Retirement and boredom

[jambo101]

Newly retired and loving it so far but up till now (1 month) its just feels like a long vacation,I have resurrected a bunch of hobbies but am wondering what happens when the novelty wears off.I live in an apartment so doing stuff around the house is not going to keep me busy,its winter and i hate any kind of winter activities,and i've always been somewhat of a loner in life so joining clubs of some sort wont be very enjoyable,volunteering i never understood as why should i work for nothing.also i dont have unlimited money so constant travel aint gonna happen.Its looking like come spring i'm going to have to get some kind of employment just to give my life some form of structure.
Anyone else find that the dream of retirement can be a bit of a bore?
Flame suit on.

 

[template]

...Its looking like come spring i'm going to have to get some kind of employment just to give my life some form of structure.
Anyone else find that the dream of retirement can be a bit of a bore?
Flame suit on.

When I get bored, returning to work isn't appealing.

I have a retired friend who needed "structure," so he structured his retired life. He eats lunch with one friend every Tuesday at the same Chinese buffet restaurant, then other friends each Wednesday at a fast food place, then with his girlfriend each Friday at the same pizza parlor.

He has other activities on his schedule, e.g. always reads the paper and does the crossword puzzle at the same time each day.

There's some merit to his approach, though it is too rigid for me.

 

[REWahoo]

jambo, in your case I think returning to work is probably going to be a good idea. If you're beginning to experience boredom after only one month, you probably aren't wired for retirement, early or otherwise.

And for you folks who might consider flaming jambo for his 'failure to thrive' in retirement, I suggest you view him as a brave volunteer in the War to Defend SS Benefits (or whatever the Canadian equivalent) and thank him for his service.

 

[Purron]

Jambo101,
I think you just have the courage to say what others are thinking. It's hard to give up a routine and your identity through work. Clearly, there must have been things about your job you didn't care for or you would not have retired from it. In your situation, a job might be a good idea. Perhaps part time work might give you the best of both worlds. Also, look for something you enjoy - perhaps a different line of work - and give it a whirl. You can always leave if it doesn't work out as planned.

 

[W2R]

I cannot imagine feeling bored in retirement, personally (though I'm still working, so who knows what the future will bring?).

But then, if we were all alike the world truly WOULD be a boring place!

 

[Dawg52]

If you do not have a passion outside of work then it probably makes sense to get a job. I would consider a fun part time job though. And your boredom might be more of a winter blues thing. Consider a temp job for now. Come spring time, you might be glad you do not have a job.

 

[Zathras]

Jambo, to each their own I am going on 2 years with no unusual boredom yet. If I get bored I plan to take some classes (maybe astronomy).
However, everyone is wired differently. Find your passion and pursue it. If that passion is work, more power to you!

 

[tightasadrum]

Wish I'd known you were bored. You could have helped me cut trees this weekend. Nothing like being outside breathing all that fresh winter air. It made doing nothing feel pretty good while all the muscles spasmed back to neutral again. Now doing it in the snow might not be so much fun.

Did you enjoy working before you retired? What things about working did you enjoy? Not enjoy? Sounds like some self-analysis is in order to help you find what brings you the most pleasure. Good luck.

 

[LeatherneckPA]

Three thoughts.

1 - It takes a brave person to admit they may have made a mistake. If what you did before was enjoyable, maybe you just want to go back to it.

2 - To paraphrase a '70's dirty joke; if you're bored, you're doing it wrong.

3 - I'm not sure that only one month is enough time to know whether you are cut out for it or not. I think you are actually still in the "decompression" phase. I have learned over the years that a one week vacation is a waste of leave for me. It takes three days just to unwind, I get one day to enjoy, and then I spend the next three days dreading the return. I'd give it another two months at least.

 

[Retire Soon]

Jambo101,

Jonathan Clements included some research on this subject in an article that was published yesterday:

Getting Going - WSJ.com

 

[Purron]

This might interest you: http://finance.yahoo.com/retirement/article/104146/new-retirement

 

[TromboneAl]

I have resurrected a bunch of hobbies

List all your hobbies. Find one that involves becoming better at something (For example, playing a musical instrument rather than fishing), and really work on it. Set some goals. I like fishing, but get bored with it if I do it too often. Practicing piano I can do each day, and enjoy seeing small improvements.

I know that doesn't work for everyone, but going back to work sounds a little like saying "I can't think of anything to do, so I'm going to have someone else tell me what I have to do."

 

[Nords]

Newly retired and loving it so far but up till now (1 month) its just feels like a long vacation,I have resurrected a bunch of hobbies but am wondering what happens when the novelty wears off.I live in an apartment so doing stuff around the house is not going to keep me busy,its winter and i hate any kind of winter activities,and i've always been somewhat of a loner in life so joining clubs of some sort wont be very enjoyable,volunteering i never understood as why should i work for nothing.also i dont have unlimited money so constant travel aint gonna happen.Its looking like come spring i'm going to have to get some kind of employment just to give my life some form of structure.
Anyone else find that the dream of retirement can be a bit of a bore?
Flame suit on.

Didn't we just go through this a few months ago? For someone responsible for their own entertainment, you seem to be finding a lot of reasons that you can't enjoy yourself.
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f36/about-retire-30362.html
Do you feel your enjoyment of life, ER attitude, or happiness factor has improved since then?

You were talking about a Florida vacation. Is your current state of mind a side effect of your winter climate, and will life seem better in sunshine & warmth?

"Novelty"? I don't know what hobbies you're working on, but like Al says there are hobbies that never lose their novelty. Maybe it'll help to consider different hobbies. When I paddle out I can [-]ogle hot surfer chicks[/-] just enjoy the beach weather, cruise in a straight line, or try to [-]really embarrass myself[/-] hang five and do cutbacks. If that ever gets boring (I wouldn't recognize it, it hasn't happened yet) then I can try stand-up paddle surfing or kayak surfing or kitesurfing or windsurfing. And more than two or three times a week is an ibuprofen challenge, let alone a neglect of my chores.

What's on your reading list? Amazon.com can provide best-seller lists, topic lists, and additional suggestions. I have to limit my browsing there or I'd never leave the house.

A friend of ours retired retired from the Navy several years back. All he could talk about was selling his San Diego home for huge equity profits, moving back to his Florida hometown, and [-]ogling hot surfer chicks[/-] taking a part-time lifeguard job. Three months later we ran into him in Pearl Harbor where he was working a contract job and telling us that he was so bored with his retirement he didn't even want to leave the house to walk his dog. He found steady contract work with old shipmates, hasn't taken a vacation in the last three years, and is happily back to fantasizing about selling his San Diego home, moving back to his Florida hometown, and so on.

I know that doesn't work for everyone, but going back to work sounds a little like saying "I can't think of anything to do, so I'm going to have someone else tell me what I have to do."

jambo, in your case I think returning to work is probably going to be a good idea. If you're beginning to experience boredom after only one month, you probably aren't wired for retirement, early or otherwise.

If your idea of [-]entertainment[/-] constructive dialogue is trolling "I'm bored" flame-enticing threads on Internet discussion boards, then you're right-- you do need to go back to work.

If you can't be responsible for your own entertainment, then perhaps [-]you'll find it in the office environment[/-] it's time to seek elsewhere.

 

[Sandy]

Jambo,

If I read your post carefully, it doesn't say that you are bored, but rather you are afraid you will get bored. You are doing your hobbies, but wonder what will happen when the novelty wears off because you are not a "joiner". If you are only RE 1 month, you are probably still decompressing and still in the w*rk worry mode. Deep breath.

When/if a problem arises, you will deal with it - either find a new hobby or get a PT j*b.

In the mean time, check your list (or make one), of all of the things you said you were going to do - and keep adding to it. Refer back to this list as necessary.

 

[Khan]

3 - I'm not sure that only one month is enough time to know whether you are cut out for it or not. I think you are actually still in the "decompression" phase. I have learned over the years that a one week vacation is a waste of leave for me. It takes three days just to unwind, I get one day to enjoy, and then I spend the next three days dreading the return. I'd give it another two months at least.

I would suggest up to six months before deciding.

You didn't say you are bored, you said you think you will become bored, so why not wait until you are bored?

When I get bored, returning to work isn't appealing.

I have a retired friend who needed "structure," so he structured his retired life. He eats lunch with one friend every Tuesday at the same Chinese buffet restaurant, then other friends each Wednesday at a fast food place, then with his girlfriend each Friday at the same pizza parlor.

He has other activities on his schedule, e.g. always reads the paper and does the crossword puzzle at the same time each day.

There's some merit to his approach, though it is too rigid for me.

I followed my retirement with about three months of personal anarchy.

After getting that out of my system, I started setting up personal schedules. For example: run the dishwasher Monday and Wednesday; vacuum on Monday; water plants on Saturday.

I also started investigating what foods were good and tasty, and set up eating patterns. For example: two servings of fresh fruit per day at lunch (the exact fruit can be almost anything).

Setting things on automatic ensures the house stays at least minimally clean, I remain healthy, and the cat and the plants thrive.

These schedules/patterns are altered as circumstances change. I will be scheduling more exercise (30 minute walk) starting when the weather is a bit more amenable.

 

[haha]

List all your hobbies. Find one that involves becoming better at something (For example, playing a musical instrument rather than fishing),

I've stood in the river getting nothing while watching the guy next to me pull out fish after fish to think that I at least wouldn't have a lot of room to get better as a fisherman.

Ha

 

[Goonie]

Well, you've always got that model rr to work on. That's what's been occupying a LOT of my free time for the last month and a half or so. The more time and effort that I spend designing and working on it, the less I have done by the end of the day (or evening). I've been 'finishing' it for well over 20 years, and the closer it is to completion, the farther it is from finished! It's been a great winter "occupation"....a.k.a. "time filler". I'm forever researching things, looking for new and/or better ideas & methods, and changing & tweaking things. A portion of it is dang near finished, (only a few little touches of detail or weathering left to do), and another portion is just sketched out, then there is a vast majority of it that lies somewhere in between.....(and hopefully always will so I have something to occupy my time, especially during the winter's 'cold & gray days'. During Spring, Summer, and Fall I always find a lot of other things to do and enjoy....sometimes just sitting staring at clouds and daydreaming.

And like Nords, I probably spend way too much time 'window shopping' at Amazon......and Books-A-Million....and Walthers....and.....

The only thing I have close to 'structure' in my life, is that I meet a few of my friends for coffee once or twice a week. They go EVERY day, but I randomly choose 1 or 2 days when I'm not busy doing something (or nothing). Then I have my Garden Club meeting each month, and maybe 3 or 4 other activities with them each year. That's about the extent of my 'structured' activities. Oh yeah, and I try to make time to watch "Merv Griffin's Crosswords" and "Jeopardy" each afternoon......I have about a 60% success rate at fitting them in.....I'm usually too busy squandering my time on something else!

My first month or 2 was like an extended vacation and I was wondering if or when the novelty would wear off....but then without even realizing it, the retired life really set in, and the novelty has never worn off, and boredom has never set in!

 

[Achiever51]

My first month or 2 was like an extended vacation and I was wondering if or when the novelty would wear off....but then without even realizing it, the retired life really set in, and the novelty has never worn off, and boredom has never set in!

Sounds like my first couple of months in retirement, too. Also spent a lot of time catching up on sleep in those first few weeks -- so I agree that there is a definite realignment, decompression, de-stressing, whatever that your body and psyche needs to go through.

I've now been retired for almost 13 months, and I have yet to be bored. Yes, some days are more structured than others and some days I'm still in my pjs and slippers till after lunch...that's the beauty of being retired. It's all ok!

During my working career, I never was dedicated to exercise; I couldn't keep on any kind of regular schedule with it and so I confined my exercise routine (such as it was) to walking the dogs. Now, I exercise five days a week at my local Y and enjoy the challenge of pushing myself to add another set, another rep, another lap or extra minutes on the treadmill. This is something I never thought I'd be doing in retirement, but I am really enjoying it...and improving my health as well.

You made one comment that saddened me a bit when you said you wouldn't consider volunteering because you wouldn't get paid for it. I really hope at some point in your retirement you have the opportunity to get involved in some volunteer activity that you enjoy as there are few things in life that can make you feel as good as when you are helping others in need. I've started volunteering at a local animal shelter as that's a cause close to my heart. I don't get involved with direct animal care as I'm a sucker for cute puppies and already have enough pets to care for, but I do help with their fund raising efforts. My career was in non-profit organizations, but I have never felt such a sense of accomplishment as when I'm doing my volunteer work. (I'll get off my soap box now...)

 

[RunningBum]

I like the idea of having a few structured/scheduled activities, maybe it will give you some things to look forward to.

The ideas of chores, clubs, and eating out on schedule are good. Basically the idea might be that even if you see that you didn't get anything done one day, and that bothers you, you can go to bed and say, "That's ok, because tomorrow I have ____ to do."

In my case, if it gets to that, I might pick a day to be "library day", where I go hang out at the library and catch up on magazines and papers. or browse a non-fiction section I hadn't spent much time in before (or a new letter in fiction). I find the library a very comfortable place. If I drank coffee I might've come up with the idea of a coffee shop in a bookstore, because it's kind of the same concept to me. I'm more likely to pick a rainy day for library day than schedule it, but you get the idea.

Other good "loner" ideas? You could pick one day a week to be movie day, go rent whatever you want. By scheduling it you make it special and won't run out of movies to rent as fast as if you do it whenever you are bored.

How about people watch at a mall or park?

Are you allowed to have a pet? If you like them, walking a dog gives you responsibility and exercise.

 

[jambo101]

Lotsa good advice thanks,i think things are really going to pick up come springtime. I think what i'm worried about is cabin fever which i usually get about this time every year but in the past work gave me 8hrs a day away from the cabin.

 

[Walt34]

Well, it took me three years to decide to go back to work after 29 years of police work, then another two years to find something agreeable. The first year was like being on vacation (we moved to a different state/less congested area) and yeah, I spent a LOT of time on the screened-in back porch enjoying not having to do anything. SIL, a wise nurse, surmised that I was "decompressing". In hindsight, I'd say she was right. The first winter we had a 2.5 foot snowfall and I didn't go any farther than the mailbox for a week, and loved it. Like you, I hate cold weather.

"The Plan" at retirement was that DW and I would both get part time jobs, but around here none of them pay enough to cover commute expenses so there's no point to that. She's gone back to school 15 minutes away to finish a BS degree she stopped working on because of some family issues that demanded her time. She's going slow, just one class per semester, and enjoys having free time to spend with family nearby. I think she adjusted better than me, we both left high-pressure jobs. When the degree is finished in two years she wants to look for a low-impact part time job.

The college catalog just doesn't have anything that interests me much. Don't know why, a lot of people enjoy that. Just not my style I guess.

Then I started to get looking for something to do. For about 20 years I was enthused about radio control airplanes, but the interest waned the last couple of years of years before retirement - I guess I just plateaued with that. The intention was to resume at retirement but the interest just isn't there so I'm selling that stuff off.

Bought a small boat & outboard to try fishing and exploring the river. That's fun but not every day and no way I'm doing that in the winter.

For about a year and a half I was helping a friend build an airplane - Pitts Special - and did a couple of short-term contract jobs in computer forensics. That's out now, my certifications expired and one really has to be full time in that field to stay current. It changes fast.

So I just started the training phase of a job last week, the specific goal in mind being either a travel trailer or another full-size airplane. I had an airplane in my mid-20's. But since I've "been there done that" I suspect the travel trailer will win. So for now I'm working with that goal in mind. The job also has a much lower stress level so I think it'll be easier to go to.

But it sure is nice knowing that I don't HAVE to work if I don't want to!

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i've always been somewhat of a loner in life so joining clubs of some sort wont be very enjoyable,volunteering i never understood as why should i work for nothing.also i dont have unlimited money so constant travel aint gonna happen.

life presents both opportunity & obstacles enough that we can take opportunity to build road blocks or deconstruct obstacles to open new road.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Jambo, it seems that another poster was right, you are worried about being bored. So you are a worrier ... that's probably a full time hobby in itself. You're last post on having cabin fever is fairly telling. You may need to get out of the 'northlands' for the winter and get into a warmer climate during this time of the year.

I, like many on this board are relishing retirement (or the thought of it). I am 6 months into it and not even close to being bored ... ever ... even when I don't have anything in particular to do. I have been traveling for a while and one of my favorite passtimes is to go where the locals are and watch the local people (especially the young girls (kinda like the young hot surfer girls that Nords seems to be [-]obssessed[/-] pre-occuppied with ).

Best of luck to you. Hope you find you way.

 

[chinaco]

Some people enjoy working. Nothing wrong with that!

DW has been retired for several months now. She is past the long vacation phase and beginning to consider something to add structured activity. I think it takes a while to adjust.

Her ER can kinda suddenly with an ER offer for the employer so she did not have much prep time... although she was eager to take it.

When she worked, she was in a fairly high pressure work setting. If she decided to work again, it would be a much less stressful (and probably low pay) part-time job. I believe she would do it more for the social interaction than anything else. She might volunteer. I suspect that she would be interested in 2 days a week.

 

[Ronstar]

I can't answer for those that are fully retired - I'm just semi. But i found that in resurrecting my old hobbies I now don't have enough time to pursue everything to the degree that I want to. This is mainly due to the internet - I research all of my interests online and I'm always finding new things to explore. Some people find it easy to escape boredom. Good luck in your adventure!