The Retirement Newsletter: I'm bored — keeping yourself entertained in retirement
Issue Number: -77 — When I retire, if I ever say I’m bored — feel free to hit me with a wet fish
Welcome
Welcome to issue -77 — keeping yourself entertained during retirement.
When we were kids, how many times did we say:
I’m so bored
This is so boring
They seemed to be common phrases. All we had to keep us entertained was the TV, reading a book, playing with our toys and playing outside. There was no Internet; there were no games consoles and all that they can offer.
There was also a link between boredom and doing things you didn’t want to do — this is soooo boring!
But what about being retired? Will I be bored?
I have been on holiday for the past week and thinking about boredom. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t bored on my holiday, but I did take some time to think about the stages of retirement and how I could keep myself entertained.
The three stages of retirement
I see retirement as having, like most things, three stages:
a beginning
a middle
and an end.
But what are these three stages?
Well, I will go into more detail on these in a later issue, but I will define them here.
The beginning
A freshly minted retiree, fresh out of the box.
The world is all shiny and new and is stretched out before you.
Lots to do, lots to see, lots of energy.
The middle
In the middle stage — you have been retired for some time and found your ‘style’. You know the sort of retiree you are; you know what you like (and what you don’t), and you get on with it.
You have a rhythm, a schedule for your retirement.
The end
The end game.
Your health and general fitness limit what you can do. Your choices and options become restricted, and your energy levels dip. Your world shrinks.
It comes to all of us.
Boredom in the stages
So, three stages, how is boredom likely to occur, and what can be done about it?
The beginning and boredom
I can’t see boredom being an issue in the early stages of retirement.
I already have a long (possibly too long) list of projects I want to start and/or finish. Many of these projects are things I have started and not finished or things I have finished and feel I can do a better job on. Some of these projects are ’side-hustles’ and could bring in some extra cash.
For me, these projects include:
finish writing/re-writing two textbooks and publishing them as eBooks. I have been working on the two books for about twelve years. I have finished and published them, but I could do a better job. I want to get them out of my system. See Issue -86 for more information about writing as a side-hustle.
creating some online courses. I have been an educator for most of my career and have taught a lot of science. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (and at the time of writing, we are still in the pandemic, despite what the government is trying to tell us), I had to move my teaching online, and I discovered I enjoyed making teaching videos. When I retire, I plan to make some online courses. See Issue -80 for setting up online courses.
My love of travel and exploring will also keep me busy. Add in walking, and I won’t have a moment to be bored.
Finally, my bucket list needs dealing with — all those news articles and web pages I have saved over the years of places I want to visit and things I want to do. For more information on bucket lists, see issues -112 and -113 — Do you have a bucket list? and The bucket list in the post-pandemic era.
The middle and boredom
As with ‘the beginning’, I can’t see boredom in ‘the middle stage’ being an issue. I will still have things to do with my online courses, hobbies, and interests. I will still be travelling and exploring. I will still have my bucket list.
And if I do find the days dragging, I can always expand on my interests in volunteering with local wildlife groups.
I will be busy. I know I won’t get bored.
But, there is the risk that in the ‘middle’, bad habits may develop, and I will stop pushing myself. I will start taking afternoon naps; I might disengage from hobbies and interests. And these are things I need to guard against, as they could hasten the arrival of the ‘end game’.
The end and boredom
This is the stage of retirement and life that worries me the most — the end game.
As I said above, your health and lack of fitness begin to impact what you can do. Your world shrinks.
I accept that as I age, there will be things I will have to stop doing.
I will have to give up skiing at some point (although I have skied with people who were well into their 70s and were much better skiers than me). I will get to a point where I will have to stop doing my 10+ miles hikes.
What worries me is getting to the stage where I may no longer be able to read or write due to failing eyesight.
That is when boredom may set it — the time when I can no longer engage in the things I like to do.
How will I cope?
Useful links
Some useful links:
NHS Get Active — some helpful advice on getting active
NHS Benefits of exercise — some advice on the benefits of remaining active
Next week
Next week, knitting. Yes, a non-knitter will be writing about knitting in issue -76. "Knitting" during your retirement — hobby or side-hustle? Or will I?
Thanks
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Until next time,
Nick
PS, If you have something you would like to contribute to the newsletter — a story, advice, anything — please get in touch.