How has your routine changed since retirement?
My routine that used to be
Before retirement I would wake at 5:30 AM, shower, brush my teeth, dress, grab a cup of coffee and dash out the door to work. At 4:30 PM, it was the reverse, drive home, cook dinner, clean up after, and do some minor household chores.
Then, our evening habit was to watch the local news and whatever show or shows we liked, go to bed and get up the next morning and do it all over again. “Wash, rinse, and repeat!” The same routine day after day for years
Approaching retirement, however, I anxiously looked forward to the change. No longer would I have to get up so early and hurry out the door. Sleeping later and do whatever I felt like, when I felt like doing it! Admittedly, it was a great feeling…for a while, but then, a feeling that I was missing something crept in. I realized I needed to get back into a routine. Something that had some direction and purpose. Simply living day-to-day does not a lifetime make. At least not for me.
How I keep busy
Still and alway a morning person, I prefer getting all my chores, or whatever, done as early as possible. For example, on laundry day I sort everything and have the first load in the washer before my first cup of coffee. Starting early (usually) means that I can have it all done by noon, washed, dried, folded and put away; this allows me to have the rest of the day to do the things I enjoy doing: working in my flower garden, cooking & trying new recipes, etc. When I do so, at the end of the day, I rest easier knowing that I accomplished something.
I’m trying new things, like contributing to this blog page. Unlike my husband, who is a walking dictionary and great at writing, I struggle with writing, but…here I am, learning new things. Also, with the help of my son I am trying to understand the stock market, and that is definitely a challenging venture, but is also one that I not only find very interesting, but also deem necessary. We have to face the reality that our Social Security income, eventually, will not cover everything.
By comparison; my husband, on the other hand, sort of slides into things at his own pace, having neither a set routine, nor feels the need to have one. He always gets things done that he has to, or wants to do, but it’s more like he awoke that morning with the thought in his mind.
As for healthy habits: like every couple, we have often discussed setting a routine for exercise and such, and we still do…talk about it, that is!
Filling in the hours
The transition from a daily work routine to retirement is not a subtle change, at least it wasn’t for us. The change is sudden, dramatic, and even a little traumatic. As a retiree there are now 40-plus hours per week that are no longer scheduled. “So,” you ask yourself, “what will you do with all that time?”
Living in a retirement community, it seems that the activities of each of our friends and neighbors is different. For instance, one of our neighbors told her husband that when she retires, she will stay up late and sleep until 11:00 AM, and she does, whereas other neighbors are up and out doing their morning walk at 7:00 AM or earlier. There are also those that perform volunteer work or work part time jobs, while yet others stay involved in the many group activates at our community center.
How about you, how do you start your morning?
Perhaps you like to start with sitting and sipping your coffee? A lot of us do, but, what do you like to do after your morning coffee? Do you have a specific morning routine that you follow? Or, if you are planning retirement, have your thought about these things?
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James Eichenlaub says: