I think that in many cases we have our own routines with
time. Some of us are early. Some of us are late. Some of us hurry and some of us dawdle along.
I am one of those annoying people who has to get to an event early. If church starts at 10:30 , I've got to be sitting down before 10:15. I get pretty antsy and a little testy if I'm not ahead of the game.
I'm also one of those people who doesn't set an alarm clock. Since about 1980 , I always get up at 7:00 AM. Even after I retired I still get up at 7:00 AM. I also haven't worn a watch since the day I retired.
Now there's someone else in this house who has a completely different pattern of rising from sleep. No, she doesn't sleep in. It's worse than that.
For about 4 to 6 months , the micro Manager will get up late...8:00 Am. Then for another 4 to 6 months the MM will get up early...6:00 AM. Now I don't care how early you get up. I don't care how late you get up. Just choose one or the other and stick with it. I can adapt my routine either way.
I often wonder how I can get up at the same time without an alarm clock. I'm starting to wonder if it's about coffee time. My body tells me that at 7:00 AM I need coffee so I get up! Or have I just developed a habit of rising at 7:00 Am over the years.
I also spent all of my working years watching the clock. When the bell went I had to be finished my lesson and send the kids on.
So how many of you have specific habits of keeping time? Do you have to keep a set time routine to be happy?
So I got thinking about these things after my last post about how time goes by so rapidly.
...I've haven't worn a watch in years and like to be on time or a bit early. I try my darndest to stay in bed until 5AM, which I'm rarely successful in doing. I also try to stay up until 10PM which I'm not successful in doing either.
ReplyDeleteGetting up at 5:00 AM is not my kind of fun but I do think it's the bet part of the day.
DeleteI wear a watch and always need to know what time it is. I sometimes play a little game with myself to see if I can guess what time it is if I haven't checked for quite a while. I am usually close to the exact time.
ReplyDeleteGet up time depends of the schedule for that day or how well I slept, or didn't sleep. Watching the clock during a sleepless night is no fun.
So you adjust things as you go along. I think sometimes you take a nap . Naps energize me for much later bed time.
DeleteI wear a Fitbit so that is the same as a watch. I like to wear that to keep up with my steps. It reminds me to get up and move if I've been sitting too long. I tend to be a night owl so I don't get up early. I try to get up by eight and yes, I want my morning coffee too!
ReplyDeleteNight owls are completely different people!
DeleteI was raised to be early to all things and got up for many years at 6 a.m. Over time I got tired of being early and everyone else was late. I started arriving on time and sometimes a little after just so I don't have to wait for anyone. I actually feel bad about it from time to time but can't seem to change back to being early so I don't try anymore. I also need an alarm clock to rise though I don't wear a watch most days. Smart phones made watch wearing unnecessary for the most part.
ReplyDeleteGood point on smart phones being a watch.
DeleteMy sleep schedule is pretty erratic. Luckily, it doesn’t bother my husband. He sleeps soundly, gets up early and does his own thing.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing about time. When we lived in Illinois, we learned that people tend to arrive later than the given time. The first time we went to a party at the time stated, the couple were still taking a bath and getting ready. We learned then to arrive a little later than the time expressed. Here in Hawaii, people arrive ON TIME. Generally. In fact, when we started taking travel tours with Hawaii people, we would go to the assigned place on time to find everybody had already been there a half hour or so earlier. So we’ve adjusted. If we’re going to a party however, we just plan to arrive on time, not earlier. It’s just the tours.
I guess since we're all individuals we have our own ways of dealing with time.
DeleteTo me one of the best things about retirement is being able to do what I want, when I want. Of course, like you mentioned, there are still some things that are on a schedule, like church. I admire folks who can get along without a watch but, for me, I might completely forget about that dental appointment. :-) Red, you are on a roll with interesting topics!
ReplyDeleteI keep a very up to date calendar or I would miss most of my stuff. Tomorrow at 7:30 PM I attend a speaker telling bout polar bears.
DeleteHello, you would not like my wake up time. I am usually awake by 4-5, once awake I can not go back to sleep. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteWe all follow the beat of our own drummer. Early birds experience the best part of the day.
DeleteWe used to wake up at 6:30 every morning when we worked. Since retirement that has change to getting up even earlier! No alarms, but our inner clocks start us at 5:30 and sometimes earlier. We'd like to stay up to 10:00, but really have not done that in years. 9:30 lights out!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you both have a similar routine.
DeleteI go to sleep at 11 p.m. every night, and get up betw. 7 and 7:30. My better half goes to bed anytime between 9:30 and midnight, and gets up anywhere from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. But I don't let it bother me. However, she like you insists on arriving early no matter where we're going. I get antsy and a little testy sitting around waiting for things to start. What are ya gonna do?
ReplyDeleteThey tell us for a good sleep to go to bed and get up on a regular schedule. You should be a good sleeper
DeleteI don’t need a clock to wake up either. I wake up at 5:30 no matter what, the same time I got up before I retired. The Writer is like your wife; you never know when he will appear. I quite enjoy my early mornings by myself, and just between you and me, I get a little testy when he gets up before me and interrupts my alone time!
ReplyDeleteFunny how we have a routine that others can interfere with.
DeleteI am a punctual type although I may not be quite as early to places as you are. I don’t wear a watch either. But I didn’t even usually do it in my teaching days since there were clocks aplenty. I don’t rise at a set time, and 7:00 is just about sleeping in for me, but my sleeping is all over the place.
ReplyDeleteBut you get up very early to do some photography so you know about early morning light.
DeleteMy sleeping schedule can be erratic. On my days off I wake up when I want.
ReplyDeleteYou have the option to get when you want and make good use of it.
DeleteMy husband likes a predictable schedule. I'm more flexible. Why is it that this happens so much in marriages? lol
ReplyDeleteWhat we forget is that we are all individuals and much more different than we think. I guess this comes from my insisting that we don't lump people into one group.
DeleteDuring the winter I find myself sleeping later and get up between 8 and 9, probably because daylight is later. Summer is different, I am up between 6 and 7. I usually like to start my day early but in reality it starts whenever. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the sunrise controls when many people rise.
DeleteI rise early and go to bed early. If I don't wake up naturally, I might sleep in for a few minutes, but basically I like to get about eight and a half hours of sleep every night. I have always worn a watch, but now it's a fitness tracker. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou also have a routine like he cup of tea first thing when you rise. I couldn't go to bed that early.
ReplyDeleteI don't own a watch:) When I retired I got rid of my watch. I go to bed when I am tired usually about midnight and get up when I can not sleep...sometimes 4 AM sometimes 9 AM most times I have to set an alarm if I want to get up at a certain time:)
ReplyDeleteI don't wear a watch or set an alarm. I'm always up by around 6 or 6:30. Usually our dog wakes us up, whether were ready to get up or not! Wish I could sleep in longer. I usually get about 5 hours a night. After that, I usually have join aches and pains and it's hard to find a comfortable position. I envy people who can sleep 8 hours non-stop!
ReplyDeleteI don't go to bed at a specific time even though I have read that adults should do that. For awhile I wore a Fitbit to track sleep and it would get me so annoyed because it would subtract what it considered restless time from actual sleep time. I was getting so aggravated that I no longer wear anything. I go to bed when I am tired or run out of things I want to do in the evening and then get up whatever time. Fact is though we always seem to be up by 6:30 a.m. although we have been known to sleep in until 8 a.m.
ReplyDeleteI liked your comment on Steve Reed's blog concerning the coronavirus. I urge you and your readers to watch Dr. John Campbell on YouTube for professional advice and the latest updates on this deadly disease that is spreading like wildfire. He isn't selling anything and he is NOT getting any money from YouTube for this series. He is a respected doctor from the UK. People need to wake up now and get prepared as best they can. If not, get a Sharpie to write your name and Social Security number on your arm.
ReplyDeleteI'm an early bird. I love the morning hours. I'm typically up by 6 AM. I don't use an alarm clock but my cats sometimes come in a little before that time to nag me for food! I haven't worn a watch in over 10 - 15 years. I just don't feel the need for one.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher I was also ruled by time - even toilet habits! But now time is pretty fluid. I go to bed when I want to - usually late and get up when I want to - also usually late.
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