It’s hard to believe it has been six months since I left my full-time position to start my next chapter. Time is flying by quickly, so I wanted to capture some learnings and observations from the first six months while things are still fresh in my mind.
A new chapter begins
June 27 was my last day of work. My journal entry for that day said this:
”That’s it! I’m retired. Feels great and a little strange all at the same time. Fittingly, Loverboy’s Turn Me Loose was playing on the radio as I was leaving the parking lot. A new chapter begins!”
So far, retirement—or my second life as I prefer to call it—is pretty much what I expected. To ensure it stays that way, I set a reminder in my calendar for the end of every month to reflect and check in on how things are going and capture any learnings.
Observations from the first 6 months
Here are my observations from the first 6 months of my second life.
Taking time to decompress
After working full time for 40 years, I needed time to decompress. With that in mind, I consciously put my big projects on hold until after the summer.
The first couple of months felt like an extended vacation. It didn’t really sink in that I was not going back to work until I returned from my trip to Ireland at the end of August.
It’s tempting to just dive into your big plans but it’s important to give yourself time before doing that. The right amount of time will be different for everyone. You’ll know when it’s time to move on when you start to feel restless and excited about your next steps.
Having a robust plan smooths the transition
Moving into month three, I felt relaxed and ready to throw myself into some of my projects.
As the summer ended, I was grateful for the time I had spent creating a robust plan for my next chapter. Without that plan, it would have been easy to just drift along, letting the days turn to weeks, months, and years. Comfort-oriented retirees are happy to do that, but I need more. As a growth-oriented individual, my retirement lifestyle plan gave me ideas of how to fill my time and remain physically and mentally engaged.
Being happy at home is as important as travel
When you ask people about their plans for retirement, travel often tops the list. In the first two months, I did fit in two vacation trips—10 days in Northern California and 16 days in Ireland. Add in trips to Nashville, San Diego, and Chicago for conferences and board meetings and I was on the go a lot for the first four months.
After returning from San Diego in November, I was more than ready to spend some time at home. Travel is great, but it’s equally important to have a home base that you’re happy to return to. That’s why “home” is one of the elements of the retirement readiness assessment I do with my coaching clients.
Structure and routine matter
One of the nice things about not working full time is having the freedom to choose what I do with my time. Even so, I have stuck with my well established morning routine that involves tea and reflection, making a daily to-do list, and working out—albeit at a much more leisurely pace than the days when I had to fit all that in before starting work.
I’ve observed that I feel just as busy as when I was working. The difference is that now I’m spending time doing things I want to be doing. My daily to do list is driven by my goals and interests, not my employer’s.
Protect your time
One of my most important early observations is that when people find out you’re retired, they will come up with tasks to fill your time. Retirement is an excellent opportunity to volunteer and use your skills to give back to the groups and communities you’re a part of, but you need to set boundaries.
I definitely want and need to stay busy, but I also want to make sure I’m spending time on tasks that align with my values and are meaningful to me. With that in mind, I’ve set intentionality as my personal theme for 2025. (Read more about my goals for 2025 on my personal blog at BoomerEcoCrusader.com.)
Shifting from saving to spending is a mindset adjustment
Finally, although the focus of my coaching is non-financial, I can’t ignore the money side of retirement. After years of watching our account balances grow, it feels strange not to see money going into our retirement accounts every month.
My early observation is that, even with additional travel and leisure costs, we’re spending less than we anticipated. That gives me confidence in our retirement budget.
Six months in, I can honestly say the transition has been an easy one, with no real surprises. I will continue my monthly reflections and share updates here from time to time.
If you’re ready to get started on creating a plan for a smooth transition for your retirement, contact me to learn how I can help you.
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