A lot of people look forward to retirement so that they can spend time on hobbies they have neglected over the years, or even develop some new interests. Some look forward to contributing some time to an organization they feel passionately about since they will no longer have to spend the bulk of their time working and commuting. And others picture spending more time in physical activities, perhaps training for a specific challenge or learning a new sport.
I was no different. I had my weeks all sketched out. I had a long list of formerly abandoned hobbies I wanted to spend more time on. I knew exactly where I wanted to volunteer and looked forward to getting in the best shape of my life. But then something happened. I retired.
Before I retired, I did some form of exercise about ten hours a week. I figured when I retired I would enjoy even more activity. Now that I’m retired, I still exercise about ten hours a week. The difference is that it used to be in a gym near my office and now it’s on my bike or on foot on my neighborhood’s winding roads, or at the local hot yoga studio. Sometimes it’s not exercise for exercise sake but for the sake of getting a clean house or a beautiful garden. But the bottom line is I don’t spend much more time exercising than when I was working.
I definitely spend a lot more time on travel. We were out of town nearly 3 months last year, and the time it took to arrange all that while staying within the budget was almost like having a part-time job.
But I think it’s hard to know exactly what you really want to do in retirement until you’re actually in it and making the choice to do this over that. I thought I would spend hours at the piano but I’ve barely touched it in the two and a half years I’ve been retired. Instead I spend those hours reading and writing. Writing was not even on my list when I retired, it’s a passion I discovered after I retired, something I gravitated toward as I let myself evolve into the retired version of myself.
With my remaining free hours, I haven’t yet taken the plunge with a volunteer commitment. I have the extra time now, so shouldn’t I be out filling up that time with something? Shouldn’t I be scheduling up all those extra hours?
Here’s the thing: I love having the extra time. I could take more classes, pick up a new hobby, or volunteer, but I love having the luxury of time. I love deciding right now what I want to be doing right now, not having to squeeze in downtime between my schedule of activities.
I know it can look to the outside world like I’m not “doing” enough, like maybe I’m not accomplishing anything. But that’s one of the reasons I wanted to retire, so I could stop having to squeeze time in for myself between all my other commitments. So I could luxuriate in time, not just fill it with activity after activity after activity.
Some people need that structure, that constant pull of one thing to the next. And those people should go right ahead and fill up that schedule with all those activities. But for those of us that crave flexibility, spontaneity and time to just be, go right ahead and enjoy the gift of time, even though to others, it may look like you’re wasting it.
Related Posts:
Is Boredom Really a Danger in Retirement?
Living in the Moment in Retirement
This is a post from Retirement: A Full-Time Job
Syd I agree, sometimes we forget that we are human beings not human doings.
After spending years at the grind sometimes it is nice to just "be". I know I'm looking forward to it:)
Posted by: Dreamer | July 19, 2010 at 06:04 AM
For me, the big change to my life in the way you described in this post occurred in 2001 when I went from working full-time to working part-time via a mostly telecommuting arrangement.
That big change reduced the number of commuting days per week from 5 to one. It was in that year when I began my volunteer work with the first of several area schools as well as my evening dancing hobby I had not done in 13 years.
I already knew I would be pursuing those two activities when I drastically changed my work arrangement. The volunteer work required some administrative work but because I started my new work arrangement in the summer I had plenty of lead time to get that set up. My evening dancing was seasonal, too, but I could have resumed that at any point as well.
I was able to continue these two activities even after the telecommute gig ended in 2003 although it was more difficult trying to juggle them with 2 or 3 trips to my office every week. When I retired in 2008, I was then able to add one more night of dancing and more easily schedule the volunteer work with area schools, both welcome changes but not nearly as significant as starting them in 2001.
Posted by: deegee | July 19, 2010 at 07:23 AM
Love this post Syd! Exactly my experience three years into my early retirement. What a joy to often just be ... I initially felt as though I had to do tons of things, now I'm almost recalibrated ... :-)
Regards, Dennis
Posted by: Dennis | July 19, 2010 at 06:36 PM
Another great article! Doing what you want and enjoy is not wasting time. I look forward to the day when I retire "waste" my time.
Posted by: Bridget | July 19, 2010 at 07:18 PM
Very well put! I am not yet retired but beginning my planning NOW. I have actually been "practicing retirement" for the past 8 months - left a crazy job to get some downtime and gather myself for the rest of my life. What I find most rewarding about this time is when I have nothing that has to be done - nothing on the calendar except an occasional lunch, no reports due or meetings to prepare for, time to reflect and enjoy the beauty all around me. I find myself reading all kinds of books, catching up with friends and family, gardening (tomatoes are about a week away and looking GOOD!), and walking the neighborhood or nearby beaches. Downtime is a wonderful thing. And to keep my mind sharp, I have been reading up and experimenting with all kinds of crazy social media out there. Even started a blog to do a bit of writing, something I was always interested in as a kid. Thanks for the summary and keep posting! Dave
Posted by: Dave | July 21, 2010 at 08:56 AM
@Dave: We're a little bit behind you on the tomatoes--I'm thinking a couple more weeks. I took a look at your blog--I hope you'll keep it up, it's great to read your thoughts. And I agree, being near a great Thai place is very important, as is being able to get your hands on California wines. And GO SHARKS!
Posted by: Retired Syd | July 21, 2010 at 04:26 PM
Syd, I am glad to see someone else who is thinking the way I do. Like Dave, I think I am practicing retirement, though not voluntarily. I lost my job 13 months ago. People keep telling me I should go back to school, or volunteer, or whatever. The thing is, I don't want to commit to anything right now. I like being able to sleep as much/as long as I like (right now I am a night owl, avoiding high daytime heat). When inspiration strikes, I want to be able to paint or draw. I like reading what I want to read, not what I need for class. I've started doing two crossword puzzles a day. And I'm learning that it's OK to "do nothing."
Thanks for a most thoughtful post!
Posted by: Sandra L. | July 26, 2010 at 04:03 PM
@Sandra: I'm with you, don't commit to anything yet. I've been retired for 2 1/2 years and just now feel ready for something like a volunteer or part-time consulting gig. It took this long--you need that time to decompress! Enjoy it guilt free!
Posted by: Retired Syd | July 27, 2010 at 08:02 AM