Do you know what to do once the basics are taken care of?
If you’ve already sorted out your financial plan for the future, it’s easy to think you’re done with planning (and if you haven’t, we recommend taking Retirement Planning for Federal Employees). However, there are far more factors to consider in planning for the future ahead.
After the initial thrill of freedom from work, it’s easy to feel bored, isolated, and idle in retirement. You may find yourself wondering:
- How will I spend my time?
- How can I maintain relationships and friendships outside of the workplace?
- How will I maintain my fitness and health?
- How can I challenge my mind so it remains active and sharp?
While it’s not easy to figure out how to spend your time after retirement, you can set goals based on your needs and ensure a full and happy retirement.
What can you do to keep yourself busy?
Prior to retirement, you were most likely working a traditional 9-5 job with set hours, and that helped to build a routine. Setting goals in the area of work after retirement can mean something slightly different. Think about finding volunteer work for a cause you care deeply about, perhaps even one that can make use of your years of professional experience. Brainstorm places that you would be interested in elevating via your expertise, or organizations you’d want to be involved with. This can help to fill out time during the week and maintain a routine.
Goal 1: Identify an organization to work or volunteer with to help maintain a routine.
How can you keep yourself healthy?
Keeping yourself healthy can be a challenge before or after retirement, but it’s important to be proactive about your health! Finding an activity that you enjoy and that can boost your endorphins to keep you happy is a great way to maintain an active element in your life that’s sustainable and long-term. Goals to keep yourself healthy can involve ensuring you have a supportive group of family and friends, creating a plan to take care of your physical and emotional health, and exploring health as a new challenge. This can mean finding family members to go on walks with, joining a golf club, or even signing up for a new kind of fitness class you may not have previously considered.
Goal 2: Identify an activity that can keep you active through your retirement.
How can you build and develop relationships outside of a work environment?
Maintaining a robust circle of people you know and can interact with is larger when you are in a working environment. There are plenty of people around to chat with at the watercooler, or during meetings. It’s important to develop social circles independently as well, by joining clubs based on your interests with people who show up regularly. Other connections to work on developing are preexisting connections: take actions to support closer family and friend connections.
Goal 3: Identify a group of people who you can regularly spend time with.
What can you do to relax and have fun?
Find an activity you enjoy! This can be an expansion of your hobbies prior to retirement, or you may want to try something entirely new. It may even be a way to meet new people, helping you expand your circle while doing an activity you enjoy. Keeping your mind and body engaged with something that you enjoy can be incredibly cathartic and give you a great way to unwind, be creative, and channel your energy!
Goal 4: Find an activity that engages you and that you can do purely for enjoyment.
How can you grow as a person, and develop yourself into who you want to be?
Retirement is also a great time to invest in personal growth with the time and resources now available to you. There are a lot of ways to go about fostering your own growth or finding your purpose, through reading, engaging in communities that encourage spiritual growth, or working on your personal barriers. A great way to grow yourself is to try new things: take classes you may not have thought to before, or engage with new creative fields that can help you push the boundaries of an identity that you may have previously
Goal 5: Determine what it is that you want to engage with, and begin to research these higher-order ideas.
Life after retirement will look different for each individual, but the basics of planning for retirement are also the same very basic building blocks you can apply to your life once you have already retired. After your finances are taken care of, you can focus on yourself and begin answering questions about what your life will look like.
Do you have a plan to retire? If not, check out Retirement Planning for Federal Employees to set yourself up for retirement success.
Is your team on the younger side, but you want to set them up for future financial success? Reach out about our FERS Benefits and Financial Literacy one-day course.
Five Goals to Set After Retirement
Do you know what to do once the basics are taken care of?
If you’ve already sorted out your financial plan for the future, it’s easy to think you’re done with planning (and if you haven’t, we recommend taking Retirement Planning for Federal Employees). However, there are far more factors to consider in planning for the future ahead.
After the initial thrill of freedom from work, it’s easy to feel bored, isolated, and idle in retirement. You may find yourself wondering:
While it’s not easy to figure out how to spend your time after retirement, you can set goals based on your needs and ensure a full and happy retirement.
What can you do to keep yourself busy?
Prior to retirement, you were most likely working a traditional 9-5 job with set hours, and that helped to build a routine. Setting goals in the area of work after retirement can mean something slightly different. Think about finding volunteer work for a cause you care deeply about, perhaps even one that can make use of your years of professional experience. Brainstorm places that you would be interested in elevating via your expertise, or organizations you’d want to be involved with. This can help to fill out time during the week and maintain a routine.
Goal 1: Identify an organization to work or volunteer with to help maintain a routine.
How can you keep yourself healthy?
Keeping yourself healthy can be a challenge before or after retirement, but it’s important to be proactive about your health! Finding an activity that you enjoy and that can boost your endorphins to keep you happy is a great way to maintain an active element in your life that’s sustainable and long-term. Goals to keep yourself healthy can involve ensuring you have a supportive group of family and friends, creating a plan to take care of your physical and emotional health, and exploring health as a new challenge. This can mean finding family members to go on walks with, joining a golf club, or even signing up for a new kind of fitness class you may not have previously considered.
Goal 2: Identify an activity that can keep you active through your retirement.
How can you build and develop relationships outside of a work environment?
Maintaining a robust circle of people you know and can interact with is larger when you are in a working environment. There are plenty of people around to chat with at the watercooler, or during meetings. It’s important to develop social circles independently as well, by joining clubs based on your interests with people who show up regularly. Other connections to work on developing are preexisting connections: take actions to support closer family and friend connections.
Goal 3: Identify a group of people who you can regularly spend time with.
What can you do to relax and have fun?
Find an activity you enjoy! This can be an expansion of your hobbies prior to retirement, or you may want to try something entirely new. It may even be a way to meet new people, helping you expand your circle while doing an activity you enjoy. Keeping your mind and body engaged with something that you enjoy can be incredibly cathartic and give you a great way to unwind, be creative, and channel your energy!
Goal 4: Find an activity that engages you and that you can do purely for enjoyment.
How can you grow as a person, and develop yourself into who you want to be?
Retirement is also a great time to invest in personal growth with the time and resources now available to you. There are a lot of ways to go about fostering your own growth or finding your purpose, through reading, engaging in communities that encourage spiritual growth, or working on your personal barriers. A great way to grow yourself is to try new things: take classes you may not have thought to before, or engage with new creative fields that can help you push the boundaries of an identity that you may have previously
Goal 5: Determine what it is that you want to engage with, and begin to research these higher-order ideas.
Life after retirement will look different for each individual, but the basics of planning for retirement are also the same very basic building blocks you can apply to your life once you have already retired. After your finances are taken care of, you can focus on yourself and begin answering questions about what your life will look like.
Do you have a plan to retire? If not, check out Retirement Planning for Federal Employees to set yourself up for retirement success.
Is your team on the younger side, but you want to set them up for future financial success? Reach out about our FERS Benefits and Financial Literacy one-day course.
Jhanvi Ramaiya
Topic:
Human Capital & Human ResourcesMedia Type:
BlogTags:
FERS goal-setting goals Retirement Retirement planning