Do you have a routine?

These days since my job has evaporated and will go completely at the end of the year I don't really have a routine. I do rise between 5 and 5.30 feed the cats and put my lenses in then make husband's pack up 4 days a week and breakfast on those days. Days now seem to be spent hovering around the pc in case someone needs me to do something and doing odd jobs in between. I'm generly hungry by 12 so have a sandwich and prepare tea for 6.15 when himself should be home. We go to bed at 10 then the whole thing starts again the next day so it looks like maybe I do have a routine of sorts after all

Oh luckygirl...you can do better than 3000 steps. It's that to my local shop and back. I've just arrived home after a round trip of 5 miles( walking ) to see to my grandkids and take to school.... my fit bit says its 14,787 steps...I believe them. Later at approx 2.pm I start the return trip.By the time I get home about 6.30 this evening ( cook my own dinner)....as my hubby will have had a tiring day of tv watching.... I will have done 11+ miles. Cooked my dinner ...the kids dinner... put two loads of washing on two different washing lines and dropped my hubby's prescription into docs and washed my daughters kitchen floor. I'm near 70... and got two prolapsed discs in spine and arthritis in my hands. I'm pretty certain folk could do more exercise if the 'will' is there. Do that three days a week and that's my ONLY routine. The rest of time I do stuff as it comes!! I rattle with painkillers ( why not if it keeps me going) and I love every minute. Mind you I have just ordered an e-bike !!! Really looking forward to whizzing around on that. Routine meals....yuk ... that's what makes folk fat! Eat when you're hungry!

I didn't think I had a routine until I thought about it! I certainly have a breakfast routine; a tablet [pill type not electronic!] routine and a night time routine. In between I go to 2 classes which are of course at set times and deal with email correspondence. Other than that I don't have a routine - I think!!!

In a word...NO.
Beyond waking up and going to sleep, rituals I've had for 73 years, everything inbetween is fluid. Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty.
It's a real luxury to please myself every single day.

Enjoyed reading all the answers here.felt guilty as I have no routine whats soever! But not now.just go by weather too most days.freedom!

I am a widow, the only routine I have is to walk my beloved bearded collie twice daily. Housework very little because I hate it,gardening a fair bit which I enjoy, bake a fair bit but give it away!! I have a neighbour who gets up at 5.30a.m. every day and does housework until 10.30a.m!!!! Her house is perfect but it is not a home.

we've never hhad routines or planned ahead,life kind of revolved around our businesses .We even cancelled holidays at the last moment to fit in jobs .We used to go on the odd holiday with friends who were very into routine ,lunch at 12 ,dinner before 6 ,bed at 10 even on holiday so we stopped going with them.They expected us to follow their routine,up at 7 and out before 8.No chance.We often sit up half the night listening to music or watching a series we've recorded and stay in bed until we want to get up .Of course on the days GD stays its an dearlier start but sometimes we go back to bed when she's gone to school.

Mischief- ?!

What on earth is a routine?

Yes I do and love it.. Makes me feel much better. Feel disorganised if I don't get things I like done, daily, weekly or whatever. My Health Visitor 33 years ago said routines are good in a home and she commended me on having such good routines for DD as a new baby. It worked for baby and worked for me.

Brunette10, my health visitor of 47 year ago after the birth of my second child commended me on my 'relaxed' routine, and even sent me to visit and advise a new mother who couldn't even make space to wash her hair on her huge timetable propped up on the mantelpiece.

The only day of the week we have any routine is Thursday because our cleaner comes. When the alarm goes off at 8am my DH rolls over and says 'I hate Thursdays'. The rest of the week we do as we please and if he is not feeling great we don't get up until quite late. For the next 5 Tuesdays I have appointments for hair, nails or massages so that means I shall be leaving him in bed to get up when he wants. I think after a lifetime of living by the clock it's great that we can finally please ourselves

I do! I get up and I go to bed. Every day.

Forgot to say I do play the piano daily and read a fair bit too, but definitely no routine whatsoever apart from walking dog.

My routine is imposed by the animals. Up at 8am walk the dogs. Return, empty the dishwasher, feed the cats. Coffee and breakfast then hoovering daily due to dog hairs. My husband gets up a bit later and feeds the chickens and sheep. We enjoy our life even though we may moan a bit sometimes.

Saggi you really need to say no to your family sometimes. They expect an awful lot from you. Take care of yourself.

Yes I have a bit of a routine. Today up at 6.45, on my lap top for 15 to 20 minutes, made coffee for self and husband. Read in bed for 30 minutes or so had shower, got dressed. Had another coffee about 9.15, husband went off to golf, I went to Sainsburys did shopping, came home had another coffee, had late breakfast midday, porridge and banana, went to gym, came back made a fish pie for tonight's dinner, I'm starving right now, haven't had anything to eat since late breakfast, dieting after holiday. Will have an early dinner say 6.30 Then we will catch up with things we've recorded whilst we were away, such as Vanity Fair and something with John Simm in it. Will got to bed at 10.30 and read for half an hour. Yeah my days are variations on that really, shopping, sorting washing, ironing, gym or swim, unless I meet a friend, or for lunch, or we have a looking after grandchildren day, or husband and I do a day out to say a NT property or somewhere worth seeing within a 40 mile radius of home.

I have an underlying routine, which means I can break it at anytime because I know I can drop back into it without a problem.

Generally, I do the housework on Monday, washing on Monday and Tuesday, ironing on Wednesday and the shopping on Thursday. But if I happen to miss any of these for any reason. I do not worry about it, because as the cleaning is usually done regularly there is nothing that will become critical if it doesn't get done for a fortnight. Shopping can wait a few days or be done early if more convenient. the same with washing and ironing

You have to have the rules(routine) to be able to break them without chaos ensuing.

No routine whatsoever. I do check each week to see what I have booked up, drs, dentist, social do etc. but that is it. By having no routine I a always free to any invite that is thrown my way.

Only routine for me is the different clubs and yoga class that I attend. Housework and shopping gets fitted in between other more interesting things. We are always trying different meals ( no particular set times)although we do have some favourites. We see a lot of our family but no set times. Once we were both retired we made a promise to ourselves that ‘routine’ was a no no . We are getting out and about and doing different things whilst we are able to.

A cup of tea in bed courtesy of DH, read while drinking it, have a shower etc, breakfast. After that the routine is flexibility and spontaneity apart from volunteering and any appointments. We like being retired!

I had many years of frenzied activity. 5 children, plus foster-children, then childminding. A husband who worked a rotating 3-shift system, so that meals and sleep were at different times each week and I could never get into any kind of routine. The children grew up, and moved in and out of our house for various reasons before four left permanently. My husband's health deteriorated, then he had a stroke and needed a lot of care before he finally died three years ago.

Now I just have my unmarried son living with me, which suits us both. He is at work all day, and does his own shopping and (vegan) cooking, and any odd jobs that need doing about the house. He is good company when we feel like communicating, and busy with his own activities when we don't.

No two days are alike, and the only routine I have is my Choir rehearsals, U3A meetings, and Tai-Chi class. I eat when I'm hungry, go out or stay in as the mood takes me, and do housework reluctantly and as little as possible.
After years of cleaning up after family and pets all I now have to consider is myself, most of the time. After so many years of putting myself last, that's the way I like it.

Clearly routines is a negative word making us feel unfree spirits - patterns better? Anyway I love reading about other people's days.
Am surprised by the number of GNs who get up later in retirement. For no good reason we get up at 7.00 on weekdays 7.30 at weekends. Often earlier in summer, but any later makes me feel I'm really letting myself go.

We generally wake up at 5.45 but usually drink tea and chat till 7.30. Wake up time is a hangover from having so many children but we like it.

I like having things to hang my week on but would hate a routine!

Barmybat my routine enables me to grab and enjoy any unexpected invitations that come my way.