Having dedicated over 40 years to the workforce, it’s finally time for your much-awaited retirement.
The first few months of retirement are quite relaxing.
You don’t have to wake up for that 6 a.m. alarm anymore. You can go fishing, golfing, or biking whenever you please. And best of all, you don’t have to report to anybody.
But, it’s easy to get lazy as your retirement continues.
You’ll notice that you spend a majority of your time at home doing absolutely nothing. If you let yourself, you might go weeks without doing anything productive.
The good news?
There are quite a few things you can do to make sure you don’t get lazy once you retire. Let’s go over five ways to avoid being lazy in retirement.
1. Get Active
Once you’re out of the workforce, you might notice that your energy levels aren’t quite what they used to be. You’re no longer as motivated to wake up early or even go for a walk around the block.
So, try to stay active as much as possible.
You can sign-up for a gym membership. This is an easy way to have complete access to cardio equipment (like treadmills), resistance training, and group fitness classes.
But, physical activity can be anything.
You can go to a local park and walk on one of the paved trails. Or, you can take advantage of your community center’s tennis or bocce courts.
Group fitness classes are also a great way to stay social.
Why Exercise?
Exercising in your retirement years is about a lot more than avoiding laziness.
Physical activity is known to improve your heart health, reduce body fat levels, and keep your metabolism up. Each of these effects can keep you at a healthy weight and reduce your risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
It also forces your body to release endorphins, which are known as the “feel-good hormone.” That means exercise can help you both physically and mentally.
2. Find a Hobby
Having free time is great, but you want to fill it with things you enjoy doing. Otherwise, you’ll get bored and even more lazy as time goes on.
That means it’s time to find a hobby.
Now’s the perfect time to do the things you’ve always wanted to try. You finally have no limitations when it comes to your precious time.
So, here’s what you can do:
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Outdoor activities: Hiking, birding, kayaking, fishing
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Arts & crafts: Scrapbooking, photography, writing, painting/drawing
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Educational hobbies: Museums, traveling, zoos, taking online courses
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Home projects: Remodeling, painting, redecorating
You can even create your own bucket list of things you want to try after you retire. This can give you something to look forward to and satisfaction as you cross items off your list.
And if you’re looking for ways to earn some extra cash, there are plenty of retirement hobbies that make money. You might sell your crafts at a local craft fair, for example, or grow vegetables to sell at the farmers’ market. There’s nothing wrong with making money while you’re retired!
3. Stay Social
When you start to get lazy, it’s easy to spend days cooped up inside your home. The last thing you want is to become a hermit in your retirement years.
That’s why it’s important to stay social throughout your retirement.
Social activity in your retirement years can play a pivotal role in your mental and physical health. Not only can socialization keep you active, but it can also improve your immunity, boost your self-esteem, and help you to avoid feelings of loneliness.
Social Activities for Retirees
You don’t need a ton of friends or a huge family to stay social once you retire.
If you live in a retirement community, your options are practically limitless. Here are some things you can do to stay social:
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Join a local country club.
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Attend classes or activities at your local senior center.
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Befriend your neighbors and spend time together.
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Keep in constant contact with your friends and family.
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Create or join a social group in your neighborhood.
The purpose of socialization is to keep you motivated and productive at the same time. Do your best to avoid being content with loneliness.
4. Create a To-Do List
Since you’re now off the clock and have no daily activities that you need to do, it’s easy to do nothing at all. That’s why it might be a good idea to set goals for each day.
Think about it.
How easy is it to lay in bed all day when you have nothing to do? Why would you even get dressed or leave the house?
Instead, create a to-do list of things you want to accomplish every day.
How to Create a To-Do List
Your daily to-do list doesn’t have to be complicated.
But, you should have at least a few things on it that need to get done. Here are some examples:
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Go to the home improvement store.
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Call your children.
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Go grocery shopping.
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Reorganize the bookshelf in your living room.
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Write a poem.
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Watch your favorite movie.
Not only does a to-do list give you something to look forward to, but it also helps you avoid overbooking. So, you won’t have to worry about doing too much during the day where you get tired or overwhelmed.
5. Let Yourself Be Lazy … Sometimes
As much as you want to stay productive during your retirement years, you earned this retirement. It’s more than okay to be lazy sometimes.
Think about what it was like to be in the workforce. You worked five days a week and then had two days of rest on the weekend, right?
Give yourself some rest time during retirement, too.
Set aside a day or two during the week where you don’t have to be productive. You can spend your time however you want without worrying about getting anything done.
Just make sure your rest days don’t start outweighing your productive days.
Conclusion
The last thing you want when you retire is a sudden transition from a 40-hour workweek to doing absolutely nothing. That’s why it’s important to stay active and healthy.
Most importantly, do the things you’ve always wanted to do once you retire!
Leon Grundstein has more than 28 years of experience in real estate development, with over two decades in the retirement industry. He founded Tacoma Point Ruston with a game-changing business model to promote a healthy and robust retirement lifestyle for older adults.
