Many retirement articles have been written about all the wonderful things you can do with the free time you will have after you retire. Once you leave work, you’ll have more time to travel, volunteer, take courses, play golf, enjoy hobbies and so much more. The possibilities seem endless. All of these articles talk about everything you can add to your life.
After adding many of these things to your life, you could easily find yourself busier than you were during your working years. But filling your life with busyness probably won’t make you happier. In fact, it could leave you more stressed out.
As it turns out, your happiness in retirement could be determined as much by what you remove from your life as what you add.
Here are four things you could eliminate from your life to be happier in retirement.
1. Activities you don’t enjoy.
Once you are retired, you will have more time for chores such as cleaning your house and maintaining your yard. If you truly enjoy gardening and landscaping, that’s great. That may even be among the things you are looking forward to having more time for.
But if your vision of a satisfying retirement doesn’t include a lot of time spent on home and yard upkeep, look into ways to reduce or eliminate it. Consider removing high-maintenance trees and plants from your yard or replacing your grass with artificial turf. Moving to an apartment, condo or retirement community will eliminate your yard maintenance altogether. Moving to a smaller home will reduce the amount you have to clean indoors, or you could hire a maid if your financial situation will support that.
2. Obligations that don’t bring fulfillment.
After you retire, people might easily assume that you have a lot of free time on your hands. In their eyes, you are now a prime candidate for serving on committees and boards. This can be enjoyable and fulfilling, but only say yes if you really want to do it. You shouldn’t feel obligated to accept a commitment just because you have the available time or the required skills.
Similarly, if you live near your children and grandchildren, your children might assume that you are readily available on call to babysit the grandchildren. Of course you love your grandkids and want to spend time with them, but it’s up to you to decide how much time you are willing to devote to looking after them and say no when that time is exceeded.
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This topic is explored in greater depth in my book Smooth Sailing Into Retirement. This book will guide you from your last few months of work through your first year of retirement. It identifies the many ways your life will change and prepares you for the emotions you may experience along the way. You will learn how to design your new day-to-day life in a way that will reflect your passions and interests. You will be inspired to create a new identity for yourself that embodies the way you plan to live in retirement and frees you from the limitations of your former job title.
3. Possessions you no longer use.
Getting rid of items in your house that you haven’t used for years is both therapeutic and practical. Rooms that are neat and uncluttered are more inviting and pleasant than rooms stuffed full of things crammed into every available space. You will have less to clean and keep track of. Chances are, you waste time looking for things you know you own but can’t find. Worse, you may end up buying duplicates of the things you can’t find or have forgotten that you own.
If you are currently renting storage space to hold your extra stuff, emptying it will save you the monthly rental fee as well as the time you spend driving there and rooting through boxes to find what you’re looking for. Most items you are storing in a storage facility are things you really have no further need for, but you can’t bring yourself to throw away. When you finally do dispose of them, it will be a weight off your shoulders.
4. People you don’t enjoy.
Life is too precious and too short to spend with people who are negative and who drain your energy. Some personal development experts claim that you are the average of the five people you associate with the most, so surround yourself with people who are positive, supportive, and fun.
Of course, you should be available to help your friends through difficult times, such as a death in the family or recuperating from an illness. But if you have people in your life who are constant whiners or complainers, disengage from them. If you know people who are petty gossipers, distance yourself and don’t get caught up in their drama. If you have friends who only call or visit you when they want to talk about themselves or need a shoulder to cry on but who show little concern for you, replace them with friends who are more caring and uplifting.
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Humans are creatures of habit. By the time you retire, your lifestyle habits have been engrained for many years.
Retirement offers you an opportunity to redesign your life into one that is more happy and fulfilling. Try to look at everything you do, everything you own and everyone who is part of your life with fresh eyes. Ask yourself whether each activity, thing or person is contributing to the retirement you want, and if not, make a change.
You have worked hard all your life, now it’s time to live life on your terms.
As always, please feel welcome to comment below.
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Reprinted from my blog on U.S. News – On Retirement.
© 2017 Dave Hughes. All rights reserved.
Photo credits:
Four trash cans: AtlantaMomofFive.
Man vacuuming: George Redgrave. Some rights reserved.
Board meeting: National Farm Workers Ministry. Some rights reserved.
Unused possessions: Christine McIntosh. Some rights reserved.
Angry golfer: Jessieman.
6 Responses
Hi Dave,
Good elimination factors! Since I want a smaller home, it will make less chores and more time to be out and about enjoying life. I know from experience that it is good to “plug” your lawn with slow growing grass, and use foliage and flowering shrubs for landscaping. And I would advice anyone to choose only one volunteering situation, by your own experience and likes in life. Downsizing is a necessary chore. One I hated until we grouped things by his, hers and ours. My spouse came up with a great idea on the “ours”, which is mostly furniture and such. Give away or sale all but the bed(s) and dressers. Keep the table and chairs, and the computer desk set. And I agree that a person should only have as many friends as they can count on one hand. Definitely active, positive people.
In this day and age of social media and being back in touch with people from throughout our lives, the distinction is blurred between friends, former friends, and acquaintances. I sometimes feel like I don’t have enough time to spend with the quality people. Of course, it’s my choice to fix it.
These suggestions are great! I feel like these things will not only help retirees but really anyone to have a happier life. Retirement also means that you’ll have more free time on your hands, it’s a great time to try new things and get new hobbies.
Hi Linda,
There have been numerous times, while writing articles about how to have a happy retirement, when I think, “I wish I had taken this advice during my whole life!”
Thanks for your comment!
Artificial turf…horrible suggestion. Grass is soothing to look at and touch and the smell in spring and summer does more to remind someone of their younger days than almost anything else. When I go to the southwest, its the first thing I notice if a homeowner has stones in their yard, not grass.
Hi Andy,
I suspect that this may be a regional characteristic as well as a personal preference. I live in the southwest (Phoenix) and artificial turf is more frequently seen. It has the additional advantage that you don’t have to water it – which is not a consideration in many parts of the country where there is sufficient rain. On the other hand, I grew up in Ohio and the grass got pretty dry and brown by August if it wasn’t watered regularly.