<p>On the funding retirement page, notrichenough gave a facetious (I think) hour by hour account of a day of retirement. So I thought it might be interesting to post how you picture a day in your eventual retirement (not a fantasy rich one, but a realistic how you can see it could be ideally.) So, mine–</p>
<p>7:00-8:00 wake up, shower, coffee, catch up with news ,etc on computer, breakfast
8-9 bike ride along the bay
9-1pm write
1-2 lunch with H, home or out at local place sometimes
2-5 weather permitting, kayak trip. Wintertime—long walk on beach, if time left, some reading.
5-6 dinner prep. wine.
6-7 dinner
7—11ish—chatting, a little computering, lots of reading.
11. bed. etc.</p>
<p>Ideally, this all won’t cost much. </p>
<p>So, what’s your ideal retirement day look like?</p>
<p>8am- wake up, coffee, check email, news, etc.
9-10- Go to the gym
10-1 Work in my studio
1-2 Lunch, chores etc.
2-4 More studio time
4-5 prep dinner
5-6 Dinner
6-10 reading, TV, chatting, computer
10 or 11 Bed (okay…an occasional etc would be fine)</p>
<p>8:00 a.m. Woke up, and showered.
8:15 made coffee and leisurely enjoyed it.
9:30 left for meaningful volunteer work
9:45-1:30 volunteered…and laughed and had a great time.
1:30 went to store to buy new grill brush
2:15 arrived home, checked email
2:45 went to lake club to relax
4:30 went to grocery store
5:30 talked to son on phone
6:00 made dinner
7:30 looked at email…CC, and WWF.</p>
<p>8.00 wake, coffee, news, email
9.30 walk/bike/moped into picturesque village to chat with interesting neighbors, get mail, buy milk
11.00 write a chapter or two in my soon-to-be best selling book
12.30 light lunch on the terrace overlooking sea
1.30 a little more writing
3.00 some sort of physical activity, preferably not involving a gym
4.30 something social, perhaps ending in a nice glass of wine with someone
7.00 gourmet yet healthy dinner
8.30 read/movie/internet</p>
<p>I won’t give you the hour by hour, but today I got up around 7:15 and went for a run. It was a beautiful morning! I also checked the market and sold my FDO before the market opened, thank you Carl Icahn!!! LOL My wife made us Challabread french toast with warm fruit compote and maple syrup for breakfast… on a Monday!!? I did a little computer time in my den, and actually did a few trades, checked out my favorite websites, email (ahhh… “WWF” = words with friends, yeah, I do a little of that too) and 11am left to deliver meals on wheel (“Friendship Trays”) which I do most Mondays. After lunch my wife asked me to help her move some mulch - newly created from the stump of our downed tree - around the front and backyard. I quit long before she did and loafed around for a few hours and went out for a solo bike ride early evening. Dinner, and now after checking social media will play a little guitar and head back downstairs to read, shower, maybe have a little dessert and go to bed. Wednesday I am going to Asheville to work on a movie!!</p>
<p>And…in. Y retirement, I have time to do some really fun things. I’m on my town Economic Development Commission, am a member of an education foundation board, am an election poll worker, and volunteer to manage my lake club one afternoon a week in the summer. I have several different groups of friends who I go on outings with each month…exhibits, lunch out, celebrations with these friends, bicycle riding, walking, etc.</p>
<p>Well, am semi retired and H has been retired for a year now. Our days are as we choose to make them–as structured or flexible as we choose. H is doing a lot of back logged deferred maintenance around the house, some yard work and decluttering. I am still running my nonprofit and spend a lot of time with H. </p>
<p>We spend time with friends and relatives as well, as time permits. We also spend considerably more time planning and engaged in extended travel. We have no complaints. If I fully retired, don’t think it would change my schedule or family income much at all. </p>
<p>Weekday
7-8: Wake up and have tea, coffee, read wsj, check my garden.
9-1:00 Listen to cnbc, do a few trades, check my investments, check on cc, if stock market is just boring then do some gardening/same for weekend when there is no cnbc, play WWF, online free Texas Holdem Poker. Do some yoga as well.
1-3:00 Rest, no yard work ever in the afternoon. Listen to cnbc for trades and ideas and mad money. Maybe napping
3-5:00 Maybe exercise and prepare for dinner.
5-7:00 Dinner
7-9:00 Watch some Netflix(haven’t done yet), listen to some music or DVD concerts, read books, go on CC, a lot depends on my mood. play WWF, online free Texas Holdem Poker.Go to real concerts, ballet shows, movies, etc…
9-11:00 reading in bed, relaxing and getting for bed.</p>
<p>This is a tough one. I can’t figure out a typical day. It might be one of three things, perhaps. Either I’ll be waking up somewhere, traveling in a foreign land, or at home doing one of two options. Either sleeping in (always sleeping in, I never want to get up early again in my life) and doing some major athletic thing all day with my husband, perhaps a long hike. or the other option would be:
8-9 Wake up and have coffee, check the news online. Snuggle with the dogs for awhile.
9-10 Keep snuggling with the dogs, do some minor chores and waste more time online
10-12 Indoor rock climbing
12-3 minor chores, grocery shopping
3-4 run in the forest or kayaking
4-6 whatever
6 dinner, either at home or out</p>
<p>Maybe a fourth option would be spending the day volunteering somewhere.
I find it hard to put an hour on when I’d do things, as isn’t the point of retiring to do things when you want? I wouldn’t want to watch the clock at all.</p>
<p>I think the transition to the empty nest will jump start my hobbies. With the empty nest looming ahead I’ve come up with the following activities - golfing twice a week, boating, book club, cooking class. It’s really a knife skills class, I’ve always wanted to get better at chopping. I also really enjoy cooking and without the fussy eater home I’ll be able to explore more things.</p>
<p>The issue for me will be the winter months. </p>
<p>^As for winter, even when it’s too cold and/or windy for kayaking/biking, I can generally get out for a long walk every day. Writing/reading time will be appreciated, too!</p>
<p>I have always felt that I’m happiest when I have things that I have to do as well as things that I want to do. “Have to do” means scheduled events, not necessarily boring or stressful events. Having places you need to go and people you need to see makes the hours with nothing scheduled that much nicer. If entire days had nothing scheduled, I think it would be terribly depressing.</p>
<p>Semi-retired now and the best thing is that time is not compressed so the start of the day could not be more different than my years in corporate america. Wake up when I want to, eat breakfast while reading the paper … not skimming the headlines and the sports but reading as much as I want … work the puzzles in the paper (the crossword is for Mom3ToGo who is a killer crossworder). Often then run or bike … and have time to do the stretching and exercises my 55 year old body needs to do. Very relaxing start to the day!</p>
<p>Not everyone is going to have a retirement that is golden every day. When your body starts slowing down…you’ll be doing more doctor visits than kayaking trips.</p>
<p>I like the idea above that it will be like an extended weekend. :)</p>
<p>Mine would have to include:
A routine morning - I think I always need a routine morning. But a splurge would be breakfast daily out on the deck with my laptop as weather permits. Other morning activities would be exercise, errands, volunteering gigs.</p>
<p>Afternoon:
Late lunch or snack.
Projects - something meaningful that needs to be accomplished.
Baking or cooking ahead
Meet with a friend for coffee.</p>
<p>Evening:
Dinner - simple or complex depending on my mood.
Exercise again - dog walks, walks by myself, running.
Reading time, phone time with kids, computer time, a little tv
More reading - as late as I want, in bed. </p>
<p>This was a little tough. I like a schedule. I like to be busy. I will need structure and an agenda I think - that’s why I look forward to volunteer work. </p>