Many people are curious what I do with my time now that I’m working less. So here is a typical day.

The morning plays out much like it did when I was working second shift with a few variations. First, since I’m not staying up as late, I am starting the day about two hours earlier waking up around 7 a.m. to have my oatmeal and coffee. After coffee and a show or daily email reading, it’s time for a second coffee and a dog walk, followed by gym time.

The second big change is there is just less rush trying to get to the gym and through the workout because I have to get home to shower and get to work. So if it is a nice day, we will walk 1.3 miles to the gym instead of riding the e-bikes or driving. It took a few weeks to get to the place of feeling less rushed.

After the gym, we will come home for lunch. Then there is usually a little down time to digest, then feed the animals their second meal of the day. Some days we will go play pickleball or go for another walk or grocery shop.

The third biggest change is managing my time during what would have been my working hours. It’s been great to do certain weeknight activities like go to a Hornets basketball game, a weeknight Charlotte FC playoff game, and we recently started going to trivia which we haven’t been able to do for years. However, on a night with nothing special on the calendar, it might just look like messing around on the computer or reading in the afternoon followed by an early dinner. Maybe some shows or a movie then off to bed to repeat the next day.

The biggest challenge is not giving in to the urge to be productive every single minute. I have yet to give myself permission to totally relax. Not sure if it is guilt that others do have to work, worry that we should create another income stream just in case, or simply the innate American need to fill up every second with busy work.