Retirement- do you structure your day?

[Mistyhllside41]

One of my friends who is not on mumsnet is lucky enough to have retired a few years early.
She thought she would love it but is struggling a bit with it eg ends up lying in too much and doesn’t feel that she’s being productive etc.
If you are retired - do you structure your day? And plan it out eg x amount of time for hobbies etc etc
I think she will feel better once the lighter nights come in but she is finding it a bit difficult at the moment.
Thanks in advance….

Do you have a different word for houses that are two or three storeys?

I think 'house' is generally used in English speaking countries as the normal type of home people live in.

I'm hoping to step away from my full time busy job in a couple of years but after working part of the week from home I have realised that I won't be able to just stop. If I did I would probably get fat and a bit depressed. I'm going to get a few hours a week job to give me some structure. I'm a morning person so laying in bed doesn't appeal much.

No, they are just called houses.

I wonder how having grandchildren might change things? I am retired and so is OH . I find the lack of structure hard at times . We have various things we do and we walk regularly, but I feel quite isolated and lonely. Grandchildren are an eight hour drive away so we don’t see them very often. Thinking of moving closer to help out but worried our lives will be taken over by demands. In a way I think that’s what we need though.

Not too long retired.
Do exercise most days: classes and try to schedule them door about 10am so l am up early . Do some housework, have breakfast and then head out. Once that's done l am pretty relaxed all day knowing l have moved. Like to meet a friend on maybe two days just for social interaction.
Also decided to do one volunteering thing but am careful not to get sucked in to lits as Do not want to be tied down as had that long enough.
Most important thing with your friend is exercise and a bit of social interaction
Relaxing in the morning is fine if these are part of her day later on.

Personally, it's great to be able to relax after a very demanding working life. But in our case, because my husband volunteers in the nearest city a couple of times a week, I accompany him and we have a coffee before he starts his shift. I usually do a bit of shopping too. So that gives a bit of structure to the week. I look after my little grandson for a few hours one day a week, and see my daughter too. Previously we had our other grandson two days a week, but he's now at school.

Winter is harder, in my opinion. In the summer I'm always out in my garden, I love growing stuff from seed and cuttings and have always got a project on the go. So summer takes care of itself.

Funnily enough, the other week I said to my husband I felt a bit lazy not doing much that particular day, but he said 'you absolutely deserve it, don't feel guilty'. I think that's the key.

I'm recently retired and can relate . I'm never bored but have had times when I've thought I'm just drifting with no purpose . It's a mindset change and after 45yrs working I'm allowed to be just drifting and ' be ' . I've earnt it .
I realise I bloody hate January , the cold the dark the wet , really hate it. Decision number 1 is to book a warm holiday next January .
I make sure I always have social events in my diary and I'm lucky to have various groups of friends so there's always something going on.
My day has fallen into a loose structure and that's because I have dogs , I always get up when I like , have breakfast and then take them out and vary where we go . Sometimes to the local woods or beach sometimes pack them in the car and go somewhere new . The afternoon is then to do as I please but as I've had a good walk I don't feel guilty if I want to watch Netflix . I also love my Lego , reading , cinema etc . It'll all change when spring / summer are here because I live outside in the garden and this year I'm planning on creating a soft fruit garden given I nearly choked at a punnet of blueberries costing £4 at the weekend .

I actually forgot,both my DH and I volunteer for a local councillor,(both parish and local council) I have done for about 8 years. That's structured to a degree,we deliver the council leaflets..I also proof read documents for him, and represent him at local elections at various polling stations..my DH does a weekly "litter pick" around our village.

In Australia they will often, though not always, be called townhouses. You have to look at the floorpan. This caused endless issues for us when we were looking at rentals before moving to Australia because of what townhouse means in the UK. They also never say semi-detached or even joined-on, even when the other house is plainly in sight on the photos.

Interesting thread - retirement worries me. I always tell people that I’ll be on the tills in Waitrose 3 mornings per week. They think I’m joking …

What is it about it that worries you @Kitchensinktoday ?

I can very much understand people who are worried about not being able to live without a wage coming in, but I am more confused about why anyone would be worried about being able to do what they want, when they want, at whatever time they want, for however long they want.

I keep weekends as weekends and then have Tuesday and Friday as a set activity that I do. I then have a choice of about 5 activities for the other days. One day a week I like to arrange nothing and I decide on the day what I want to do.
I don’t lay in, I enjoy my quiet time in the morning, I go to bed late. I travel frequently and I have at least one night out a week.

I’m 60 and not working due to an unexpected health crisis. Am unconvinced I’m going back to work so this really might be it! My health issues cause fatigue so am okay with sleeping in. Usually get up about 10, have a healthy breakfast, lots of tea, then do some exercise, including running and a dance class every week. Have lunch then do my stitching, work on my novel, get involved with a project (of which I have plenty). Am quite an introvert and no issues with that. I might pop across to the allotment for the afternoon if weather nice, see a friend for tea and cake a few times a month. Also fit in the odd film or theatre if there’s something intriguing on. I love a matinee! Oh, also a fan of online courses or talks, currently Buddhism and mindfulness training. Am thinking of doing some volunteer work this year but haven’t progressed anything yet. My DP is a lot younger than me and still working flat out so we do the usual weekend stuff too.

Following this with interest as I'm likely to have to medically retire within the next few years.

The only rule we have is no daytime TV. It gets turned on for the six o'clock news.
We do a lot of walking, as we live in the countryside.

I retired early and part of the fun is not having to do anything! I love waking up when I wake up, rather than to an alarm. And if I feel like staying in bed til 10 then I do. I'm quite happy with a mixture of pottering/hobbies/travel. Don't feel the need for structure

I'm retiring in the summer and I know I'm going to have to have some structure otherwise I will just spend a lot of time in bed! I think mine will probably focus more on weekly things and trying to do some exercise (probably swimming) but I think I will try to have a 'getting up time' so that I don't just laze in bed in the morning.

Me and DH both retired 2.5 years ago. DH was 68 and I was a couple of months off 60. We retired in the summer and both spent the first 6 months/year just getting used to the idea that we could do what we wanted when we wanted. I had worked for 9 people including my main boss who was incredibly demanding (understatement) and DH said I didn't think I'd realised just how tired and worn down I had been. I spent a lot of time relaxing, we went away on holiday a few times, even the simple pleasure of getting up, making a coffee and sitting with my book in the garden was amazing.

Fast forward to now, and we've both slipped into a routine of sorts. Go out food shopping early in the week, Wednesday go to my elderly mum, take shopping etc. I do Zumba, ballet and tap on Thursday and Friday. DH has a bit more of a sedentary lifestyle but is talking about doing some voluntary work and also joining U3a so we'll see. In the co!d weather we tend to tuck in and hibernate but like to get out and about a bit more once the weather gets a bit better.

This is me! I had to get up at 6.00am for years to be in work for 7.00am and often worked a 12 hour day ( Assistant Headteacher) in term time so used to collapse in bed at 9.00pm! Weekends was the time for a lie in!

Now retired, I have turned into a night owl and struggle to get to sleep before 3am most nights or waking up after a few hours sleep, reading for a while before going back to sleep and waking up mid morning. But I don’t worry about it, just go with the flow! If I have to get up early for something after a restless night then I just have a nap in the afternoon or have an early night.

I live alone and am happy with my own company, I spend time reading, browsing on my iPad and crafting or baking. I am a member of the WI and do a lot of things with them, I try to make sure I have three or four activities out of the house each week. This week for instance I’m out Monday evening, Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon before a quiet weekend with just a food delivery. I also Chair one of the groups which leads to some admin work to exercise my brain and I’m a member of two book clubs so read some quite challenging books.

I do have mobility issues ( severe arthritis in legs, hands and neck) which restrict exercise and make walking very difficult but by careful planning around parking, I can manage many activities as long as I can sit down when I get there! It’s not how I imagined my retirement, I used to enjoy walking, browsing the shops and visiting NT places but I make the most of what I can do. I miss being able to walk round shops or explore new places but I do try to keep my brain active when in the house.

I do find myself getting bored if I don’t have outings planned, such as over the Christmas period when many groups are closed - that’s a dangerous time for me as I go online and spend too much! All in all, I enjoy my life whether I’m having a lazy day in bed or am out spending time with people.

My advice to anyone worried about being bored when retired is to join local interest groups ( highly recommend the WI, it’s no longer just for old people!) and get out of the house as much as possible but be flexible and not get tied down too much.

Like @NeedWineNow , I actually think I need time to 'decompress' .

I was expecting to be more 'efficient' in retirement (I have always been known for my organisation and 'busy-ness'), but (a few months in) it really feels so nice to be able to say / think 'never mind, I can do it tomorrow, or next week'. It's almost like I've put a pin in an airbed and I need to wait until all the air has come out.
Don't get me wrong, I am still doing the volunteering I did round work, I am still doing the hobbies I did round work, and I have taken up quite an intensive exercise programme every day Mon - Fri, so I'm not spending all the time lying in a dark room, but I'm definitely enjoying the 'not having to do that today' that comes with retirement. I was speaking to someone recently who retired 7 years ago, and she said she was so surprised that it took her a good two years to really decompress, and relax into retirement, before she then started taking on new things.

I retired from over 30 years night nursing. I struggle to get to sleep. I have folk both Michael Mosley and a lot of sleep experts. The bedroom hygiene went to the maximum level,we did everything white,there's tech in there,a standard battery alarm clock,a book. If I go by the experts,get up and go and do something,go to bed when you get tired. I don't I get wired and go into full blown night shift mode,then feeling absolutely awful.

Blasted phone. Books, and NO tech in the bedroom!