What Will I Do In Retirement?
This is a great question as during our working lives we are defined by what we do, our job title, our business cards, and the clothes that we wear. So, who are we in our new lives?
After speaking with many individuals, it appears that the ones who had a lot of personal activities in their lives went into retirement very easily as they just expanded on their previous interests. These are the individuals who informed me that they never once missed working, and they never looked back.
The individuals, who did not have a lot of personal activities tended to struggle as they had to build a personal life from scratch and make new friends, plus make a new identity. These individuals tended to miss their work families, and their occupations as they now did not know what to do with themselves and all of the extra time. Workaholics would fit into this category as all these individuals do is work, which means that they are not really living their lives as all things should be in balance. For these individuals, it probably took them 1 to 2 years to start building a personal life and to start enjoying their retirement.
Once you have retired, and you have gotten past the first few weeks, which will feel like a vacation the biggest struggle that you may deal with is the lack of structure. As human beings, we like structure in our lives as this is how we have been raised. From the time that we are born and when we are very young, our parents provide us with structure then we go to school where our teachers take over a part of this role followed by our chosen career path where our employers take over this task. In each of these phases of our lives, we have structure as we know when we have to get up in the morning, what we will be doing all day, and when we need to go to bed at night in order that we can function the next day. Once we retire, we loose this structure so perhaps, three to five years prior to retiring, we need to start thinking about how we are going to fill our days as without the structure of going to work every day it is very easy to get into bad habits such as going to bed later and later at night and sleeping in until noon the next day. You can also start putting off the things that you need to do around your home as you can always tell yourself that you can do them the next day, but the next day never comes.
Some things that we may think about when we retire (or prior to) are:
1. Turn off your alarm clock!!
2. Become a Volunteer - You now have the time and the energy to do something for others and give back to your community, if you wish. Personally, I volunteer at a retirement home, and I have found it to be incredibly rewarding as you are meeting different individuals and hearing their life stories, which can be quite fascinating as everyone has a story to tell.
3. If you love to read, join a book club or start one. Perhaps, this is something that you can do at your local library. Over the years, I have been a part of a couple of book clubs, and they can work differently. In one club everyone read the same book and then discussed it at someone's home over coffee and dessert. In the other club, which is held at my local library, everyone read a different book, but in the same genre, e.g., non-fiction, mystery, etc., and then everyone discussed the book they read over coffee and dessert. Notice food is a recurring theme here!
4. Reconnect with old friends, you haven't had a chance to spend time with due to work and family commitments.
5. Spend more time with your grandchildren as they will grow up very quickly. Trust me on this!
6. Start a weekly coffee group with your friends. It is so much fun to have great conversation with people knowing that you are not trying to change the world.
7. Join a gym or sign up for classes such as yoga, tennis, swimming, etc.
8. Experiment with new recipes and become a better cook.
9. Ride your bike.
10. Learn how to curl. This is a wonderfully social activity that will help you stay in shape and meet new friends at the same time.
11. Take long walks on nice days. This will have the added benefit of helping you to sleep better at night due to both the fresh air and the exercise.
12. Go to the theatre with friends.
13. If you are a nature enthusiast, why not take up bird watching.
14. Photography - I plan to have an individual write an article on photography in the knew future, and it will be posted under the Travel section of this site.
Now that you are retired, your clothing is something that you need to look at as you will no longer require the same things. However, instead of getting rid of your suits (assuming that you worked in an office), why not mix and match, e.g., take a nice business jacket and pair it up with a pair of jeans, or take the pants from your suit and wear it with a nice blouse minus the jacket. You can be smart and stylish for whatever activities you do without looking like you are walking into a Boardroom.
Remember: We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill
After speaking with many individuals, it appears that the ones who had a lot of personal activities in their lives went into retirement very easily as they just expanded on their previous interests. These are the individuals who informed me that they never once missed working, and they never looked back.
The individuals, who did not have a lot of personal activities tended to struggle as they had to build a personal life from scratch and make new friends, plus make a new identity. These individuals tended to miss their work families, and their occupations as they now did not know what to do with themselves and all of the extra time. Workaholics would fit into this category as all these individuals do is work, which means that they are not really living their lives as all things should be in balance. For these individuals, it probably took them 1 to 2 years to start building a personal life and to start enjoying their retirement.
Once you have retired, and you have gotten past the first few weeks, which will feel like a vacation the biggest struggle that you may deal with is the lack of structure. As human beings, we like structure in our lives as this is how we have been raised. From the time that we are born and when we are very young, our parents provide us with structure then we go to school where our teachers take over a part of this role followed by our chosen career path where our employers take over this task. In each of these phases of our lives, we have structure as we know when we have to get up in the morning, what we will be doing all day, and when we need to go to bed at night in order that we can function the next day. Once we retire, we loose this structure so perhaps, three to five years prior to retiring, we need to start thinking about how we are going to fill our days as without the structure of going to work every day it is very easy to get into bad habits such as going to bed later and later at night and sleeping in until noon the next day. You can also start putting off the things that you need to do around your home as you can always tell yourself that you can do them the next day, but the next day never comes.
Some things that we may think about when we retire (or prior to) are:
1. Turn off your alarm clock!!
2. Become a Volunteer - You now have the time and the energy to do something for others and give back to your community, if you wish. Personally, I volunteer at a retirement home, and I have found it to be incredibly rewarding as you are meeting different individuals and hearing their life stories, which can be quite fascinating as everyone has a story to tell.
3. If you love to read, join a book club or start one. Perhaps, this is something that you can do at your local library. Over the years, I have been a part of a couple of book clubs, and they can work differently. In one club everyone read the same book and then discussed it at someone's home over coffee and dessert. In the other club, which is held at my local library, everyone read a different book, but in the same genre, e.g., non-fiction, mystery, etc., and then everyone discussed the book they read over coffee and dessert. Notice food is a recurring theme here!
4. Reconnect with old friends, you haven't had a chance to spend time with due to work and family commitments.
5. Spend more time with your grandchildren as they will grow up very quickly. Trust me on this!
6. Start a weekly coffee group with your friends. It is so much fun to have great conversation with people knowing that you are not trying to change the world.
7. Join a gym or sign up for classes such as yoga, tennis, swimming, etc.
8. Experiment with new recipes and become a better cook.
9. Ride your bike.
10. Learn how to curl. This is a wonderfully social activity that will help you stay in shape and meet new friends at the same time.
11. Take long walks on nice days. This will have the added benefit of helping you to sleep better at night due to both the fresh air and the exercise.
12. Go to the theatre with friends.
13. If you are a nature enthusiast, why not take up bird watching.
14. Photography - I plan to have an individual write an article on photography in the knew future, and it will be posted under the Travel section of this site.
Now that you are retired, your clothing is something that you need to look at as you will no longer require the same things. However, instead of getting rid of your suits (assuming that you worked in an office), why not mix and match, e.g., take a nice business jacket and pair it up with a pair of jeans, or take the pants from your suit and wear it with a nice blouse minus the jacket. You can be smart and stylish for whatever activities you do without looking like you are walking into a Boardroom.
Remember: We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill
