Six months of retirement has taught me a few things. I had wondered how I would fill my time. I had an inkling that things would start out with a bang and that I would be busy trying to do everything I had on my mental “must-do” list for retirement. However, I quickly realized that while I had plenty to do, I don’t HAVE to do what I don’t want. I found freedom in rearranging my priorities to the things that are most important. I have been able to budget my time in an effort to rebalance my activities. In doing so, I have become more productive and fulfilled than I ever imagined.

I have always been a tinkerer. I like to try to fix things when I have time but pretty much stayed in my lane, never getting into the areas where one screw-up could lead to a costly repair. Plumbing projects gone awry can cause water damage and with electrical projects the fear of getting shocked has deterred me from even the smallest repair job. Calling on someone with experience has been easier.

Now, though, I have become more adventurous in household projects that I will take on. I have moved out into both plumbing and electrical fields, having replaced bathroom faucet sets and thermostats as well as light fixtures. So far we have not had any water leaks or house fires. This is a direct result of having more time and not trying to rush through a project. And the more I do the more confidence I have. My wife has even had to make “executive decisions” and call professionals when I begin to ponder if I’m over my head.

Several years ago I decided to take on a shower cartridge assembly project that sounded simple enough. I read several articles on the internet and watch two or three YouTube videos on the correct steps to follow. After ordering parts directly from the company and following the recommended procedures, I found myself stuck at the point I could not finish. Finally, after calling a plumber, he came and used a few “tricks of the trade” to complete my project. Later on, he stopped by the office to tell me to stay away from plumbing since I took what should have been a 30-minute job and turned it into four hours for him. Now I take more time and prepare so I can complete more projects (or at least avoid the ones that are too complicated).

I have also tried to be more focused on taking care of myself. Without a set schedule it is easy to fall into the “I’ll do it sometime today” mentality. For me that leads to postponing activity (meaning I’ll probably skip it) and eating whatever is easy. Purposeful nutritional discipline with activity and sleep plans have become more of a must.

My mother has frequently talked about her “retirement” naps- the 15-30 minute eye closings that seem to regenerate her every afternoon. My naps have always been more like marathons, lasting 2-3 hours. I am trying to reserve mid-afternoons for nap time and limit them, but that has been a tough sell to my body. For some reason, I still wake up early and go to bed early. Attempts to reset my circadian rhythm to match that of my wife have not been successful. Early coffee and reading time leads to an early bedtime even when the nap is thrown in.

Exercise has been important with some adjustments in both intensity and frequency. Aging has painfully shown me that making attempts at high-intensity activities five days a week are no longer realistic. Now, I need to be content with any activity daily. With travel and changes in accessibility the 6 am CrossFit classes have been replaced by Peloton classes supplemented by walking. The part I’m missing is the need to cut back on food intake to offset my decreased caloric output.

Splitting time between home and grandchildren made us look closely at social interactions outside of work and family. We are extremely blessed to have a core group of friends that have been close for 20-25 years. This group of people is invaluable to us and spending time with any or all of them has given us a much needed periodic recharge. Compressing the time at home has made scheduling and intentional time with them a necessity. It has also made our social time a priority. One of our good friends used to say “last minute friends are best”, referring to our ability to send out a call to get together without planning just to spend time together. We still rely on that ability to send out a last-minute call on a Friday evening to pull a group together.

But probably the most glaring thing I have learned from retirement is that time seems to fly by. We’ve all heard that a million times. My list of things to do in retirement is getting larger, not smaller. I was told by an advisor several years ago that picking the time for retirement required that you look at three things- your money, your time, and your health. I thought I would worry more about the money first, then the health, and then time. I’m finding that time passes so quickly that I don’t know when I will be able to do all that I want to do.

Reading, walking, talking with friends, and spending time with the grandchildren are all available options, but the currency for them is time. Unlike money and health, investing in time when you are younger does not bring any increase to your account. Intentional time with friends and family require planning and coordination, though when retired the schedule is opened up. But not everyone else’s time is as open. Having back-up plans to fill gaps in days and evenings has made my experience much more enjoyable.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning. Having an open schedule brings freedom but that freedom requires some intentional planning to be sure I am doing the things that are important to me. Faith, family, friends, and health have always been my stated priorities. It’s just that now I’m able to line up my actions with my words.