# Do retirees know the day of the week? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329 "2007-08-03T19:45:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/21 "2007-08-03T22:05:01Z")
If I really NEED to know, I look at the bottom right corner of my computer screen. Mostly, I just don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/22 "2007-08-03T22:12:03Z")
I’m retired, myself, and I don’t always know what day it might be. But, then again, during my working history, I wasn’t always sure what day it might be either. Especially when I was doing shift work, that wasn’t tied to the Monday-Friday work week, it just wasn’t important. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/23 "2007-08-03T22:25:29Z")
I am 78 and don’t ever have a problem knowing what day it is. I think the problem with some folks is that they have depended on using computers and cell phones to keep track of days of the week for appointments etc. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/24 "2007-08-03T22:38:42Z")
When I was on the cruise ship for two weeks in July, the [rugs on the floor of the elevators](http://www.lahman.org/alaska2007/7-15%20Icy%20Strait%20Point/target155.html) told you the day of the week. Otherwise, I had no idea – and frankly, no need to know. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/25 "2007-08-03T23:33:41Z")
I’ve been retired 5 years, and I could care less what day of the week it is. In my 35 year career, i worked 24 hour shifts that moved up one day each week. All I saw on the calendar was Day Shift/Night Shift or Night Shift/Day Shift. I figure out it is the weekend when all my neighbors are out and about. When I worked the D/N or the N/D, I was usually off for three days…and working around the house. When I mentioned one day to a neighbor that I was going to retire, she said…How will we know? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/26 "2007-08-03T23:36:23Z")
One of Mom’s complaints about her parents is that, in spite of having been retired for over 30 years, they still insist on traveling only on weekends - when it is more expensive and there are less trains. So those two do know what day it is. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/27 "2007-08-03T23:41:24Z")
I retired last year as did my SO. We often have to look at the newspaper or the computer to know what day it is. As someone mentioned up thread it’s good to know when the weekend is so as to not go shopping then. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/28 "2007-08-03T23:50:51Z")
OK, I’m actually one of the few here that IS retired. Be 80 next week, and I always know what day it is, and also the date. However, I forget what year it is. (just kidding). It does help that I have a date and time readout on my desktop, and as I log on first thing every day, maybe that’s cheating. The great thing about being retired is that every day is a holiday! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/29 "2007-08-04T00:00:29Z")
Obviously they do, because they know the day they can go shopping having received S.S. ---
**Author:** ![ZomZom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zomzom/32/5620_2.png) [@ZomZom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZomZom)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/30 "2007-08-04T00:43:37Z")
My parents are retired and even though their social schedules are approximately equal to my professional schedule they often don’t realize what day of the week it is. I am quite jealous. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/31 "2007-08-04T05:02:12Z")
I’m self-employed and work alone, in a room of my house, and I work every single day. I Tivo all my tv programs and watch them whenever I have time. Unless I have some sort of appointment, I have to stop and think to remember what day it is. Or look at the corner of my screen. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/32 "2007-08-04T06:20:08Z")
I’m 65, retired and I sometimes have to think what fucking year it is never mind day 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/33 "2007-08-04T07:17:06Z")
I’d say it depends on how much your life revolves around regular activities and the rest of the working world. For example, my parents are retired: My dad plays golf every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus they are very active in their church. So he always knows, but my mom probably relies on him somewhat to know what day of the week it is. OTOH, the summer that I was 14, all I knew was that if my parents were around during the day, it meant that I had to get up early the next morning for church. Nowadays we have cell phones, and some of us have a calendar right there on our computer screen. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/34 "2007-08-04T08:50:06Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] Anytime I have more than a few days off, I always have to think about what day it is. Same when I was in school- I’d have to check the Giants’ schedule to see what day it was. [/QUOTE] Same with me. I’m a university student, and whenever a have a spare week which I spend leisurely, I get in trouble with the day of the week. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/35 "2007-08-04T19:56:24Z")
Not long after I retired, my wife came home on a Wednesday, and asked, “Is it Friday yet?” With a broad smile, I said, “Yes, it’s always Friday.” I no longer wear a watch. If it’s really important, I can look at my cell phone, if I’m carrying it. 🆒 I have some things I need to do today. Or tomorrow. Or eventually. If I start an SDMB thread, I try to keep an eye on it daily, or sorta daily. I have a small list of TV shows that happen on a certain day, and I might watch them. Sometimes, people ask me how I like being retired, and I say, “I was born for this kind of work.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/36 "2007-08-04T22:42:22Z")
I think it has nothing to do with age or retirement as such. For years I had a job with no connection to days of the week & no set pattern of work. 3-on, 2-off, 4-on, 4-off, 1-on, 1-off, 2-on, 5-off, 4-on, 2-off, 2-on would be a reasonable 31-day month, with next month being totally a different pattern. I always knew the date & time, but only my wristwatch knew the day of the week. It was utterly irrelevant to my life. Now I have a 9-5 Mon-Fri job & I always know the day of the week. OTOH, I don’t always know the date. The date is a little relevant sometimes, but not very often. Partly as a side effect from the other job, I never plan personal things more than a day or two in advance, so dates are almost never relevant to my personal life. And the nature of my current job means dates aren’t relevant to most of what I do most days. ---
**Author:** ![biometricks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@biometricks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biometricks)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/37 "2007-08-04T23:39:50Z")
[QUOTE=I’m Ron Burgundy?] I’m unemployed and I thought today was Thursday. [/QUOTE] I thought today was Sunday until I went to 7-11 and could only get the Saturday newspaper. What the heck, it’s 3pm why are they still selling yesterdays newspaper… oh, wait :smack: ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/38 "2007-08-04T23:50:00Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] I’m 65, retired and I sometimes have to think what fucking year it is never mind day 😃 [/QUOTE] Dude, I can’t wait to be old. I’m not joking. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/39 "2007-08-05T01:10:38Z")
Well, I’ve been off work for about a month and a half (left my old job voluntarily, and am enjoying a small “employment holiday” for a bit) but will shortly be back at it. After about two weeks, I started to lose track of specific days. Other than appointments, which I have on a calendar, it simply doesn’t matter. I can see why fully retired folk might not know or care what day it is. And **Lurky**? I’m jealous, pal. Enjoy! Hope that NC climate is treating you better than the Windy City did… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329/40 "2007-08-05T01:52:11Z")
Since it seems at this point that no scientific studies of the issue are apt to be forthcoming, and most responses are based on personal experience, I’m going to send this one over to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-retirees-know-the-day-of-the-week/414329.md?page=3)