When we were in the work world, we had a routine didn’t we? You knew where you were going each weekday and most likely what you were going to be doing.
Then finally retirement comes along and you rejoice in not having a routine. You don’t even have to set your alarm clock for a change. Just get up and do what you want to do. Not what the boss wants you to. Nice.
But then you realize there are pitfalls. One day you don’t get dressed until noon and some days you may not even go out of the house. Having a lot of free time without anything to do leads to problems.
You realize you need physical and mental activities. You need and miss socialization. You start doing things again, things you look forward to and want to do.
In an active adult community there are plenty of things to do and people to do them with. At first when you are new, you want to try as many things as possible and actually that is a good way to find out what you really like to do. But you find out you can’t do everything. In fact, more is not necessarly better. One, two or three scheduled activities a week is just fine for many folks. Some want more.
Planning Your Retirement Schedule
You realize you are missing out on some things you really wanted to do. You check the activities calendar and do some juggling on your schedule. You discover planning your schedule in retirement is key!
Then you realize there is a pattern, a routine of events and activities. You sign up for the bocce league and get assigned to play every Tuesday at 10am. Or, you play pickleball with a group every Tuesday and Thursday. On Monday and Friday you take a Cardio Sculpture class from 11am until noon. My wife, Mary Ann, is likely to play Hand and Foot card game with a group every Tuesday from 1pm until 3:30pm. I play Hearts on Wednesday.
It is ideal to schedule some physical, mental and social activities. A lot of activities cover some of each.
You find it best not to crowd your schedule. You are not trying to schedule your whole day. Most days I have something scheduled. Today it’s trivia at 4pm. Then there is always filler activities like going to lunch, taking a walk, visiting the gym or the library and many more.
The weekend comes and everyone takes a break. There are not as many scheduled events on the weekends at active adult communities. Next week we start again.
Your schedule starts to settle down to a comfortable pattern. The activity is always fun but you no longer have to hassle with planning your day. You have developed a routine and a schedule. Life is good!
Developing and planning your schedule is part of part of the adjustment to a successful retirement.
