be like rolling the clock back to the good ole days. Well..........not quite the same. The bodies in the skirts I will be chasing will look a little different. 

 

[Eagle43]

Gosh, I've never heard of that before. How do they sucker attract volunteers? What do you do? What will you get for it-- apart from a warm feeling of satisfaction-- free meals or free samples?

I had a friend tell me about it. All you do is hand out drugs. Great job, I guess. Something like a 4-hour shift, once a week. I've had trouble making contact with the organizer, she's been out-of-town and so have I. I'm gonna try it, and report back to you guys. If I don't like it, well. . .

 

[TromboneAl]

Effective napping is a skill that takes years to develop. Nap too long, or at the wrong time, and you may not sleep well that night. And you must design your nap environment so as to avoid nappus interruptus.

If you become a master, you'll wake up with drool down to the couch, and feel like it's a whole different day from when you fell asleep.

 

[MJ]

Nap..... we don't need no stinkin nap.

I normally get 7 hours sleep which seems to be enough to get me through the day.

 

[LiveWell]

From the people that have responded I get the impression that you don't have much structure or commitments on a daily or even weekly basis. The sorts of activities described are what my mother-in-law (who is ERed) would call "puttering around". There was a thread a couple of weeks ago about volunteering. For the ER folks that volunteer, what does your typical day look like?