There was snow in the mountains this past week, along with cool temperatures in the city.   Winter is on its way, as the local wineries begin to harvest their grapes and pumpkins start to appear on our doorsteps.  A week from today I’ll be helping friends picks the fruits of their labor, as we continue to stay near home before next month’s busy travel schedule.  Tonight is the first of three Field&Vine dinners that we’ve scheduled.  We venture to Douglas Farm on Sauvie Island, along the Columbia River for this event, similar to the Outstanding In The Field dinners that we attend annually.  Cornell Farms and Willakenzie Estate are the other two dining extravaganzas that we have pre-paid.  I hope there’s a bonfire to keep us warm tonight.

In making the transition from a full time job to retirement, I’m consciously trying to constructively manage my time, when we aren’t traveling.  I’m hoping to balance a variety of activities each day to keep life interesting.  Here’s where my time goes on the average:

Sleep – 8 hours (33.3%)

Exercise – I hour (stretching, running, push-ups, sit-ups, walking) w/radio *  (4.2%)

Hygiene – 1 hour (shower, shave, brush, prep, dress, etc.) (4.2%)

Dining – 1.5 hours (6.25%)

Pet Duty – 1 hour (walking, feeding, playing, kitty litter) (4.2%)

Errands – 1 hour (mail, gas, grocery, Target, vet, doctor, dry cleaning, meet-ups) (4.2%)

Household -1 hour (cleaning, repair, laundry, cooking, dishes)  * (4.2%)

Writing – 2 hours (Blog, Poems/Diary/Budget)*(8.3%)

Computer – 2 hours – (Search/Phone/E-mail/Social Media/Solitaire Game/Collecting/Banking) * (8.3%)

Reading – 1.5 hours (Book, Newspaper, and Magazine) *(6.25%)

Television – 3.0 hours (Sports/News/Movies/Documentaries)*(12.5%)

Conversation – 1 hour (4.2%)

It looks like I spend only about 20% of my time on the move, so I need to work on getting that up to at least 25%.  Regarding those activities marked with a (*), I’m typically multi-tasking with radio, television, phone, and/or computer.  Right now, for example, I’m writing, plus watching a football game on T.V. and a Cubs game on my phone.  I have a second computer on my desk that I use primarily for a Spider Solitaire game, so I’m constantly moving back-and-forth between computers as I try to gather my thoughts.  A half-finished book always sits nearby that I will take outside on the back deck and read in the sunshine.   I’ve been diagnosed with attention deficit issues that appear even more obvious when I try to determine how I spend my time.  The T.V. is constantly on, and if I’m not within viewing range I usually have my earbuds in and the radio on, or I’ll simply go mobile with the program on my phone.  I have to have background noise, so peace and quiet is not the norm for me.  I should probably consider some unplugged meditation, but I can’t sit still that long.  Even 15 minutes of quiet time would probably reduce my blood pressure levels that are typically high even with medication.  I’m also concerned about my low levels of human interaction each day, considering that I only spend about an hour in uninterrupted face-to-face conversation.  That’s a huge deviation from when I was working.

I think it’s helpful to study yourself from a time management standpoint.  I’m at least not an unemployed slug, averaging over 12,000 steps a day with zero sick days.  At some point, I’ll engage in some volunteer work, join a book club, take classes, and find other ways to stimulate more conversation.  For now, I enjoy being a loner and a homer.  However, I love date nights with my wife, lunch and happy hour meet-ups with my friends, travel, and baseball card shows.  It’s enough to keep me content and happy with my adjustments as a recent retiree.  As with anything, though, there’s always room for improvement, and I’ll keep studying those possibilities.