Routines, are you stuck in one?

I wonder what the man in the OP did, in the end.
Maybe a quick snack before 6 so he could last out until tea at 6.15?

Yes of course routine I love routine! Every day has its task, Mon washing, Tues cleaning, Wed shopping and so on. Go to bed at the same time and get up at roughly the same time. Same with meals, they have their own days, just like Shirley Valentine, we like it that way! And lists, I do lists for everything, but then I do have OCD!

Haze193 Ohh Shirley Valentine, a classic. He'd be wearing the egg n chips that he pushed over the table, whoaaaaa....

Brilliant film .

We are creatures of habit, but never so much that it interferes with visitors or socializing.

Because I still work, routine makes household chores manageable, and the dog likes her walks and dinner at set times, but Lord help me if I get to the point like the fellow in the original post!

I would love to be an organised person with a set routine, but have never been able to achieve it. I just go with the flow!

I tend to fill up my calendar about a week in advance and then ‘work round it’. Next week, I’ve workmen here but Monday I have a GP appointment, Tuesday a lunch out then chiropodist. Back to the Dentist on Wednesday, then over to DD2s to dog sit.
Housework and coffee with friends will have to be fitted in and I like to collect DGS1 from Nursery one day a week, probably next Friday.
Not what I’d call a routine, but I like to be organised and love a list!

Sure you all remember "Shirley Valentine ", still makes me laugh when I watch it with OH stating "I have my tea at 6" and "What is this, it's Thursday , we have steak on Thursday, chips and egg is Tuesday ".
Heaven forbid I ever find this remotely normal !!

The only routine here is during the week when MrJ is working and the alarm is set for 6:45, we go to bed relatively early too, but weekends and my week days are different.

Not much routine goes on around here - I try not to get set in them. It makes me happier to be more spontaneous.

My dogs definitely clock watch! They love their routines even though I try to amend timings etc. Obviously my fault of course in allowing it to happen.

I think we humans gain comfort from having some sort of routine, a kind of framework for the day, although there should always be some flexibility otherwise we can get too set in the ‘washing on Monday, vacuuming Tuesday’ mindset.

When I get up in the morning I know roughly what I’ll be doing if it’s housework for instance, but if a friend phones to ask if I’d like to meet for a coffee, or if my husband suggests a day out somewhere then I’m always up for it!

We tend to be fairly regularly with mealtimes though, particularly with dinner as neither of us like eating too late in the evening.

No set routines other than some social things which take place at the same time each week or month. I’m not rigid though and don’t always go to every meeting if something more urgent has to happen.

I do like lists though and find it very satisfying to tick things off as I do them, I had five minor things to do yesterday ( make two phone calls, collect prescription from chemist, make appt at optician and go online to order food delivery) and sadly I was pleased with myself when the last thing was ticked off!

I’m inherently lazy though so having things written down makes me do them instead of put them off for another day. I am naughty though as I don’t always write everything down, the urgent need to defrost my freezer has not yet been added to my list as I really don’t want to do it!

No routine exactly though I generally do housework on Sunday if there are no social engagements on the calendar.

Not really, but I have meds that have to be taken at different times of day and that dictates when I eat. Some to be taken with food, some to be taken an hour or two before or after food, etc.

I'm a morning person so if something needs doing it has to be done then, if left until later it likely wouldn't get done!

If at home I aim to eat lunch at 13.00 in the kitchen listening to the news on Radio 4 - the rest of the day is flexible.

I don't have set days for laundry, shopping etc.

I am the same, Calendargirl.
Today I have just messed about, as I had nothing planned.
We have meals at set times because of DH’s diabetes, but that can be flexible if one of us is going out.
I volunteer two days a week, I have choirs on three evenings a week, so already there is a pattern.
I make lists and lime ticking things off, though certain items are permanent, as I put them off all the time.

Yes, I have a routine. I get up and go to bed at more or less the same time, meals are also pretty regular. I go to aquacise classes four times a week, so things centre round that somewhat.

My main shop is done at the same time every week. I have my shower at the same sort of time each night.

I like to prepare the evening meal in good time so that this time of year I can sit down late afternoon and read.

If others think I’m odd, I don’t really care, it’s what suits me.

And no, it’s not set in stone, I can alter things if needed, but I like a bit of structure in my life.

I do have a routine, but it’s not fixed. On non-work days or afternoon working, my mornings are swim or gym, walk the dog, (when it’s muddy, that includes rinse the dog, dry the dog), clean the floors again then collapse in a chair with a cuppa. Other jobs are as and when, e.g. As soon as we get a sunny, that’s when I put extra washing on.
My MIL always had tea on the table at 4.30. My Nan always had afternoon tea at 4pm.

That made me smile, Sago.
I feel more comfortable with a routine - I like to be up by 7.30, have tea and coffee and meals at approximately the same time of day, write lists & tick things off as they get done. Otherwise nothing does get done.
However very little is set in stone & there’s usually room for flexibility & spontaneity. If someone (ie MrA)has a sudden urge to go out for a walk or a trip to the beach, I can usually accommodate his wishes. To me that’s one of the nice things about retirement.

I've always disliked the word and the idea of routine.
I do seem to be in a rut of laziness these days, tho.

i would love to, but never succeed. it is my Holy Grail.

Nope. I would hate that. I have a friend who cleans every Saturday morning. Never makes plans till after 2pm on Saturdays. I wouldn’t want to swing my legs out of bed. It would just depress me. It seems ‘old ladyish’ to me.

I was pleased to get rid of routines when I retired. The only one I have now centres on the hound’s feeding times. Other things get done when/if I feel like it.

I have always had a routine, if I didn’t, my life would be chaos, I would never get anything done.
I like lists, I like order, I don’t do the same things every week, but I always plan ahead so that I know I can fit everything in.
I might add that I still work full time, and we are a family of six, including three children

My aunt has had a lifetime of routine because of her 'medication'. Alarm set for 6 am for the first lot, has to eat one hour before the 6 pm tablets.

I must say my daily life schedule is affected by the tides, as I like to take my dog to the beach when it's at a certain height. Whoever thought it!