Poll: How Busy Has Retirement Been?

[GalaxyBoy]

I voted “fairly busy” like many others. It could easily be the next busier option if I wanted it to be, but so far I don’t.

I’m actually surprised how easy it’s been to keep “busy.” Before retirement I kept reading how important it was to have planned activities etc and I was worried I wouldn’t be busy enough, but the stress of working was way too much. So far, I’m only “bored”when I choose to be. Life is good.

 

[Rosie]

OP here. Rookie mistake (1st poll). I suppose those who wanted this option could be considered fairly busy doing very little a lot of the time?

Yeah, that's it!

It amazes me how fast time goes by now. I sometimes wonder how I managed to get anything done back when I w*rked.

I did start volunteering at a local nonprofit early in Dec. I go there 1 day a week (occasionally 2) to help out with data entry and general office work. That's about as much of my copious and precious free time as I'm willing to part with.

 

[VanWinkle]

Needed one more. Plenty of free time and enjoying it.

Me too!!!

 

[kcowan]

What is the point of such surveys? Do people really not know the answers?

 

[Music Lover]

Somewhat boring; I have too much free time.

Fairly busy. Not much slack time

I fall right in between the two options shown above. Some days I'm busy for the entire day and other days there's very little going on. But on average, it's a pretty good mix of both being relatively busy on occasion and having blocks of free time.

 

[Senator]

I voted I need to go back to work when I was less busy, but I would never go back.

Travel consumes quite a bit of actual time doing it, and a lot of time planning it.

 

[rodi]

Add me to the list that wanted a "plenty of free time and loving it" group.

I was worried about being bored when I first retired so I signed up for Italian classes at the local community college. That was fun - but added immovable scheduled blocks to my week... I already had that since I still have kids under roof - and have to get them to/from places.

Now I get the kids out each morning and have my day unfettered by obligations... and that is good. If I feel like doing chores - great! If I feel like exercising - great! If I feel like sitting on the couch and watching mindless stupid tv - great! Doing nothing - or at least not having obligations to do stuff - is the BEST.

 

[Car-Guy]

First few years of retirement, I didn't seem to have any (or very little) spare time. Now, more than 5 years into retirement, I seem to have a little more time that I spend do nothing, which I love.

However, all of my time now is free, if I want it to be.

 

[Christine]

I'm over-scheduled and need to offload some stuff.

I tend to forget i retired early because of a disability. So I don't account for that when I make plans. I've been trying to adjust and belive 2018 will be more laid back.

 

[Ronstar]

Needed one more. Plenty of free time and enjoying it.

Me too. Sometimes it seems like I'm overwhelmed with things to do and have very little free time. But then I spend a couple of hours getting things done and the rest of the day is open to explore whatever I want.

 

[Maenad]

I love reading threads like this, it helps me look forward to ER even more!

 

[DEC-1982]

I’m not surprised the results seem to be in the “just right” zone. After all in retirement we have control and generally get to do it “our way”. In my view only boring people need be bored in retirement.

You said it very well. Retirement is what you make of it.

 

[karen1972]

I thought retirement was supposed to be about getting to all those things you never had time for...

I'm learning Spanish, how to build my own mobile apps, finishing the family tree, joined a 1000mile challenge, training for a 10k, etc.

 

[John Galt III]

It's way better than w*rk, but it seems that about 30% of the time there is some big problem looming over everything. Like aging parents, business near your property doing bad stuff, zoning issues, one's own health issues, worrying about a contractor doing the job right, etc. So I have only about 70% of my time actually 'stress-free'. Not bad, I guess!

 

[Midpack]

I voted, but my answer was an average. I am plenty busy Spring, Summer, Fall. I am not busy enough in Winter, and it's boring at times. We need to move south...

 

[Which Roger]

Everyone's definition of "busy" is different. I'm busy enough by my standards, but I have a lot of down time. I recently observed a Type A friend on "vacation", and she was busier then than I ever was even when I had a job. We would both go crazy if we swapped schedules.

 

[Live And Learn]

I would have liked an option for "as busy as I want it to be". I actually picked "over scheduled" because for most of my 2 1/2 years I had been overscheduled. I can clearly break my retirement into 6 month intervals:

1. First 6 months, did absolutely NOTHING. Read alot of mysteries, chilled out, did some swimming, mostly just decompressed
2. Second 6 months. Started playing golf 3x a week and volunteering 2 days a week. It was fun, but it was too much.
3. Next 6 months. Re-evaluated volunteer activities and cut those that trully brought me joy. Stopped playing golf but started going to the beach more. Totally enjoyed every day
4. Next 6 months. Got a Fl residents seasonal pass to Disneyworld. Permission to be 8 years old !!! LOVE IT. Still enjoying every single day. No stress. Best life ever !!

 

[Rianne]

Would not change a thing. Best decision ever.

 

[Grabberson]

If I get busier than I'd like, I just dial it back. Except in one case: my daughter and her husband bought a house in the same town as me, and I worked about a month remodeling that house before they moved in from another state. I worked long hours as their move date approached and I still had the house in turmoil. Became aware of a repressed memory called a deadline.

 

[NW-Bound]

If I get busier than I'd like, I just dial it back. Except in one case: my daughter and her husband bought a house in the same town as me, and I worked about a month remodeling that house before they moved in from another state. I worked long hours as their move date approached and I still had the house in turmoil. Became aware of a repressed memory called a deadline.

Still, one can't be too laid back if he wants something done.

I have been working on an off-grid solar/storage-battery system to provide supplemental cooling for my home here in the scorching Southwest. I'd better have it up and running before summer 2018 hits. Else, I would have to wait one more year to check it out.

With that, I'd better log off and get busy. See y'all later today.

 

[W2R]

In retirement, who gets to decide what I do with my time? ME, that's who.

So, I decide to so just the right amount of tasks and things to do, to make me happiest. I have all the free time that I want, actually, no more, no less.

I did not vote because there was no choice that seemed to fit.

 

[unclemick]

Right now I'm over scheduled and need to buck up and take some more slack time. BUT after 23 years of ER I could have checked each at different time periods in ER. I will say going back to work as a temp wasn't my cup of tea.

I have learned to love 'watching grass grow'.

heh heh heh Late in ER we are getting paid to watch grass grow as the Farm is in it's 7th year of CRP -2.

 

[CoolRich59]

Not qualified to vote in this poll yet, but am loving the responses!!

 

[FI_RElater]

while I didn’t vote, because there wasn’t a choice similar to what I’d say, We’ve been in a more hurried/harried state this last year (our second year of retirement)

first year was getting the new house up to snuff , having sold the old place and moving a couple thousand miles away. this second year was all due to family issues (deaths/nursing home for surviving parent/ fixing up and then selling their house) and additional work on the new house/outbuildings . (and, also, dealing with the environmental factors— fires, smoke, etc out west)

hopefully, this year will finally realize a more relaxing period. we’ve now got to plan for what the next years travel will be (already have an F-250, need a travel trailer next) .... with consideration for the “furry babies “ and their age/restrictions (14&11, but reasonably healthy).
even with all that, we’ve been about or below 2% WR, so we have a bit in the budget for travel and further fun activities (we’ve done international travel before, and have gone to most places in Europe we wanted, but still haven’t pulled the trigger on Oz or NZ, which we’ll do after the fur babies pass, as we couldn’t be away from them that long)

 

[6miths]

Needed one more. Plenty of free time and enjoying it.

Yes!