Adjusting to ret

Not panicking when the clock reads 5:30! I’m learning to budget a little better since SS only comes once a month and my pensions come 2 weeks later. I used to get paid weekly. I’m loving it so far.

Took me about a month but now I do what I want whether it is to sleep in, stay up very late watching a movie or playing my guitar and bass in the middle of the night in other end of the house from where my wife is sleeping

I've only been retired for a couple of months, (In fact it feels slightly weird even typing that) so I guess I'm still "adjusting". ;-)

I've never been an early riser, but I am sleeping later than I did when I worked (this started during Working From Home), and I'm trying not to feel guilty, if I'm not doing anything "productive", although I'm trying to complete at least one worthwhile task per day.

I'm also trying to *not* become totally nocturnal, like I did in the late '70's

I've found that I have to pace myself, and try to limit it to one 'project' per day.  Otherwise I'm afraid I'll run out of projects.  On many days, I don't know what that project might be.  Last week, I decided to refret my Strat.  (That was more like a two day project, actually.)  Some days, I don't do any projects, and I still feel kind of guilty on those days.  Often, it's the wife that finds something for me to do.

Every project costs money also, so that needs to be considered.  Lots of these are just things to keep me busy, and others just pop up out of nowhere, like something breaking down, etc.  It's odd to almost be looking forward to something not working, because I enjoy tearing into things that I don't really know how to fix.  Youtube comes in pretty handy!

"What is a change you didn’t expect?"

Absolute calm in bumper to bumper gridlock, that used to drive me up the wall. Like every few years when I have to drive to downtown LA to renew my CCW / LEO credentials. I glance around at the horn honking, steering wheel  pounding commuters, and think .... "sure it's a one time annoyance for me, but these people endure this crap EVERY day!"

Hmmm, it took me several years to accomplish the proper 'retirement sleep session' but, after being retired for 10 years in April, I have found the sweet spot, so to speak and it is go to bed at midnight and get up at 6am. I get one more hour of sleep from my toiling days doing this...or is it 2 hours? While working, up at 0430, bed at 2330 like some, never needed an alarm clock to be up at the designated hour.

Like you, HenryJ, I retired in October 2017.

I still maintain a daily schedule of waking up early, at the same time every day.

I always know what day of the week it is, because instead of my first waking thought being a four-letter word (as was the case during my working days), it is now, "today is Sunday," or "Monday," or whatever the day is. That helps keep me sync'd up with the rest of the world.

I also maintain a workout schedule, and there is never any shortage of projects to accomplish and adventures to enjoy.  I spend a lot of time in the shop doing...stuff, which could be a project with a goal, or simple tasks like sharpening chisels, tweaking power tools, rearranging things...  And there's always music playing.

My typical day usually includes me wishing I had more hours in the day, but always ends with me thankful there's only 24 hours because I am out of gas in the evening 

I officially retired right when the Covid hit so the first few months were kind of stressful and dicey. Once the Idaho cabin was snow free, retirement became a cake walk. I take the occasional professional call and consult without having to do any real work.

Yep! Every day is like Saturday 😉

One of my younger friends said he was visiting his Dad, who had retired. They were leisurely doing some project when my friend suggested that if they got serious, they could finish in a short amount of time. His Dad said yeah, and then what would we do.

I cannot take credit for this philosophy--it's a good one--and I apply it every day:

It's better to retire to something than from something. 

This mindset helps keep things in perspective and provides focus and purpose. 

Many people define themselves by their career and when it ends, there's a huge void in a person's existence.  Having a plan for daily activities (semi-fixed schedule including hobbies, exercise, volunteering, community involvement, cultural enlightenment, social activities, etc.) immeasurably enriches one's life.  Notice the "semi-fixed" label; this is important because you can be flexible...but if you loosen up your schedule too much too frequently, it's far too easy to drift into becoming a couch pertater.

I am having more fun now than I ever have.  I count my blessings on a frequent basis.

Leftee, now is the time to start thinking about it.

Does she like crafting? Sewing? Cooking? Wrenching on lawn mowers?

[trying to be non-sexist here and failing miserably]

It's a good approach to start putting into place the infrastructure, e.g., a sewing room, etc., well before day number 1 of retirement. This allows a person to begin to think about how they'll fill their day as a retiree and provides something to look forward to.

Yeah, I know it's improper to end a sentence with a preposition, but I'm retired: I can do what the hell I want to.

I did it AGAIN!

One thing that may work for her is to do several days per week of part-time/consulting/volunteer work in an area related to her career.  I have several friends that have retired that do just that and they feel useful and fulfilled as a result.


Other than lavishing a fine standard of living for her dogs, my hunnie defines her existence by her work. When she finally retires from federal service (she's already retired from the military) I hope she can find something to focus on other than me.

For MY sake