Giving up the day job - do you have a routine?

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beachgurl

Yesterday was my first child-free, employed work-free day. we decided for me to ease back on work life, for a short while at least and focus on the home front and less stress with us both working in the city. I've just bought a property and intend to do a 6 week reno and flip, to see if it can bring in some pocket money. The kids will still be in daycare 3 days per week.

For those that don't work for the boss, how do you structure your day when you are not busy with your properties? Or do you just wake up in the morning and decide what to do? Hubby says that when things are quiet on the renovating side I should just relax, have a snooze when the kids are in daycare or just watch tv, but I'm worried I'll fall into laziness. I've just joined a gym and plan on having one coffee/lunch date a week with someone in the property game to keep the brain moving.

What do others do/have done with their days?
 
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Hi beachgurl
I have not got the luxury to do that yet, but I usually keep 2-3 routines whether or not I'm working (e.g. the gap between jobs) to give some structure.

E.g. Exercise in the morning, read x pages of book a day, cook :)

And I'm in Sydney, if you are running out of ppl to have a coffee with. Just a noob in property, but can talk about how good the coffee is if we don't have things to talk about :)
 
I really don't have a routine other than walk my dogs and pick up my daughter from school at 3.00 pm each day.

Other than that, just whatever comes up, sometimes I spend the day on the phone, oh yes... I'm a talker;)

Close friend lives around the corner so we catch up regularly.

I like to check out what's happening at the local auction houses, not property.... furniture, china etc.

I always have something on a daily basis that I need to do that relates to property as I am developing, its just nature of the beast.

I always fit in my favourite shows on fox and I may spend half the day, or an hour just whatever suits me... :)

MTR
 
I wake up each morning and run through my mind what I'll do that day ... we're on property and in the midst of renovating/landscaping so there is no shortage of "jobs" that require doing ... just they don't all "need" to be done on any particular day or in any particular order.

For example - today (asides from the usual school run/washing/kitchen clean etc) I am irrigating the paddocks, pulling weeds, spraying, plant some more veges and might sweep the back outdoor area if I get time.

Two days ago was howling a hot westerly - feral - so decided to stay indoors and do paperwork instead or paddock work.

Tomorrow I might start the pool area garden - or I might clean the house and do the grocery shop - or I might go to lunch with a friend ... I'll decide tomorrow morning.

So, no routine but no shortage of jobs to do. I have a stack of reading to get through so might even do that tomorrow - I have been known - in the past - to spend an entire day watching Grand Designs DVD's ... :D
 
I don't have the luxury of not working at all but I work on rotation of 28/28 so really only work 6 months a year.
When I'm not working I don't have a set routine though do force myself to get up and go for a walk/ride and hopefully a swim before I have a coffee. Then I start the day. If I don't do it I find the day vanishes into the computer with little or nothing achieved.
I also set any meetings for as early in the day as possible. It's easier to get thing over and done with earlier rather than later.

Blacky
 
beachgurl said:
Hubby says that when things are quiet on the renovating side I should just relax, have a snooze when the kids are in daycare or just watch tv, but I'm worried I'll fall into laziness. I've just joined a gym and plan on having one coffee/lunch date a week with someone in the property game to keep the brain moving.
Click to expand...

Wish my hubby said that to me.

Pick me! Pick me! ( for the coffee/lunch not the gym).
Ill only be working 3 days a week next year? Not planning anything (at least for the first few weeks). Ive got lots of stuff to catch up on. Then I'll see. Might do some babysitting or volunteer work.
 
We set the alarm for 7:15 every morning. They sleep another hour, unless we have a scheduled appointment.

Then we have breakfast. Read emails (and of course some SS)

For instance our day consisted of:
Picking up a part to repair a clothes washer...and then fixing it.
I tried my hand at drywall repair, while Rob did the washer.(was kinda fun)
Bought some supplies for our carpenter and took it to him.
Had another appointment to return stored belongings to a former tenant(she didn't show)
Drove thru McDonald's for coffee & muffins (yumm)
Showed an apt.
Scheduled showing for an apt (they were a no show)
Dentist appointment.
Went to the plumber to ask a question
Went to the electrician to ask a question
Placed some ads for a rental property
Take phone calls for rental properties
Made supper

Like Lizzie, most of the things on our list, are things that need to be completed, but when we do them, is usually at our discretion.
 
We are pretty much similar to many of the replies already posted.

We keep busy. I have plenty of days where I do whatever I want. I do have a casual job that stops me being home all the time, and which I enjoy.

Hubby is renovating now, and this is the fourth small renovation this year, but that is not "usual". We still have to get the youngest out of bed so he can get himself on the school bus but school finishes in ten weeks and then I'm throwing my alarm clock away.

This morning, (no school today) we got up about 8am, had cooked brekky on our front deck, and hubby went to the renovation at 9am.

Life is good.
 
i got the option of giving up day job by getting given a package.

After 1 month - i got relatively too restless. Went to gym, cleaning, walking the dog were getting too routine for me. after a while, i really wanted to get back to my old routine of working and i was too young to be out of work yet.

now back to the job after 1 month has passed. Having said that working for an organization which was voted BRW weekly no.1 place to work in whole of australia in 2012 helps too. Free massages on friday and a gym helps too
 
Am considering a 2 weeks on 2 weeks off roster rather than a 5 days on 2 days off roster for 2014, plus ill be refreshing skills not used for a while

2 weeks off has been my maximum break for a long time now, I think (will need to check) I'm owed about 18 weeks leave at present

At one stage I tried taking a week off every 3 months,which was great for the first 2, but eventually skipped due to work commitments,at the end of the year I'd. Only taken 2 weeks off.

Giving up the day job, I'd need to work out. An ideal routine, though gym, coffee, massage, meals out and spending time with the kids sounds good :D
 
Melbournian said:
i got the option of giving up day job by getting given a package.

After 1 month - i got relatively too restless. Went to gym, cleaning, walking the dog were getting too routine for me. after a while, i really wanted to get back to my old routine of working and i was too young to be out of work yet.

now back to the job after 1 month has passed. Having said that working for an organization which was voted BRW weekly no.1 place to work in whole of australia in 2012 helps too. Free massages on friday and a gym helps too
Click to expand...

Sounds like OBS but you have to give it at least 12 months to create your own routines.. 1 month doesn't cut it.

http://www.brw.com.au/p/lists/specials/the_list_australia_top_employers_Rf65u7dfwOOEjG5fjOSaQP
 
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