How does it all get done?

I used to be very organised when I was working, at home as well as at work - out of necessity. However, now (apart from the usual Monday routine) things get done when I feel like it. Apart from cooking every evening (which DH rarely does although he is helpful in other areas of domesticity!).

Think it depends what type of person you were BEFORE retirement. I was never one for timetables before; kind of did the ironing when I couldn't find anything to wear type of thing. I took semi-retirement fantiscising about all the lovely days I would spend to myself and of course time to help my family. Now I have done I find I need a bloomin diary!!!! First time ever!

Housework still comes low down my list of priorities though.

That sounds like my Mondays Anya !
Just another Manic Monday

When I was working (and I worked long hours), I was very house proud.
I washed, scrubbed,bleached,hoovered,folded...fresh flowers everywhere...perfection.
Hardly anyone came as we were out/working/away alot.
I retired late (at 69 years) and the last seven years have been the exact opposite.
Now I don't care what the house looks like...I do housework when I feel like it (i.e....not that often!)
And people drop in all the time...friends, family, neighbours...even the local postman stops for a cuppa!
So something changes on retirement.
Just go with want you feel like doing.

The gift of retirement is the ability to choose what we do and when. I choose to be busy. My own cleaning and gardening are bottom of the list and is dictated by weather. I clean my daughter-in-laws house but only to the standard I can, within my time and energy constraints. I also look after their challenging garden. DH takes DGS to school every day and on 1 day a week we pick him up, feed him and take him home. I volunteer 1 Afternoon a week at Food Bank, and run a charity. This year this has included baking cakes monthly to run a pop-up cafe to raise funds for the main Christmas charity. Things are getting into top gear. I am collecting toys, selling raffle tickets and planning our Christmas stall, recruiting volunteers etc.

However, I have chosen to do these things and enjoy them. It is exciting and rewarding. And I still have time to read and keep up with GN. There are plenty of times that I choose to be lazy.

As far as I'm concerned it doesn't get done completely. My daughter works different shifts each week so it's difficult to plan things and if I do its often changed because of family commitments.
So I have to do "drop in" things or make arrangements at the last minute so I see real people.

Ah yes, a slut! Me too!

Friday morning. Get up, clean teeth, throw on old c.lthes have a coffee, strip beds, wash sheets, clean bathrooms, bedrooms and bully OH into moving sofas and furniture, hoovering and washing hard floors downstairs.

Then shower and late breakfast. All sorted for the week. Kitchen, living room and conservatory get quick wipe down/dust most days.

I am something of a domestic slut. I have spent most of the spring and summer on my mission to knock my garden into shape . And just being out in the garden doing things is a real pleasure and relaxing . The dust is not too deep. It can wait . I have a few things planned two different choirs . A knitting "club" Wednesday . U3A Thursday afternoon . Friday is when I usually go shopping that habit is left over from when it was the one day I did not work. The last thing you want to do when you are retired is to be rigid about when you do what .

CdSheliasue, yes it is different for you, my gd lived with us until she was 12 and what a joy as well as hard work. But now 10 years into retirement I could be described as a slob! Get up when I feel like it and do what I want when I want. Tend to invite friends around for a meal and natter once a month so we do a better clean than usual but other than that housework is at the bottom of the list. Activities we do depend on the weather as they are mostly outdoors. I was born to retire, suits my nature.

I think I was born to retire but no matter how organised/disorganised my week might be, Friday night still feels like Friday night.

Won’t answer that W11girl

After five years of retirement I still haven't got rid of my "organisation skills that i had at work". I inadvertently transferred it to my "retired life"..its not a problem, as it gives me a lot of free time, so I don't think I'll change my ways. I have a blackboard and get such pleasure erasing all of the tasks I have completed...such joy..or just a saddo!

Sheilasue I think it’s a bit different for you, as you have a DGD to bring up, so you both need routines.
Some people without children in the house like routines as well, but must say that I don’t, and find it joyous to wake up and think, what shall I do? It wouldn’t do for us all to be the same, as my dear Gran used to say.

I love being retired and like so many others, like to keep the weekend special. When I was working it was so busy at the weekend, shopping washing other domestic stuff and looking after my first set of grandchildren, older children at home and elderly parents. It's a relief not to always feel that wherever I am, I ought to be somewhere else.
I do have some routines because I have pilates, yoga, grandchildren and dog related duties but otherwise, I'm flexible. Its a real joy not to have to get up and go to work, to work at night or at the weekend to get all the necessary work completed (it never was totally completed)
I do like a clean kitchen floor and the presence of various small children and dogs means I clean it at least once a week. Everything else gets fitted in between other more enjoyable stuff.
Retirement is fabulous.

Maggiemaybe I'm with you on the trip I have have just come back from hols with DD to Majorca and booked again to-day for hubby and I in March,between now and then I shall be doing what is needed and nothing more since retiring properly this time around I have stepped back completley,shop and clean when necessary see friends when I want and get up when I want,pure luxury in my book.

How does al WHAT get done indeed?! I do not recognise these organised lives - they certainly bear not the slightest relation to mine.

The priority is singing, going for walks, gardening, meeting friends, working for choral society and organising their publicity, looking after GC, running a village library and book club, doing school governor stuff, looking after OH etc. etc.

And now and again I happen to notice that a floor needs cleaning (about once a year!), or some washing needs doing, or we have run out of food (oops!).

Domestic activities are at the bottom of the list - or even off the bottom - and we all seem to survive.

I like a routine, bit boring I know. That's how I am.
My gd lives with us and when she first came she was all over the place with sleep time, schooling meals etc.
She loves her routine and our social wirker said it was the best thing for her.

I think I’m real, Jalima.

We have regular stints each week with the DGC (which we love), but nothing else is set in stone. I’m busier than I’ve ever been, but now just about everything I do is what I want to do, and it’s great! I never was one for housework, and it really doesn’t take long unless the family’s been round. I still love a to do list, and there’s still a lot on mine. I might never get round to writing that novel, or clearing that spare room, but I get round it by adding anything I actually have done, then crossing it off. Very satisfying. Today I’ve booked another trip away.

Learning to procrastinate is a good start

Are Gransnetters all virtual people with virtual lives? Or are there real people behind the usernames?

winifred01 may I come instead?!

Beginning to feel lazy reading posts about 'window cleaning, deep cleaning, ironing etc'!!

I have a few groups I attend each week, other than that I do as I want to, with no routine, having to do certain things on certain days, that was what we had to do all our working lives. I have a fridge magnet which says"retirement is when the sun rises and you dont!"

Invited retired friends for lunch- Oh sorry, we always go to Waitrose on Wednesday, came the reply- how sad is that?

Same as Bags post - It never all gets done. We've survived so far

Sadly, the sod-it days mightily outweigh the get-on-with-it days