There are many aspects of retirement that give me joy, one of which is not setting a morning alarm. I tend to go to bed about the same time and arise at the same time each day. There is usually nothing that needs doing that would require a morning alarm.
But I do like my morning routine. It involves a cup of coffee, games on my phone, journaling, a neighborhood walk, and a shower; then I’m ready to start my day about 9:00 AM. This is a very leisurely pace compared to my working-life schedule. During these early morning hours, I also look at my calendar for the day and week, then sift through all the things that I want to get done in my mind, working around all the calendar items that need to be done on a given day.
Sometimes I write out a daily schedule if there is a lot on my plate, but mostly, I wing it with a general plan for the day. This makes my day pretty flexible, shifting errands around if needed.
Today, in fact, I had an electrician scheduled to come to my house at 8:00. That meant I was going to have to cut short my morning routine in order to be ready for him. However, he texted me that he would be coming at 10:30 instead, so I reverted to my usual routine and was showered and ready for him.
I thought that I would get some writing done—this blog post, actually—but found myself catching up on emails and texts and clerical items I had put off. That hour’s worth of busy work wasn’t on my mental schedule, but I adjusted and am now writing while the electrician is doing his thing.
My favorite day of the week is Monday. I have a whole fresh week ahead of me, and it feels like I have all the time in the world to accomplish my tasks. I revel in the days that aren’t heavily scheduled and start thinking of all the wonderful things I would like to do with that spacious time. However, the days tend to fill up as I start remembering small errands that need to be done, and before I know it, the day and week have passed and I don’t feel like I have accomplished all that I wanted.
That’s not everyday or every week. Some days, I amaze myself with all that I get done. Those days are usually the ones that I do take the time to write out a schedule.
I have some pretty big projects coming up that will take a lot of my time. Planning for them will also take a lot of my time. They are mostly exciting projects, but I worry that I will procrastinate with the planning then feel rushed and hurried. I think about writing out each of these projects on a blank journal page and starting to list all the items that I need to do in preparation. But no, it’s all in my head. And I know it will get done. I just don’t know how stressed I’ll be about it.
This whole essay is reading like a journal entry for myself. And maybe it is. But I think we all struggle to some degree with how to structure our days, maybe even especially in retirement. The freedom to create a schedule and routine that fits my current situation is a luxury I don’t want to take for granted. I may fill my calendar with too many items, but I did ask for an abundant life in 2025. I’ve got it!
I know I’m blessed or lucky in this regard. I did put in my time with the 9-5 (more like 7-6+). And I know not everyone has the opportunity to retire with the freedom that I did. But I am loving this luxury of time. It’s a different type of appreciation of time. I knew how precious time was while working and raising a family. The balance of those two responsibilities didn’t leave much time for myself, and I held to it tightly.
Now that it seems I have all the time in the world, I love holding it loosely.