Organize Your Time
During your first weeks and months of retirement, you are busy doing all the fun things you planned to do when you retired. It’s like a long vacation from work and you feel a freedom like you haven’t felt for a very long time. When this time passes however, the grind starts again. You have 24 hours to fill, and the good thing is, they are your hours now.
The first step to lifelong satisfaction is to figure out how many hours you have that are truly yours. Don’t start saying yes to everything and sign up for classes and purchase all of the materials you’ll need for your new craft project before you figure out if you have time for it. If you have a partner, you have allow time for him/her in your assessment.
Is your partner retired too or do they still work?
If you have a partner and they are still working you will have lots of hours to fill in your day that are only yours. You will also have his/her income coming in so you have more flexibility in the things you can afford to do. You will want to plan fun and interesting things to do together on weekends, which is not much different than what you did while you worked, but you will have more time to do it. You will want to spend some time collaborating about how you will spend your time and money. While the time you have as a retired person is yours to design, your partner must be involved in the process.
If your partner doesn’t work you will need to consider him/her as you organize your new time together. You may decide that you don’t need to plan time to yourself because you want to be with your partner 24/7, but you are in the minority. Collaborating with your partner to assess both of your need for independent time will keep you from feeling anxious and put upon because their ideas and projects come first. You will both have full days to fill so consider how much time you need to be alone to do your projects and how much time you want to be together doing things. Be stingy with your time, for example, if you both decide that 3 hours a day are for independent activities, don’t let that go. If you do, it might be gone forever. Of course you always have to make room for emergencies and unexpected things that happen, but get right back to your routine when these things pass.
Are you in charge of cleaning and meals?
If you live alone, you are in charge of everything, which includes meals and home maintenance and will have to allot time in your daily schedule for household tasks and your monthly schedule to assess the need for home maintenance and projects. If you have a partner, it’s possible to arrange home tasks so both of you are doing what you think is appropriate. If your partner works, and you are home all day, you may slip into the caregiving role, because you have the time. If this works for you, great, if not use you negotiating skills to work out a plan that works for both of you. Discussions about how to share meal prep, who will take out the garbage, who will clean the bathroom and when are all examples of things that can be discussed.
Are you committed to any organizations?
Before you retired, you may have belonged to organizations and you want to continue to participate. If you do, how much time does this take in your day, week, month. Add it to your list of things you have to make time for.
How active do you like to be?
If you have always lived an active lifestyle, you get to be more active. If you loved to hike and camp on the weekends, you will get to go more places and see more things because you have the time. If you loved to explore new ideas and interests, you have the time now. Working limits what you can do and when you can do it. You may be an active in a sedentary lifestyle simply because you have a challenging work/life commitment. Stay within your comfort zone for now, but you have time to try new things that may be a little bit out of your comfort zone.
What kind of environment do you like to be in, busy, quiet?
If you like a fast paced, busy environment you will have to create one after you retire. If you like quiet and peaceful, you’re in luck, that’s what you get by default. If you need to be around lots of people, there are plenty of opportunities to stay involved and on the go. If you weren’t in a happy place environment while you worked, you can now create something that works for you in your retirement. For example, if you were a preschool teacher, balancing lots of balls in the air, in a noisy environment and your happy place is a quiet place with only a few decisions to make during the day, now’s your time to create that.
Do you care for family members or plan to in the near future?
If you have aging family members who need care now or in the foreseeable future, allot time for helping them make plans to meet their needs. Know what you comfort level is regarding being a caregiver so you can make a plan that doesn’t put you in a bad situation. In recent years, the opioid epidemic has forced many grandparents to take care of their grandchildren. If you find yourself in this situation, your will want to plan your time to accommodate your new responsibilities.
One thing I’ve noticed as I’ve aged, is that time goes more quickly. I often hear this from people in my age range. If you like to be productive and to make the most of your time, assessing the amount of time you need to fill and what you want to fill it with can result in greater satisfaction in your retired days. I’d also like to note that it’s important to circle back occasionally and do a time reassessment. Your needs will change over time and you want to continue to make the most of your days.