Do you have a routine?

My routine is that on Tues/Thurs I get up in time to be at DD2s by 7:30 so she can go off to work & I drop DGD to school at 8:30. On those same days all 4 DGC are with us for the after school slot.

The rest of the week is free flow! Filled up with friends, DH& I out and about, Governor stuff, bits of paid work, walking, gardening etc etc. but in no particular order.

Like paperbackButterfly I relish being non timetabled after a career in schools!

My only rule is no daytime TV!

No routine whatsoever. It depends on the weather and what appointments we have. Weekends have largely ceased to exist unless the weather is good and we want to sail with the family.

My routine is to do what I want when I want every single day.

I have spent my life struggling to get into a routine. I have now been retired for a week and am desperate to get some discipline into my daily planning. There are so many jobs I really would like to do every day, but I keep making excuses to myself that I have to sort things out before I can start.

Recently someone started a thread asking how to organise their time and what to do with themselves as they had just retired and I suggested introducing a fixed item for about 30 minutes a day, a week at a time. I am now trying to practise what I preach, but since I retired I have had one son visiting from America and we went and visited another son last weekend and enjoyed cuddling our DGD.

Today was Monday and a fresh start. Again, it didn't work out as planned, but at least I managed to practise the piano.

I have set myself the target of getting up by 8 every morning and getting straight into the shower, instead of playing games on my tablet or phone and eating chocolates. If I can carry on with that until Saturday I shall then be able to say I have a routine!

I did find not having a routine when the children were small was an advantage - they didn't get whiney if we were out and stayed a bit longer than their bedtime, or complain if food wasn't on the table at a certain time.

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

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

What on earth is a routine?

Mischief- ?!

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.

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.

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!