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I’ve always been a man of habits and routines, but it seems that these days, as a 72 year old retiree, I adhere to them even more. I’m not yet on the level of Dustin Hoffman’s Rainman with Judge Wapner, but I’m getting there.
Maybe it’s because I have more control over my schedule now and so can more faithfully indulge these habits. Or maybe the calcification of my brain and the well known tendency of old folks to dislike change have combined to make me ever more dedicated to them.
Five or six mornings a week, I’m on the treadmill, fast walking to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. A good movie really makes the miles fly by.
Then for breakfast every day, it’s oatmeal, and I must say, a great oatmeal: with apples, raisins, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, bran, flaxseed, and hemp hearts.
When I first fire up the laptop, I also have a routine: I click on a variety of sites that benefit the animals, especially the doggies, with small contributions or contests. I actually won one of them once, and designated a local shelter to receive the $2500 prize.
Sometime during the day I check the latest offerings here on Humble Dollar. It’s almost like taking a correspondence course in personal finance, among other things, and I always feel a little smarter afterwards.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 PM, I do free weights with the PBS News Hour. I’ve been watching this show so long that it was only recently that I finally quit referring to it as the The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. Fridays are the best as I always look forward to the weekly political analysis of David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart, and for many years before that it was Brooks and the great Mark Shields.
And if it’s Friday that means that first delicious taste of a cold Modelo Negra, or maybe a glass of wine, as I only imbibe on weekends. In fact, despite having been told during my working life that when I retire, “Every day is Saturday”, I’m most comfortable with treating Monday through Friday as “workdays”, and weekends as weekends.
My wife likes to go to bed earlier than I do, especially on weeknights, so after she retires I read my books (usually one nonfiction, my “vegetables”, and one fiction, my “dessert”), and then watch a half hour or so of a movie, usually on Kanopy. That’s followed by the late local news and a small dose of ice cream. I’ve read that having a pre-bedtime routine helps with getting a good night’s sleep, so maybe this habit even has health benefits.
Finally, if it’s Sunday lunchtime, I’m enjoying the migas or breakfast tacos (for lunch) I made, while reading Adam Grossman’s latest contribution. Just seeing Adam’s name in print makes me hungry!
I could go on (and on), but you get the picture.
So what habits and routines do my fellow HD denizens practice and enjoy? And if you’ve retired, have your habits changed?
Jan 1, 2020, the WSJ had an article about how to create a new habit and make it stick. You start with a trigger, then do the act. Start modestly and then add to whatever it is. Well, needing to get more fit, my trigger is to turn the coffee pot on when I roll out of bed. Then, I go to an empty bedroom and do 20 pushups and plank for 1 minute. By the time I’m dressed the coffee is ready and I have a small fitness victory for the day.
Patrick, I like that! My wife, though, might prefer I find a trigger for shedding a few habits!
Just returned from a 3 month road trip thru Canada to Alaska and back. We actually made it to the Arctic Ocean and I did the obligatory polar swim, (more of a dunk). The best thing about being home is returning to our daily routines! Walk the dog in the morning, usually followed by a couple hours of pickleball at our club with friends. Late breakfast/lunch around noon, (we do intermittent fasting). Read HD and a couple of history/political blogs, then maybe some gardening or work around the house. Occasional nap. Dinner around 7. Evenings almost always PBS Newshour followed by Jeopardy and a favorite show or movie.
We do lots of roadtrips, like a fall foliage trip in a couple of weeks up to Vermont, so our routines when we’re home are nice to come back to.
Mike, thanks for your comments. Sounds like you’re quite active physically, so let me ask how you maintain that during road trips?
We don’t travel all that much but when we do, I miss my treadmill and weights. On those occasions I try to walk more, and do a few exercises in the hotel room or, if they have an exercise room, maybe there.
I’ve been reading the comments here with bemusement, because I don’t think I have any daily habits at all. Do or eat something specific at the same time each day? Not since school. Even my “afternoon” nap can happen anytime between 11 and 4. When I go to the gym it’s at 9… or maybe noon. Lunch is anywhere between 10:30 and 3. This article has made me feel like there’s something seriously wrong with me.
I do have one recently acquired habit — when I turn on my computer at 7am, the very first thing I read is Humble Dollar, something I didn’t know existed two years ago. This place is definitely habit-forming.
Mike, I’m impressed, as I could never pull that off. Without my habits and routines, I would feel completely unmoored. Then again, I’ve never been accused of being the most spontaneous individual.
I wonder if there are specific genes at play here, because I don’t even think about it. I simply fall into habits as naturally as I breathe.
I think unlimited DVRs and podcasts have changed many viewing/listening habits (mine included) Have you tried any HIIT workouts on your treadmill?
George, nothing structured, but every now and then I’ll do an informal interval type session. My usual treadmill routine, though, is just a gradual amping up of speed and elevation to a peak, and then a gradual amping down. Seems to be a good accompaniment to my movie watching.
Well, I usually sleep until about 5am. Typically I will get up and check all the rooms in the house before returning to bed to cuddle up in Chris’s armpit. That usually lasts until around 7:30am when everyone gets up for coffee, tea, and a little playtime, followed by staring at devices for an hour or so. The remaining day is mostly spent napping with brief interruptions for meals and more playtime.
Best regards,
Sophie the cat.
Yes, indeed, our non-human companions have their own routines for sure. Not to mention the incredibly accurate inner clocks that tell them when it’s mealtime!
Dan, I have known and loved a few Sophies in my life. You forgot to mention that Sophie spends a good portion of her daily routine cleaning herself.
True, she is a fastidious little creature in that regard.
Andrew, while my routines have changed over the years, we all need order in our lives. I found that an effective routine is one where I schedule the most important tasks first, which leads to less anxiety and more time to relax. The free spirit in me also likes to infuse some elements of spontaneity into my routines.
i learned about a new breakfast food from your article—Migas. Although I will alter the. Ingredients to suit my northeastern taste buds.
Marjorie, I likewise try to get the tougher stuff done early—it does make for a more relaxed day afterwards—but don’t always succeed. Right now I should be giving our dog a pedicure, which he doesn’t much like, but instead I’m enjoying myself here on HD!
Glad you’re going to try migas—a great weekend treat. As far as the heat level, we may be a little atypical. My wife is a Latina but prefers a mild level of heat, while I, the Anglo, turn up the heat dial to “high”.
I love a good routine. Having worked in academia for almost three decades, I became accustomed to rigid schedules.
Now, in retirement, I still enjoy my routine and schedules. The weather plays a big role in my daily routine since we live in Arizona. My husband and I are currently on our summer schedule which means getting up before dawn in order to walk, train and play with our four dogs before it gets too hot.
Mid-morning is usually devoted to computer time: reading HumbleDollar posts, checking my Facebook feed and usually spending an hour or two to learn a bit more about dog training.
Around noon it’s time for another round of dog training. We had an AC unit installed in our garage a couple of years ago so we can have training sessions indoors during the heat of the day.
Mid-afternoons are when I typically get on the treadmill and watch one of my two favorite news shows.
Dinner is usually at 4:30 and is never fancy. Meat and veggies mostly. The dogs get a third play/training session after dinner. Eventually my husband and I end up in our recliners watching something on the television. For the past few nights it’s been YouTube videos and UFC fights. We are almost always in bed before 9pm.
Kristine, I well understand structuring habits around the weather, especially during summer. Central Texas where we live isn’t quite Arizona, but nowadays we sometimes come close—I think we hit 109 a couple of times this year. Thank you, climate change.
We share many of the same routines, including morning walks (mine outdoors), oatmeal breakfasts, evening NewsHour and HumbleDollar on Sunday mornings. I attend classes at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and dance classes at the senior center in the afternoon. I live a simple but rich life with my routines and look forward to every day.
For years I had the habit of morning and late afternoon dog walks. But at present we’re down to one dog, who’s about to turn 16 yoa. He’s recently made clear that he much prefers a slow sniff and exploration of the yard to an actual leashed outing. I kinda miss those walks, though.
No post-lunch nap? That’s been part of my routine ever since I started working for myself a decade ago. In fact, if someone insists on an early afternoon phone call or a contractor says he can only come by at 2 p.m., it can cast a pall over my day and I’ll spend the morning feeling grumpy, knowing my nap will be delayed.
Oh yes, I’m a dedicated napper as well! I close my eyes for a few minutes much later in the day, though, usually around 5:00 or 5:30 PM. I know that’s not the typical time but it’s when I tend to get drowsy.
I started afternoon napping in college. My favorite time of the day. My old recliner has heard a lot of zzzzzz’s.
Mike, interesting that you nap in your recliner. I nap in bed but propped up by pillows in a more vertical position. I think I’m afraid that if I go full horizontal, I’ll doze for hours!
Andrew, I’ve also been known to nap on the sofa, the love seat in the den, the deck chaise lounge and even, in extremis, the passenger seat of the car. In college I had empty classrooms scoped out wherever I was on campus, and in my TV news days I would tuck away in the back seat of the news car. But always, always on an incline. I don’t want to completely crash and wreck my night’s sleep, so I never nap in the bed.
Andrew we have many of the same habits despite my being 6 years younger. Start am with 1/2 serving of steel cut oatmeal (a whole serving seems like too much), and Greek yogurt. Got hooked on making my own tabbouleh from scratch (and during the summer most of the ingredients from my own garden), and home made hummus. Eat while watching my favorite sports talk show about Boston sports. On Sundays it’s Conseulo Mack’s Wealthtrack. Last week I knew, and excitingly told my wife about Jonathan being on this week.
Now check Humble Dollar every morning with coffee (used to be Wednesdays and Saturdays, but I’ve upped my game, or is it become a stronger addiction). Not sure but if it is an addiction, but if it is it’s a financially rewarding one.
Workout 5-6x/ wk.
Local news and PBS Newshour every night. I hear yeah ‘bout looking forward to “the boys” on Fridays.
Only read one genre of a book at a time but my “vegetables”, and “desert” are switched.
David, thanks for your comments and the description of your habits, all salutary I’d say. I’m impressed with your home made hummus. Coincidentally, yet another of my own habits is a light snack around 5 pm of hummus (store bought, I’m afraid) and chips.
Always good to meet a like mind!
Andrew, your article matches my current musings. Less than an hour ago, I asked my wife if she had given much thought to what lay ahead for our household habits. With our only child away at college, we’re figuring out how to fill up the hole in our schedules, as well as how to relate to each other one-on one once again.
I’m 10 years behind you in age, but we seem to have a similar affinity for a regular routine. I’m trying to find points where I can fit into my wife’s schedule. We’ve made a start at exercising together, and I’ve started filling in for my daughter during weekend meal prep. Both of these activities give us a chance for good talk while we work.
What’s missing from my current regimen is dedicated time for reading and writing. I hope to add that thinking time to my life in the not-to-distant future.
Edmund, I appreciate your comments. My wife and I share an interest in closely following politics, and goodness knows there has been plenty to follow in recent years.
And one of the great joys of retirement for me is having the time to read for pleasure, which I had way too little of during my working years. I imagine that when you retire, you’ll likewise enjoy that windfall.
Old men or old people?
I, female, retired over 20 years ago, and during the fifteen years I spent traveling my habits were very different from when I was working. Now I’ve moved to a CCRC I have a new set of habits, some of which I developed while home alone during Covid, and some of which I’m establishing around the activities here.
Kathy, thanks for your comment. No doubt women as well as men have their firmly held habits. But I thought “Old Men” made for a catchier (and more personal) title.