What's Your Top Retirement Insight

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AtlasShrugged

Recycles dryer sheets
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My wife and I are close to retiring. We're okay financially, but we wonder about the non-financial aspects of retirement.

For those of you who have been retired for awhile, would you please share your top non-financial retirement insight. In particular, did you learn anything in retirement that was different than your pre-retirement thinking.
 
How happy I could be doing not much of anything.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
 
pb4uski said:
How happy I could be doing not much of anything.
Click to expand...

That's my take on it too. For a while I felt like I "should" be doing something since that's what I'd been doing since about the age of five. Then light dawned over Marblehead and I thought "Who sez I have to do anything?"
 
Honestly, there was nothing to be insightful about.
I knew retirement would be wonderful, and it has been -- just about since day one.
 
Coming up on 9 years. I was surprised at how much I've come to resent a schedule, once retired. Even a part time volunteer commitment fits like a hair shirt.
 
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Well, I guess I learned that keeping myself plenty busy is not a problem. In fact, it is sometimes hard to find the time to do all the things I'd like to do. I don't have to rush around after work and on weekends to get things done anymore, and it is hard to describe just how pleasant that is. I still get a lot accomplished, but now I do it at my own pace. It's a good life :)
 
only been retired since the first quarter of this year, so likely not as good advice as others. Sometimes we get a hell of a lot done, sometimes not. As long as you are not a micro-manager and you did not marry one, it likely doesn't matter.
Like everything in life, take some time and see how it goes. If something isn't right (or you are thrown a curve ball (or new medical issue)) just make adjustments and and enjoy life.
 
Honestly, my ~4 years post retirement insight(s) are;

(1) I now know I should have retired earlier than I did (probably by 2 or 3 years)
(2) I over estimated the amount I needed to retire (probably by 10 years but that remains to be seen)
(3) How quickly I forgot about working and settled into retirement once I retired.
(4) My mind wants me to write checks that my body can't afford to cash. a.k.a. I still think I'm 20 sometimes (no it's not senility, not yet anyway, I think) :LOL:
 
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travelover said:
Coming up on 9 years. I was surprised at much much I've come to resent a schedule, once retired. Even a part time volunteer commitment fits like a hair shirt.
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+1. That was a bit of a surprise for me too. (ten years next week)

I also find I'm quite busy each day (nap time included)...like so many say: "I don't know how I found time to work"
 
Great responses so far. Can you guys give some examples of how you spend your time?
 
My problem is a sleep schedule I can't seem to find a good one. I might nap from 4-8PM then be awake until dawn then sleep until after noon. So a day like tomorrow when someone is coming to my house at 8AM will mean trying to sleep at night and get up in the morning. I hate having appointments and remembering what day of the week it is.
 
Everyone is different. I like being relatively unscheduled, and did not expect retirement to be one way or another. DH is not at all spontaneous and his retirement was triggered by a last-minute buyout. He loves having lots of things planned, and his phone's calendar is now chockfull of (mostly made-up) tasks, but he has accomplished a lot in the past seven years that he never imagined he would attempt, from getting a masters degree to being a silent partner in a very small business unrelated to his profession that has become pretty successful although he makes no money from it. I would not enjoy his retirement but it has been very entertaining to watch it!

You probably already know what type of person you are and will be quite happy to find that your retirement will adapt to it, and I hope you will enjoy the time as much as we do!
 
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AtlasShrugged said:
Great responses so far. Can you guys give some examples of how you spend your time?
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1) Time to travel anytime I want
2) Time to pursue my life long hobbies (several of them) anytime I want
3) Time to enjoy watching football, NASCAR, etc on Sundays without the worry of getting ready for the work week on Monday
4) Time to go out with the DW, anytime and anywhere "she" wants :)
5) Time to do nothing, anytime I want (like right now)

Common theme = Time to do whatever I want - honestly I am rarely bored.
 
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Work is truly an offensive four letter word.
 
What I learned was, why did I think anything I did in the corporate world mattered? That's all nonsense; reality is the corporate world existed just to make money to enjoy the rest of your life with.

I learned how much happier I can be. Get up when I want and do what I want. My projects have my deadlines and priorities not some nonsense a VP promised.
 
One other thing is that for the most part, any sense of urgency goes out the window. Whatever doesn't get done today can get done tomorrow or the next day or the day after that.... When I'm working on a project I take my time, measure twice, and am not in a rush to get it done before I have to head back to work.

I golf much more and do some projects for family and friends.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
 
My top insight is that I really couldn't care less what day of the week it is.
 
I discovered that my blood pressure had been going up on Sunday evenings.
For my entire life, Monday morning meant going back to work, and I was (unknowingly) priming myself for that on Sunday evenings by thinking about what I should jump into Monday morning. Sundays became much more relaxing.

Whatever doesn't get done today can get done tomorrow or the next day or the day after that.
Click to expand...

Yep. I remember a month in I was removing a very large shrub and the job was going slower than expected. I was trying to hurry up to get done in daylight -- that would be my normal response when I used to do these things on weekends.

Then, I realized that if I didn't finish today, I had nothing scheduled the next day. And, heck, if I didn't finish the next day, there was a whole day after that....
 
Two years in:

1. at the risk of being drummed out of the early retirement community for apostasy, I can't stand doing nothing. I am happier when I have at least something positive to do each day that goes beyond reading books and watching TV/movies. Having several things planned for the first couple of years was definitely the right approach for me

2. having DW on board and comfortable with my plans was essential

3. I still like a little structure to my days (with the emphasis on "little") - I don't like getting out of bed wondering what I will do all day

4. I don't miss the positive challenges of work as much as I worried that I would

5. quitting the rat race opens up even more possibilities than I expected

6. keeping up the desired level of social engagement is easier than I thought it would be (I'm a hard-core introvert) and I am even happier not being forced to do frequent firm events and client entertainment than I thought I would be
 
Retirement good. (emphasis on the period)
 
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