Does anyone else like the "structure" of life fr S

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Hi.

Ever since I was a young girl, I always enjoyed September to June. I wasn't necessarily the best student in school (in fact, some subjects, like math, were very challenging for me). However, as an adult, I realize that it was the structure itself that made me feel more comfortable.

Summer was usually very unstructured. There was not the programs for kids in those days that there are today (e.g. daycamps and such). If the programs did exist - my parents wouldn't have been able to afford them anyway. This left a lot of unstructured time on my hands. I was not very social and had trouble just spontaneously doing "fun" things. I need a sort of schedule so that I can get motivated.

Fast forward thirty years... I took about four years off my full time work due to having the kids. I worked casually on weekends. In other words, my employer would call me if they needed staff replacement on weekends. I would gets lots of work, but I often did not know my schedule ahead of time. I took a few "short calls" where they call me a couple of hours before my shift started and I took the work because my family needed the extra money. However, I was miserable most of the time at home because of the lack of regular schedule and structure.

Now I work full time (I found affordable out-of-school care for my kids), and have a nice, regular schedule. The kids started school in September, and they too have some structure. I feel very at ease now and happy. I have more energy and, oddly, spend MORE time with my kids and we have a better time because I am not so miserable all the time.

Does anyone else do better when they have structure and schedules?

i am far too lazy and fuzzyheaded to muster the discipline to stick to a schedule or structure of any kind.

I dont know because it has always been chaos around me. Structures and schedules go from working to be completely out of system. I have managed to make lists of all the things that have to be done and to execute everything in one day, with the result of a very delighted situation, but I have not managed to make the days look the same from morning to evening in more than ca. 1 week.

I did very well (that is to say, I was happy but still failed most classes) in college, where I could create my own schedule. Having to stick to a work schedule that someone else created is hard for me. Schedules and structure do make my life easier, but I have to create them myself or they just don't work.

I have the same routine every day - apart from the actual work I do - and I do prefer it that way (e.g. I loathe travelling away for work), the structure and consistency makes me happy.

i like creating a routine & then sticking to it. i don't mind if Tuesday is different from Monday as long as every Monday is like the previous Monday & every Tuesday like the previous Tuesday.

when i've travelled i found myself returning to the same places at around the same times, without especially trying to.

it's just harder to constantly keep improvising. i can do it, but it's like running on not enough sleep (or food). i feel the hunger for order, which is a distraction.

external orders i don't like as much, but i find a way to customize them. when i get to work i first do a couple of my own things. i create a regular break ritual (cup of tea at 3:30 or 4:00 is a good one). this enables me to go years without tiring of a dull job, or missing work (except for car breakdowns).

that's one of the hard things about living with other people, though. they seem to think if you're around, you're at their disposal.
pointing out the things you were intending, has the opposite effect. if you haven't started doing it yet, it isn't real to them.