20 Things To Do in Retirement
Early in 2019, I had no idea that I would retire by mid-summer. My husband and I had planned to work another 3 to 5 years. But changes in both work and home life started adding up, and we both started wondering if we could make retirement a reality sooner, rather than later. If you’re thinking the same, you might enjoy my article on the 5 Steps to Retiring Now. It all happened so quickly, that I once the dust settled on the last days of my career, and our move out of state, I was left trying to figure out what to do next. So, I came up with these 20 things to do in retirement.
Clean and Declutter
This was pretty much all I did for the first several months. We did it as we were packing to move, and we did even more as we were settling into our new home. I don’t know about you, but when I look around and see piles and disorganization, I feel stressed out. Even though our new home is somewhat bigger than our last, it doesn’t have as much storage. There was a finite amount of room to even build new storage in the garage. So, some hard decisions needed to be made.
My stepmother died early last year, and we spent a couple of weeks helping Dad clear out her stuff. We barely scratched the surface! He has spent this entire last year, sorting and sifting and gifting a lifetime of treasures. We are slowly doing the same in our home.
Do your kids a favor and get rid of stuff now so they won’t be stuck with the daunting task of clearing out your boxes of what-nots in storage. You could invite them over now, so you can hand down things that are important to you or your family. Try to do these things while you’re healthy and have the energy for such a big project.
Upgrade your Time with Family and Friends
We both had busy management jobs that we supported in and out of the office. In fact, one of my divisions worked late into the evening and on weekends, so I regularly fielded calls, texts, and emails. My downtime was limited. Over the last years, I became really terrible at sending birthday cards, and remembering important dates. I had once kept a lengthy Christmas Card list that I lovingly had addressed and embossed each envelope. This went by the wayside.
So, once I retired, I set up reminders for mailing birthday cards, and buying/sending gifts. I even wrote a Christmas letter and mailed it out to our list last Christmas. I’m sure they were all shocked, since the last one I sent was 10 years ago!
I also started meeting friends for lunch, at Disneyland, the aquarium, or shopping. It was so much fun to rekindle old friendships, and to make some new ones now that I had the time. I’m looking forward to getting back to this once we have a little more freedom to socialize, and spend time with family.
Travel
This was our number one plan. Early retirement is a great time to take short and long trips. We immediately scheduled a European River cruise, which got cancelled due to COVID. So, we’re having a great time talking about a new itinerary for next year. In the meantime, we’ve taken short day trips to see some of the cities near our new home. Eventually we’ll be able to actually get out of the car. (LOL!) But in the meantime, we are exploring our options and making plans for future trips.
Finally Read All Those Books
If you’re like me, you have a stack of books sitting on your nightstand, just waiting to be read. Take some time to enjoy reading. You could even join a book club or start your own!
Take Classes
There are scads of online classes that you can take. (Don’t you just love that word, scads?) You can finish your degree, or get a graduate degree online or simply register at the local community college. Another fun option is . I bought this for my hubby for Christmas when they had a BOGO special. We’ve had a great time learning from some of the world’s best in just about any fine arts subject you can imagine!
Learn a New Hobby
Since you’re taking classes, why not learn a new hobby? Develop a new skill! I’ve been practicing French with the fun and free app, Duolingo. They have dozens of languages to pick from. You could even learn more than one language at a time if you’re talented in that way.
You could learn to cross stitch, bake bread, watercolor, upholster furniture, you name it! There are teachers and mentors in just about any craft, both online and in person.
Write
Have you always loved to write? When I was a teenager, I had planned to be a best-selling writer. But for some reason, a never pursued journalism. Now would be a great time to start your memoir. Write your life stories for your grand-kids. Write articles for magazines, or online publications. You could even start your own blog, like this one.
Mentor, Tutor, or Teach
Many schools have a mentoring program to match students with mentors. You could also tutor or teach a subject in your area of expertise. Check the local schools, community center or college for options.
Get Back in Shape
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been talking about getting back in shape since I became out of shape in my 30’s. You could join a gym, yoga, or dance studio if you’re interested in group accountability. There are also a ton of free resources online. Your health insurance may even have a Silver Sneakers program with free, or heavily discounted gym memberships. Check it out!
Learn a New Sport
Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to fish, or kayak. Go hiking, or camping. Learn to surf, stand-up-paddleboard (SUP) or synchronized swim. Maybe you loved to ride bikes as a kid. There are so many activities. Try all that interest you.
Join a Sports League
Maybe you used to be great at a team sport. Check out your local community center for information on sports leagues. You could join a soccer team, pickle ball, tennis, or even a bowling league.
Run for Office
If you are civically minded, you could run for office, or volunteer in a campaign. I had a friend who volunteered on a presidential campaign, following her divorce, and ended up working in the white house for 12 years! Or maybe you’d like to volunteer for a cause that is near and dear to your heart.
Audition
If you love to sing, consider joining a Sweet Adelines chorus. There are excellent choruses in nearly every community in the U.S., and many in other countries. If you’ve always loved to act, sing, or dance, even if you haven’t done anything since your school days, you could audition for a role in a community theater production. It might be fun to dust off that old violin, and join a local orchestra.
Attend Special Events
Go to the theater, concerts, or movies. In summer, many communities have free concerts in the park. Many museums have great membership programs, or social clubs. These are a great way to support your local community and meet new people.
Join a Social Club
Meet Up has so many groups and interests you can check out. If you’re single, there are dating groups, and singles groups in just about every area of interest.
Express your Faith
Maybe you used to go to church, or maybe you’re curious. There are so many options for getting in touch with your spirituality, and your higher power. Check out some online services until you find a teacher who resonates with you. Some churches even offer small groups, or bible studies online.
Play Games
Not only are there hundreds of apps for games, there are books of sudoku, crosswords, etc. If you’d like something more in-depth, you can play video games online with people all around the world! Back before online gaming was even an option, my ex-husband played battle games with a guy in another country. They each kept a battle board set up in their homes, then they would make their moves and mail the new chart back and forth to each other to set their board and make a new move. Almost like a pen pal, but with little army men. Occasionally they’d have to have a phone conversation, which required some juggling of time zones. Crazy, huh? Seriously, there’s something for everyone.
Create Your Bucket List
I talked about that in this article about Bucket Lists and Life Goals. Go ahead and download my free Bucket List template and make your list, then cross one off every month.
Take a Part-Time Job for Fun
I used to joke that one day, when I was sick of being in charge, I was going to quit my job and open a flower shop. The very funny thing about this, is that I am terrible at flower arranging. But I love flowers, and I love being around creative people. It just seemed like a low stress, high satisfaction retirement goal. Even if you don’t need the money, you could work in a flower shop, or a boutique where you love to shop, or even a craft store. I have a friend who worked part-time in a quilt shop to get discounts on supplies. Eventually she ended up teaching classes there.
Start a Business
After I retired, I missed being in the business world, but I wanted to create my own projects and schedule. As a result, I started this blog with the goal to monetize and build it into a business. You could also start a dog walking or pet sitting service. Babysitting services, or after-school childcare is always in need. You could consult in your old field of expertise. As an H.R. professional, I’ve done some consulting work, as well as some project work since retiring. My husband has done the same in his field. We have both set up business entities and websites.
These are just some of the many things you can do in retirement. Have you thought of some that aren’t on this list? Share them in the comments!
