Time is a limited resource for all of us. Once it has gone there is no getting it back. As we get older, time becomes more precious so we want to spend it on things we want to do, with people we want to spend it with, rather than waste it. There is a lot of talk about “waste” these days and time is the most precious thing that people “throw away” and lose. So make your time work for you!
The word “retirement” suggests “more time to do what you want”. Is this how you see it or does “more time” scare you?
If you are busy at work and are worried about the sudden loss of activities to fill your time, you may be worried that your mental health and brain power/cognitive health may reduce? If you love your work and don’t really want to give it up, this can also cause concerns about time. It’s definitely worth thinking about this before you let work go. If you have a schedule that you follow for work and your time is guided by it, you may like to do a similar schedule for when you stop work. Noooo! You may think you want to get rid of all that pressure but think a bit more about it…...if you are used to a schedule and suddenly you have nothing planned, that can be very disheartening (I know!). It may feel good for a couple of weeks, like a holiday (definitely get one of those planned in!) but long term it can drag, you end up filling your time with reading about other people’s lives on Facebook or other social media. That makes it worse! I’m one of those people who is nearly always available for friends to call round or chat, which is great for them but doesn’t always work the other way around.
You may be thinking, this isn’t me - great!!! You need read no further! But if you do wonder what you will do, I read this in a book called “Indistractable” by Niy Eyal. He says to make a timebox calendar. This is a method where you book out every minute of your day so that you cannot get distracted by anything else. Eg 7-7.30 wake and shower, 7.30-8 breakfast, 8-10 walk etc etc. Clearly you need to be focussed on what you are doing in the time slots! This may be good to start you off making sure you spend the time you have doing what you want rather than revolving it around other people’s agendas. You may be thinking “no, I want some free time” and I feel the same. It is also important to have “nothing” time.
(seehttps://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2020/02/the-actual-health-benefits-of-doing-nothing/?fbclid=IwAR1TRkeE4W5CcN74_7tDZtv_b5b2L26Rj79_X-BhlpslICe_pUvGEFQNI7k#.
You can time slot that in too!!!! Time is also a question of priorities and setting new boundaries. At work you may be a manager who is at everyone else’s beck and call and you want this to be different in retirement. The timebox method will help train people around you to know your new boundaries regarding time and give you a chance to work out how you want to spend your time. I find my “creative/imagination” time comes when I’m doing other things, e.g. walking/talking to other people/reading so it can be hard to stay focussed, while at the same time allowing your creativity to flow. So the timeboxes can merge a bit at times like these.
Regarding the “brain power/cognitive health” issue, you can “timebox” some learning activities, sudoku or crosswords etc or join a debating group, learn something new and make sure you set time for this. Some of your activities may involve other people (hopefully!) so you can still prioritise social activities, so long as that is what you want!
One thing Niy suggested is something I had already done for myself. I took the Facebook App off my phone. This meant that I am not distracted by notifications and choose when I read it. I use it for work and sharing my retirement gems and keeping up with friends but I was letting it take over and it hurt my head! So now I look at it once or twice a day maximum. Previously, I have turned off notifications for emails,Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Instagram. I had decided that I didn’t want my time to be interrupted by people “butting in on my life”. So all I receive are text messages (which can still be a pain and get turned to silent sometimes!) and phone calls. Thishas really had a positive impact on my self esteem. You may think “why self esteem”? It is because I am prioritising “me”. Self care is paramount and this has made me accept when other people prioritise themselves (not avoiding me or being selfish!) and also has reminded me who is most important in my life.It is not always the people who contact you all the time!
It is all in your power!
The word “retirement” suggests “more time to do what you want”. Is this how you see it or does “more time” scare you?
If you are busy at work and are worried about the sudden loss of activities to fill your time, you may be worried that your mental health and brain power/cognitive health may reduce? If you love your work and don’t really want to give it up, this can also cause concerns about time. It’s definitely worth thinking about this before you let work go. If you have a schedule that you follow for work and your time is guided by it, you may like to do a similar schedule for when you stop work. Noooo! You may think you want to get rid of all that pressure but think a bit more about it…...if you are used to a schedule and suddenly you have nothing planned, that can be very disheartening (I know!). It may feel good for a couple of weeks, like a holiday (definitely get one of those planned in!) but long term it can drag, you end up filling your time with reading about other people’s lives on Facebook or other social media. That makes it worse! I’m one of those people who is nearly always available for friends to call round or chat, which is great for them but doesn’t always work the other way around.
You may be thinking, this isn’t me - great!!! You need read no further! But if you do wonder what you will do, I read this in a book called “Indistractable” by Niy Eyal. He says to make a timebox calendar. This is a method where you book out every minute of your day so that you cannot get distracted by anything else. Eg 7-7.30 wake and shower, 7.30-8 breakfast, 8-10 walk etc etc. Clearly you need to be focussed on what you are doing in the time slots! This may be good to start you off making sure you spend the time you have doing what you want rather than revolving it around other people’s agendas. You may be thinking “no, I want some free time” and I feel the same. It is also important to have “nothing” time.
(seehttps://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2020/02/the-actual-health-benefits-of-doing-nothing/?fbclid=IwAR1TRkeE4W5CcN74_7tDZtv_b5b2L26Rj79_X-BhlpslICe_pUvGEFQNI7k#.
You can time slot that in too!!!! Time is also a question of priorities and setting new boundaries. At work you may be a manager who is at everyone else’s beck and call and you want this to be different in retirement. The timebox method will help train people around you to know your new boundaries regarding time and give you a chance to work out how you want to spend your time. I find my “creative/imagination” time comes when I’m doing other things, e.g. walking/talking to other people/reading so it can be hard to stay focussed, while at the same time allowing your creativity to flow. So the timeboxes can merge a bit at times like these.
Regarding the “brain power/cognitive health” issue, you can “timebox” some learning activities, sudoku or crosswords etc or join a debating group, learn something new and make sure you set time for this. Some of your activities may involve other people (hopefully!) so you can still prioritise social activities, so long as that is what you want!
One thing Niy suggested is something I had already done for myself. I took the Facebook App off my phone. This meant that I am not distracted by notifications and choose when I read it. I use it for work and sharing my retirement gems and keeping up with friends but I was letting it take over and it hurt my head! So now I look at it once or twice a day maximum. Previously, I have turned off notifications for emails,Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Instagram. I had decided that I didn’t want my time to be interrupted by people “butting in on my life”. So all I receive are text messages (which can still be a pain and get turned to silent sometimes!) and phone calls. Thishas really had a positive impact on my self esteem. You may think “why self esteem”? It is because I am prioritising “me”. Self care is paramount and this has made me accept when other people prioritise themselves (not avoiding me or being selfish!) and also has reminded me who is most important in my life.It is not always the people who contact you all the time!
It is all in your power!