So you’ve finally done it. Congratulations! After years of hard work, and the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears, you’ve made it to retirement. The only problem is, after decades of getting up dutifully and going to work, you all of a sudden have no frame of reference for how to spend your days. From a regimented schedule to suddenly an open-ended year of nothing, retirement can seem daunting with uncertainty.
But assuming you’ve done the leg work, and saved up money for your retirement life, you’ve got an amazing couple of decades ahead of you, and a great time to enjoy retirement, life, family, and all the things you missed along the way.
In fact, if you’re out of ideas, there are a few things you can do and ways you can enjoy your retirement that are cheap, easy, fun, and will leave you with plenty to do when it comes to life and a new lifestyle.
Take a Vacation
Sure, every retired person plans on island vacations and weeks at the beach, but what about a mid-week day trip to a city or town near where you live? It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, or take months to plan, but are there cities or attractions around your community that you’ve always wanted to see and never gotten around to visiting? Even a day at the zoo can work as a great mini-vacation to let you see something new and experience something different.
Read A (Cool) Book
You’ll have a lot of time to read, sure, but instead of reading aimlessly, what about challenging yourself? Maybe you could teach yourself a new language, or you could pick a few books from the list of the greatest 100 books ever written and start on them. See if over time you can get through every single one of the greatest 100 books ever written. Now that’s a challenge!
Back To School…
It sounds funny, but retirement is the perfect time to go back to school. Let’s say you worked in finance all your life, but always wanted to study more about World War II. Who says you can’t enroll at the local community college or university and get a degree (or even just audit courses) in history, or any other pursuit you may find fascinating? Challenge yourself, keep your brain nimble, and hang out with younger people – all three will keep you young at heart and learning all day!
Do Nothing. Literally Nothing
The first three goals are pretty ambitious, and that’s great, but why couldn’t you take a day every now and then and do nothing? Maybe watch a few old movies, catch up on trashy TV, or just sit outside and watch people pass by? After all, you’ve earned it – and never underestimate the power of doing nothing and what it can do for your brain, psyche, attitude, and mental clarity.