Time is What You Make of It
During the couple of years that I tried to be retired, I had more free time than I'd ever had before. With no job to go to and a wife who was still heading to work each day, I had hours to do what I wanted, except I didn't know what I wanted. I read some books from the library, watched a few movies from my streaming queues, and went for walks on occasion. However, I lacked a sense of purpose. I ended up sleeping a lot, feeling sad and lonely. It was not a pleasant experience.
Taking a low-stress job improved things. Once I settled into that routine, I discovered I still had plenty of downtime. I started by reading tech blogs and eventually created my own on Micro.blog. Through my reading, I learned about another blogging platform, Scribbles, and decided to explore it for non-technical writing. This led me to discover that I could use a subdomain to create another blog for writing app reviews, which I enjoy.
After a few months of this, my online friends introduced me to BearBlog, a new blogging platform. Intrigued, I started a links blog there using a ".lol" domain. I found BearBlog suitable for my longer-form writing and migrated my non-tech blog there.
I also cross-post to Reddit daily, sharing an abbreviated version of the day's app review. I make an effort to respond to any questions about my posts and explore new software. I stay up to date with my RSS feeds and maintain a 100% completion rate with posts from a small Mastodon list.
My daily routine is quite structured. I wake up at 4:30 am to compose my Reddit posts. During work hours, I use part of my lunch break to select a photo for my 100 Strangers project and schedule it for the next day. I also find a link for my links blog and write a brief intro, scheduling it for the following day.
In the evenings, while Wonder Woman prepares our lunches, I cook dinner. We eat together, watch an hour of TV, and finish by 7 pm. I spend the next 90-120 minutes writing my app review and post for Living Out Loud. After catching up on Reddit and Mastodon, I relax with my iPad, reading my RSS feed until I fall asleep.
On weekends, I update my /now page, write a weekly bookmarks article, and perform any necessary site maintenance. I anticipate no issues incorporating my new Reddit mod responsibilities for r/macOS into my routine or collaborating with a friend on a new project. I genuinely enjoy all these activities; none feel like a burden. The day I view writing a blog post as an obligation rather than a pleasure is the day I'll stop. I'm uncertain how long this creative streak will last; currently, I'm at 101 days, and if obstacles arise, so be it. I'm simply enjoying the ride.
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