For me it's a culmination of a lot of the things already posted here.
1) Chores are better because they can be done on my terms. They're not something that I'm rushing to get through after work before it gets dark. There's an actual pleasure from mowing the lawn or blowing the snow from the driveway and doing a good job of it. Also having the ability to stop and do maintenance on equipment, or being able to address "scope creep" jobs like noticing a shrub needs trimmed or weeds need to be pulled. Having the snow blower assembled, tuned, and ready to run before the first snow of the year? That's a first!
2) Work outs are better because, again, I'm not trying to cram them in around a work schedule. Feeling good and want to push for an extra mile or two? No problem - I've usually got time to do that. Not feeling good and want to skip lifting today? No problem - I can lift tomorrow. There's no chance of a late meeting or other emergency at work that's going to derail that plan.
3) My hobbies are better because I am better prepared. I race TaG and shifter karts, and started doing noticeably better when I retired. Not just because my equipment was better maintained, but also because I was better organized and prepared. Instead of scrambling at the track to get my kart ready, it rolled off the trailer ready for qualifying. I could socialize with friends, have a coffee, and generally relax. If a problem did occur during the day, I knew I had the right tools and parts well organized and I could get about fixing it. Instead of panicking about "do I have a replacement tie rod?" or "where the heck is my 13 mm wrench?" I knew I was covered. This mental peace has translated in to better decisions, faster lap times, and better results.