Gina, asked me last week about how she could fill up her time after retirement. Wow, that’s a question I hear a lot. There are 168 hours in a week and Gina has always known how to fill in 40 of them with work. Add another 56 hours for sleep and Gina could account for 57% of her week without taking out the hours for answering the email, hanging up on telemarketers and watching her favorite TV shows. Time, it’s all about time in those days, months and even years after we walk out our career-centric door.
In many ways retirement is like having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). You have been working in a variety of jobs for 20, 30 or 40+ years.
You may have had a retirement party, maybe you just rode off into the sunset. But, somewhere along the line you end up at your kitchen table thinking. All the thoughts, feelings or dreams related to all those work days come crashing down around you in the memories playing out in your head.
You’ve got time to think.
The alarm clock is not rousing you from your bed. No one wonders where you are in the office. The couch is inviting you to sit. You are alone with your thoughts.
How scary is that. I know for myself, sitting in my PJs staring at HGTV for hours trying to make sense of this new phase of my life that didn’t include work was very very scary. How about you?
I meet lots of retirees who feel this way today. In coaching folks through the early months of retirement, people handle their personal retirement PTSD in a variety of ways.
So all this got me thinking about all those personality tests I’ve taken and given being a teacher. I began thinking how figuring out what to do after retirement was somewhat like that…knowing who were are so we can be even more of who we are.
We’ve all heard that list of what retirees should do upon retirement: Volunteer, Create a Bucket List, Clean the Garage, Travel, Baby-sit the grandchildren. But, depending on how your unique personality handled work/ is a much better way to determine how you’ll also handle retirement.
Each of us have different triggers for what gives us energy and makes our days happy for us. So I want to now introduce you to four retirees and maybe they’ll help us see how to look at our own post-working choices.
How to decide how to “retire”.
Meet William. He’s been a CEO of his own consulting business. He began as a junior executive in the insurance industry right out of college. He really enjoyed working hard each day and was known for making excellent strategic decisions. He enjoyed the stability and hard work that motivated him. His philosophy was work hard, you can play later. He had staff that ran the mundane parts, he used his energy and knowledge for the big picture in developing his company. He planned to just take it easy in retirement. He knew there would be plenty of time for golfing with his buddies. His wife would be happy to finally get some time with him, since for years the 60+ hours per week didn’t leave much time for the family. But in retirement that just wasn’t enough. His wife wasn’t thrilled to have him tell her how to clean the house and the golf buddies really weren’t around.
William’s work adrenaline drug was being in charge. His life quote might have been; “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” By Les Brown
So in retirement, what should William do? William’s “being in charge” adrenaline urge still needs to be fed. Possibilities for him could include seeking out boards of directors that can best utilize his talents. Perhaps he will join the friends of the library group and run the booksale for them. Perhaps he might look into SCORE and be a senior consultant to a millennial beginning a start up. He will enjoy his retirement knowing he can still use those special skills of being in charge.
Now let’s meet Shirley. She’s an independent thinker who loves exploring ideas and building models to innovate projects. She’s an information junkie. She began in the accounting department of a bank after high school. She rose through the ranks, going back to school when the kids were little and started to really make a difference when the bank moved to a full technology model in the early ‘80s. She loves putting data together and her department is known for providing information that drives every part of the bank today. Shirley is a list maker and she has a To Do List for her retirement that would kill a horse. But, that’s not enough for her.
Shirley’s work adrenaline drug comes from organizing information. Her mantra might be “In God we trust. All others must bring data.” (Edward Deming)
So, in retirement, Shirley may begin her own online business. She knows how to handle technology and can help others see the benefit of collecting data to improve their businesses. Or perhaps she’ll work part-time helping during tax season. Shirley needs information to keep her lively, without an abundant amount of information for her to process she’ll feel useless.
Now here’s Renee. We’ve all met Renee. She has been a human resources administrative assistant for over 20 years. She has enjoyed matching her employer’s needs with the talents of employees she has found. She always enjoyed planning the staff parties and annual picnic and she was always the first one with a get well card ready to be signed by the entire office. Making sure the folks in the office all got along was an amazing talent and kept the company always winning awards for customer service. Her friends tell her that she’ll be thrilled to have all that time at home to read and work on her garden.
Renee’s special adrenaline drug at work is social interaction. “Relationships are all there is.” Meg Wheatley
So, in retirement, Renee needs to make sure that she doesn’t just stay home. She needs to be involved with people; people at church, people at the food bank, people in her neighborhood. Isolating herself will really make retirement difficult for her. The more the merrier for Renee.
Lastly, let’s meet Paul. Paul’s career has been varied. He’s been a mechanic, a driver, a salesman, and a chef at the local food truck. Paul valued freedom in his work. He liked setting his own hours, setting his own day. Paul knew what would destroy retirement for him…boredom. Being easily bored, Paul needs to have many projects in the fire.
Paul’s special adrenaline drug at work is risk taking. “We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake.” — Marie B. Ray
So in retirement, Paul’s the guy with the bucket list. He’s made one probably every year. He doesn’t actually do the items on the list, but just being able to dream of something new and different gives him a thrill. Paul will try anything and everything in retirement. The worst thing for him is having to only do one thing, he needs the thrill of adventures.
So what do these four people tell us as we look towards retirement. Mostly that there is no one way, no magic bullet to making your bonus years your best years.
Looking at what made your work life good for you is a start. So here’s four ideas.
1. Take a personality test. You’ll find lots doing a google search for personality tests. From the formal Myers Briggs to the fun what kind of puppy are you, you’ll discover what makes you tick. Where do you get pleasure in what you do?
2. Journal. Regardless of whether you’re a take charge, information junky, social interactor or risk taker, take a few moments each week and just write in a journal what you’ve been thinking about. The sooner you start writing, the more you’ll have to think about retirement is really upon you.
3. Ask your family, friends and co-workers what they think your adrenaline drug is? You just might be surprised at some of their answers.
4. Get a pack of post it notes. On the first one write the question, “Who Am I?” Tack it up above your desk or on your mirror. Keep the post it note pack handy and every day add a few words as an answer and stick that up as well. Maybe…phrases like Kind, Hard Working, Lazy, Good family person might start to cover your wall. That’s the real question isn’t it. Not what will I do when I retire, but the quintessential question of Who Am I?
Discover what makes your life exciting by remembering what it is that fuels your life. Then remember to feed your life so that you’ll always say, your retirement was the best thing that ever happened in your life.
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