Wednesday 2 July 2008

Time Management for Retirees

With life expectancy continuing to increase, some people are spending a third of their lives or more in retirement. That's too much time to waste. If you leave full-time employment, take your time management skills with you and leave the stress behind. This includes the following five strategies that will keep you mentally young and physically active.

1. Set personal goals, complete with deadlines and schedules. Don't retire from achievements simply because of your chronological age. Make up for the years you may have been procrastinating. Read the books you never got around to reading. See the sights you always wanted to see. Mend broken relationships and make new ones.

2. Continue using a planning calendar and schedule time for activities and people you love. Without the structure of the workplace it's necessary to build your own structure.

3. Schedule self-development activities. You're never too old to learn. The more active you keep your mind, the less chance there will be of memory loss.

4. Spend time with younger people; if you don't, your wisdom will die when you do. And surrounding yourself with younger people makes you feel younger in turn. Don't waste your life sharing complaints, aches and pains with older people.

5. Keep exercise as a priority. Lead an active lifestyle. Exercise affects memory as well as physical condition.

If you are still active in your career, plan now to ensure your retirement years will live up to your expectations. Plan more than simply finances. The important part of retirement is how you will be spending your time. Take inventory of the parts of your current job you like and those that you don't like and plan activities during retirement that incorporate the enjoyable parts. You will still need a sense of achievement, self-fulfillment and personal growth once you are retired. This may involve going back to school, starting your own business or doing volunteer work.




0 comments: