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Who needs structure in retirement? That's what retirement is all about. Wecan make our own structure or non-structure if that's what we choose rather than having to meet someone else's schedule. I for one always hated having to get up at the same time each morning and going to bed at the same time each night so I could get to work at a certain hour. Those weren't my hours. Those were someone else's hours I had to adhere to in order to earn my pay. Now I can set my hours. Sometimes I wake up at 6:00 am dink around a bit and go back to bed and sleep until 9:00 am or later because I can.
I, too, was unclear about whom Huckleberry was addressing, so I just want to take his post as a general statement and go from there.
The question about whether structure is wanted or needed in retirement is sort of like the question of whether people prefer a warmer climate or a cooler climate. The clear answer is that some people are in one camp and others are in the other camp.
Just fooling around aimlessly doesn't work for me in the long run. It's fantastic immediately after retirement, say for a month or two as a means of de-stressing. But after that I think we separate into the two camps; for some it continues to work well indefinitely (it seems Minervah is in that group), but for others (like me and Huckleberry) some structure is needed and welcome.
In my case it doesn't have to be a structure as rigid and complete as that which prevailed during my working years - in other words it doesn't have to cover five or more days a week - but I need some days where I have some kind of (self-chosen) obligation constituting a reason to get out of bed by a certain time.
My volunteer work provides that structure for me: Three days a week I adhere to a time schedule (different each day). I look forward eagerly to the activity, so it does not feel like a chore at all. I am saying that apart from my enjoyment of what I do, I also enjoy having that structure; if I didn't have it I would feel like something was missing. It is an easy burden, too; I am on site for a maximum of five hours one of the days, four hours another day, and about three hours a third day. That is the perfect amount of structure for me.
Currently, I stay awake reading, watching movies, doing crosswords until 3, even 4am... today I got up at 11:30am! This happened progressively over 2 yrs. No worries about it-kinda feels good-no schedule...
Quote:
Originally Posted by greatblueheron
but has anyone else turned night into day after retirement??
That's exactly what happened to me although it tends to come and go. Last few weeks I've been going to sleep about 3:30 and sleeping til 11. Interestingly, when I was working (generally from 8AM to 5 or 6PM) I used to do almost the same thing on weekends - slept til noon. My dad was another one. Got up at 5:15AM all those years and when he retired he went to sleep about 2AM and slept til 10. Must be genetic. Enjoy.
Even when I was working and had to be at work at 7 AM, I was usually up till midnight or so and get up at 5:30 without an alarm. When I retired and moved to my wife's, I was in the same routine for a couple weeks, then, we'd still be up late, but I'd sleep till 8:30 or so. We're both the type that, whoever woke up first would let the other sleep as long as they wanted.
We usually laid in bed till around 1 or so before going to sleep and I'd be awake by 6. She slept till 9 or so. I'd never wake her up before she was ready to. But our chihuahua doesn't feel that way. When she's ready to go out for "drainage" (she sleeps in the bed with us) she's ready for my wife to take her out. So now she doesn't get to sleep past 7. lol
Who needs structure in retirement? That's what retirement is all about. We can make our own structure or non-structure if that's what we choose rather than having to meet someone else's schedule. I for one always hated having to get up at the same time each morning and going to bed at the same time each night so I could get to work at a certain hour. Those weren't my hours. Those were someone else's hours I had to adhere to in order to earn my pay. Now I can set my hours. Sometimes I wake up at 6:00 am dink around a bit and go back to bed and sleep until 9:00 am or later because I can. No time police in my house.
One of the perks of retirement is setting your own hours. Another is being able to take a nap if you want. Nobody's business what those are.
I agree about resenting all those early mornings. But I find that getting up at 7 agrees with us. We wake up to classical music, which comes on at 6:30. No news or controversy, just nice music. I do occasionally stay up late to watch an old movie or to finish a book.
In terms of structure, I have found that the activities you choose for yourself impose their demands and create structure. For instance our morning trips to the gym impose a certain structure to those days. The only way to escape all structure is to totally retire from life.
I get up with my wife (she still works) and then go walking for about an hour. That way, I'm ready to go to bed when she does. I think it makes for a healthy relationship. jmo
Huckleberry, not sure who you are addressing, while structure might work for you in retirement, I have no desire for it. As I stated in my earlier post, I had a very stressful and structured corporate high level job where I was always travelling overseas's and jet lagged and did this for a very long time. My internal clock was never into getting up early and retirement has been a welcome change. I think my husband and I Are commitment phobic also, since we were always in meeting and work and had commitments 24 x 7.
We love doing whatever we please in retirement and have no thought on changing it
Retire2011, I do exactly as you do. But I stay up even later. I often go to bed at 3:00 am or 4:00 am and then get up at 11:00 am or 12 noon.
My body has always desired those hours. So getting up at 6:30 am for work for decades was pretty much torture.
Sometimes I go to bed as you do at 2:00 am. In spring and summer, I like to get up by 10:00 am to enjoy the beautiful spring and summer mornings. Sometimes getting up at 9:00 am.
I know what you mean about some people thinking this is weird. Many of the elderly women in my apartment building get up really early from 6:00 am to 8:00 am, and would not dream of getting up at 11:00 am or 12 noon, or even 10:00 am.
But probably plenty of retired people keep the hours that you and I do, but they just keep quiet about it and don't tell anyone!
Currently, I stay awake reading, watching movies, doing crosswords until 3, even 4am... today I got up at 11:30am! This happened progressively over 2 yrs. No worries about it-kinda feels good-no schedule...
but has anyone else turned night into day after retirement??
YUP, did the same, no schedule is WONDERFUL!
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Currently, I stay awake reading, watching movies, doing crosswords until 3, even 4am... today I got up at 11:30am! This happened progressively over 2 yrs. No worries about it-kinda feels good-no schedule... 
