Putting Together a Retirement Morning Routine
Retirement is freedom. For a lot of people, that means no longer needing to wake up at a certain time, commute to a workplace, and base life around a job. That’s a freeing feeling! For the last 30-to-40 years, your schedule depended on your work. You couldn’t go out to lunch in the middle of the day because of work. You couldn’t stay out late on a Wednesday because you need to be up early the next day. You had to do your shopping and run your errands at specific times because that’s what your work schedule allowed.
Now you’re free! That can feel great. You’re in control and it’s wonderful. However, just because your work schedule no longer dictates your routine, it doesn’t mean you should have no routine at all.
A life without any structure whatsoever can be aimless. It can make you feel lost. It can cause you to drift through your days without dedicating time to the things that really matter to you. If you don’t have a schedule or a routine, it’s really easy to have the day slip away.
There are things you want to do with your life. You have passions and interests and hobbies that bring you joy. If you don’t give yourself a schedule, you might miss out on living the life you really want.
That’s why getting the most out of retirement starts with putting together a perfect morning routine.
Why a Retirement Morning Routine Matters
Morning routines help you get a positive start to your day. If you wake up and have a purposeful morning, you’re telling your body and your brain that the day is going to be positive, proactive, and enjoyable/
Think of what your life was like when you were at work. You woke up at a certain time. Then maybe you ate breakfast, had a coffee, and watched the news. After that, you got dressed, commuted to work, and settled in for the day. Even at your job, you likely had a morning routine to line everything up for the day and help you get things done.
All of this planning kept you on track and made sure that you could do the things you needed to do. A retirement morning routine is no different… except it can be more fun.
We’ve all had days where you plan to do something only to have the whole day pass by. You end up in bed at night feeling like you did nothing and maybe regretting that you didn’t make the most of your time. Having a routine helps prevent this from happening. Instead of just seeing where the day takes you, you start living your life with intention.
A morning routine also supports mental wellness. Your brain wants order and structure. Chaos and confusion don’t just make it hard to think, but it can be overwhelming as well.
Think about trying to cook dinner in a messy kitchen. There are dirty dishes everywhere, the fridge is cluttered, and pots and pans are randomly strewn around. Not only would that make it tough to cook, but it would probably stress you out. You might even feel angry or overwhelmed. This is a lot like wanting to have a productive day without a plan.
Starting the day with a routine creates a sense of order, which keeps you feeling calm.
Building your Retirement Morning Routine
Don’t worry, your mornings don’t have to feel as busy as they did when you were working. They don’t have to start as early either, if you don’t want them to. This isn’t about duplicating the structure you had before, it’s about building something that works for your new retirement lifestyle.
The first step is to pin down what you value most. After all, your priorities set your schedule now. When you were working, what you did in the day was often set by your job. Now that you’re retired, your priorities will be set by what means the most to you.
Make a list of things are important or that you wish to dedicate your time towards. Maybe it’s your friends, your grandchildren, your hobbies, or something new you want to learn. Since these are your priorities, you’ll want to make time for them in your day and that means including them in your routine.
One of the most important elements of a morning routine is a consistent wake up time. Again, no one expects you to get up as early as you did when you were working. However, having sleep patterns every day is good for your health. When you’re consistent with when you wake up and go to sleep, you’re better able to sleep at night and more likely to wake up feeling refreshed. There are so many benefits to getting a good night’s sleep, so prioritize it.
That might mean setting an alarm. Yes, for a lot of people, one of the joys of retirement is not needing to wake up to an alarm anymore. However, setting one helps and, don’t worry, you can make it later than you used to wake up.
Over time, if you go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day, you’ll start getting used to it and you won’t need the alarm anymore.
What to Include in Your Morning Routine
First step? Get out of bed. It sounds silly, but getting out of bed soon after you wake up is one of the keys to a productive day. After all, the longer you stay in bed, the more you want to stay there and the more likely you’ll be to go back to sleep.
To give yourself incentive to get out of bed, plan something you’ll enjoy right away. Maybe it’s a fresh coffee, maybe it’s the morning paper, or maybe it’s a delicious breakfast. Think of something that will inspire you to get out of bed and make that the first thing you do in the morning. Music can help! Put on something lively and uplifting to boost your energy and your mood.
The next thing you’ll want to do is get some sunlight. The sun helps you wake up. It signals your brain to stop producing sleep hormones, tells your body that it’s time to wake up, and improves your mood.
Another way to wake up your body is to drink water. Your body has just gone about eight hours without hydration. Drinking water when you wake up replenishes fluids, helping you feel more alert.
It’s also a good idea to do something active early in the day. Whether you choose to do that before or after breakfast is up to you. For some people, an active morning means an early run, but it can also be stretching, yoga, or any activity that gets you to move your body. Dance around your kitchen, if that’s what brings you joy!
Morning exercise boosts your energy levels and gets your blood pumping, which brings more oxygen to your heart, lungs, and brain. Doing something energetic in the morning will help start your day right.
Add Some Variety
Each day doesn’t have to be the same. While it’s a good idea to wake up around the same time each day, and getting out of bed, getting some sun, having some water, and exercising are beneficial each day, the rest of your morning is up to you.
You may want to make a different routine for each day of the week. For instance, a lot of people make Monday their planning day. After the first part of the routine, they sit down and think about what they’d like to do over the next seven days. If you have a class or other scheduled event on a certain day, note those engagements first. Then schedule in the other activities that mean the most to you. Once you have those planned, make some time for errands, cleaning the house, and everything else you’ll do in the week.
Having a schedule doesn’t have to mean running around anxiously, though. It just means planning what you want to do and when you want to do it. Feel free to add quiet, relaxing activities like reading, listening to music, relaxing with a coffee, or anything else that brings you joy. When you schedule these activities and add them to your retirement morning routine, you’ll make sure to do them and that will help you get the most out of every day.
