4 Strategies to Consider in Your Transition to Retirement

Plan Your Day

For most of us, during our working lives, we know exactly what Monday through Friday looks like. Your morning commute (whether it’s to the office or your home office), meetings, interactions with co-workers and customers, your days were probably pretty well planned out. So, when there is no longer a commute or that Monday morning meeting, it can leave you feeling a bit adrift.

In retirement you don’t need every minute planned out. That’s the beauty of not having that schedule anymore. But having some semblance of a schedule can be quite helpful, especially if you were used to one when you were still among the working. According to Pew Research, those 60 and older now spend more than half of their daily leisure time, four hours, and 16 minutes, in front of screens, mostly watching TV or videos. If that doesn’t sound like the way you want to spend your retirement, you may want to starting planning what those retirement days will look like now.

Follow Your Passion

Retirement is a great time to follow your passions. If there’s a charity or cause that is near and dear to your heart, this is a great time to start volunteering or figure out a way to get more involved. There are likely dozens of nonprofits within a half hour of your home. Ask some friends or do a Facebook or google search for some options near you. Or maybe you have an idea for a small business that you never had time for when you were working.

If you still have that itch, maybe it is time to see where it leads. Another stream of income certainly doesn’t hurt in retirement! And you don’t have to start from scratch with a brand-new business. If you have a passion for woodworking or home projects, get a part-time job at a local hardware store. If you were a teacher and miss working with kids, you can tutor. Speaking of kids, for many retirees, their biggest passion is their family. Schedule a day a week to spend with your grandkids. My aunt has twin granddaughters who are almost two years old. She spends every Tuesday with them and that’s her favorite day of the week.

Build Your Social Circles

When you spend so many hours a week at work, it’s only natural that your social circle could be mostly people that you work with. When you retire and don’t see those people as often, you can easily feel left out or lonely. A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that nearly one-fourth of adults 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated. Be intentional about getting more involved at your church, local charities, with neighborhood groups, anything that would help you meet like-minded people that you enjoy spending time with.

Practice Makes Perfect

The transition from work to retirement is a big change. There’s a lot to consider and plan for. Which is why I often recommend taking a practice retirement. It might sound crazy, but in the couple of years leading up to your retirement, bunch several weeks of vacation days together so that you can get a taste for what it feels like to have more than one week at a time away from work. Were you bored by noon every day? Were you lonely and looking for someone to talk to? Or were you like my neighbor and looking for a new job or divorce attorney?

They say practice makes perfect. Figure out what doesn’t fit quite right during your practice retirement and continue to work on that area—whether it’s meeting new people, more time with family, finding a nonprofit or part-time work that appeals to you—and keep tweaking until it does feel right. Retirement can be an incredibly exciting time. Make sure yours is by planning well and practicing for it.