The Retirement Newsletter: What are my plans for year two of my retirement?

Issue Number: 203 (56) — what next?

Nick

Apr 20, 2025

A cluster of vibrant blue and white bluebells growing along a grassy country lane, with a dirt path and wooden fence stretching into the distance on a sunny spring day. Trees and shrubs line the path under a clear blue sky. — Photo by Author — Bluebells in the spring

Welcome

Welcome to issue 203 (56) — planning year two.

I completed one year of retirement, and it was all relatively easy. But what about year two?

Plans for Year One

For year one, I had some plans. Admittedly, they were pretty simple, and you can read about them in:

While I am not going to go through everything again from those newsletters, it was clear that I was worried about what I would do as I approached my big retirement day just over a year ago. As I look back at those newsletters, it is clear(ish) that I had plans, but they weren’t ‘hard and fast’ plans.

Looking back, I can see I had some worries:

Health — I was worried about my health, and a few weeks into retirement, a pretty shocking set of routine blood tests showed I was right to be worried.
Money — Did I have enough to retire? Would I be able to have the lifestyle I wanted in retirement?

I also had an idea that things would fall into three groups:

The “me” — I needed to address my health, fitness, and weight. I wanted to do more things I enjoyed and wanted to do, such as walking and travelling. I wanted to explore and wander.
The “must do it” — General life stuff. For example, I decided I needed to declutter (see Ten things I have learned about decluttering — a summary) and do some decorating and DIY (not started).
The “don’t have to do it, but I want to do it” — This was mainly stuff that I wanted to do for fun, like still being the scientist and educator, and I discussed these in What do I want from retirement?.

So, how did it go? It went well (see Did I reach my goals for the first year?). I did much of what I wanted to do and hit most of my goals.

I lost weight, became fitter, and improved my blood work. I also kept an eye on my money. I got to do some “me” things and some stuff that I didn’t have to do but wanted to do.

I would describe my first year of retirement as a success.

Now, what about year two?

Planning Year Two

So, year two? What is the plan?

In two previous newsletters, I looked at the State of my retirement — is it as I hoped? and What would I change in my retirement? . And in those newsletters, I concluded that things were going pretty well, but I had noticed that the fifty free hours per week I gained from not working had evaporated. And I asked, “Where had they gone?”.

I did a bit of a breakdown of how I spent my time (see What would I change in my retirement?) and identified twenty-one hours of “lost” time. In the newsletter, I said, “I would like to get some of the 60% back into my “me” time and reduce the fragmentation caused by 60%, but I can’t see how that will be possible.” And after another week of thinking about things, I still can’t see a way of getting the time back or managing it better.

So, I think I will have to stick to my year one plan for year two. That is, I still need to focus on my health and wealth, monitor my weight, and track my spending. I need to keep an eye on how I spend my time and try to carve out more “me” time.

The Take-Away?

What is the takeaway from all of this?

Well, if the last year, my first year of retirement, has taught me anything, it is that I need to keep an eye on things. I need to pause occasionally and reflect on what I want to achieve and how I will meet my aims. I cannot be allowed to drift.

One thing I need to watch is how I spend my time. I have identified twenty-one hours per week that I am losing, and my time is fragmented. Unfortunately, I have no control over these twenty-one hours. They are firmly in the “most do” camp.

So, what about you? How are you approaching your retirement? Are you planning or drifting along? Please let me know in the comments.

Next week

Next week, in issue 204 (57), I look at having fun in retirement.

Thanks

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Until next time,