Gone are the days of rushing to work, fighting traffic, meeting deadlines and working overtime. Retirement is the time to slow down, blow off responsibilities, relax and play.
But how will you spend your time? Can you ‘pull off’ total leisure or will you need some other activity such as volunteering or a part-time job?
As a retiree you need to build a balanced leisure lifestyle, so you don’t fall into a rut. Though each person must design his or her own activity mix, consider a mix that includes at least one activity in each of the following leisure categories:
1. Entertainment: includes reading, attending concerts, watching your favorite TV shows and dining out.
2. Education: in retirement, just as in life, you need to keep learning. You may consider learning a new language, learning a new craft, or becoming a history buff.
3. Travel: whether you travel around the world or across the province or state, traveling provides you with new adventures and perspectives.
4. Sports/Exercise: whether you like to hike, bike, golf, swim, fish or work out, we can all benefit from some activity that helps us stay physically fit.
5. Social activities: when we retire, we leave many of these associations behind. It is important to replace the shared times with other social activities that provide us with the fellowship we enjoyed while at work. You may consider joining a club such as Lions, Rotary or Probus, a special interest group, a social club or simply arranging game of cards with family and friends.
6. Hobbies: as part of your leisure planning, consider finding at least one hobby. Choose an activity that gives you pleasure and is engaging without being overly time consuming. Some ideas are oil painting, gourmet cooking, gardening, photography, wine tasting and car restoring.
Finding the right combination of entertainment, education, travel, sports/exercise, social activities and hobbies to match your lifestyle and personality takes time and effort. Be prepared to experiment with your leisure activity selection until you find the right mix.
