The daily routine

I get so tired of feeling "at loose ends" on my days off.  You would think that I have not only plenty of time to get things done, but also plenty of time leftover for actual fun and relaxation.  No time for boredom, right?  Somewhere in the middle is true.  Most of the time, I underestimate the time it will take me in the mornings to finally get moving and get something done besides the Wordle or mindless scrolling on Instagram.  (I finally had to uninstall Instagram and deactivate FaceBook because my phone useage was ridiculous) I came up with a loose plan for my days that I actually wrote down, so that I could direct myself and give some balance to life.  My goal was to have some productive time, some relaxation time, and some self care time.  

*Get up at 6 a.m. 

*get coffee, sit on my deck

*make a To Do list for the day

*take my heartburn med at 8 (this will end soon), do a minor chore like empty the dishwasher or make my bed, then fix and eat breakfast. Clean the kitchen up.

*Work on what ever I have on my To Do list and lately, there's not enough there to keep me occupied all day.  Mostly because I see certain things on the list and think "oh, I'll never get that done its too BIG" and so it gets put off

*lunch at 1 p.m., almost always at home

*its too hot to do anything but I force myself to either walk, go run some errands (i.e. leave the house, sit in the sun for a little while, or read

*Dinner at 6 p.m., almost always something I cook

*more reading, or find a small chore to do that didn't get done during the day, shower

*Lights out at 930 p.m., listening to a short meditation if I am not sleepy enough

My mother used to tell me she had nothing to write me about because she "leads a boring life".  But I feel like that is happening to myself as well and its so ironic, given the things I do manage to do in those four days' time.  And I think she must have been referring the the mental boredom of going through the day with only her thoughts.  She had chickens, a garden, a dog, 42 games to play on Wednesdays, trips to the library, pickles and jams to preserve, quilts to complete, certain shows she loved to watch, among other things.  But I struggle to come up with a list of  "Things Other Than Chores to Occupy My Time".

I don't want to garden.  I don't want to deal with a pet. I'm not retired yet and I can still drive.  I read blogs by other women in similar circumstances and I wonder how they avoid going batty.  I plan on investigating various continuing education opportunities, and maybe some freelance something or other.  Investigating some hobbies. Getting started is the hardest part. 

Suggestions are welcomed.