It seems that the older I get, and especially since I retired, I live my life by a pretty strict routine. I’ve recognized it for sometime, but today decided to see if the kind of thing I do is shared by many of you in the Forum. Breakfast is rigidly routine: cereal (almost always original Shredded Wheat with blueberries) and yogurt with honey and cinnamon on MWF. Scrambled eggs and sausage, TTh. Weekend breakfasts we fix together, but both days are the same: homemade waffle on Saturday, sourdough hotcakes on Sunday.

The days I abstain from alcohol remain the same, the days I only allow myself one drink, and those where I allow myself more—the same.

Dinners we decide together, so I’m flexible there, although we both like fish, especially salmon, and usually have that on Friday. Homemade pizza, a specialty of my lovely wife, has been a Saturday night tradition for a long, long time—with a bottle of wine.

I’m thrown off if I can’t practice/play guitar in the morning. No matter how free my afternoon is, I can’t seem to bring myself to pick up a guitar after 1:00. I work on my Spanish every afternoon, usually from about 3:00 to 4:00 or 4:30.

It bothers me to be so locked into a routine, but I guess it’s harmless. Anyone else?

Some things yes but "routine" behavior is something I detest.
In some cases it is critical ~ like shooting fundamentals, working out or golf and perhaps other areas.
I try to change things up like driving a different route or eating something different and plenty of other examples.
My wife is a severe routine oriented person - drives me crazy.
Live a little - try something different once in a while.

Oddly, I default into one, when I’m not that busy, when it becomes a hindrance.

When I’m busy, insisting on elements of a routine - exercise periods, etc are invaluable.

The busier I get, the more critical it is to take down time.

I like a routine.

Also being retired my routine is having this put back in the same place ... whether it be tools, kitchen utensils, spices, paperwork, just about anything like that ... so I can find what I want when needed.

Yes,
Now more than ever.
A much more smarter me would have started it 29 years ago.

How was I supposed to know what mattered ?
At forty years of age ?

Like clockwork for as long as I can remember. With work and commuting it helps to maintain consistency.

A solid routine helps me when things get chaotic.

In my younger years I was a seat of the pants type, priding myself on my ability to adjust on the fly. Now, I am in a routine and I'm enjoying it. I think my body appreciates it. I marvel at my kids and SIL's that just go with the flow and think I used to do that but how?

When I’m working and have a mowing schedule, if I’m forced to do something out of order it throws the whole day off. I’m not sure how going forth and back is different from back and forth but it changes everything.