First, fix a drink, sit in your favorite patio chair, relax, and enjoy the moment. You’ve worked hard to get here, and congratulations are in order. Again, continue working if you want. There’s no need to quit if you still enjoy what you’re doing. But realize that you now have a unique opportunity: a second act that you can create without the burden of money worries.

Build a Routine of “Here-and-Now” Activities

If you decide to leave work and are wondering how to spend your days, here is what works for me. Build a daily routine of “Here-and-Now” activities. I’m a creature of habit and having these daily routines allows two things: (1) I don’t have to think too hard or play mental ping-pong deciding what to do for the day; and (2) It allows for anticipation, which extends the joy of an activity. This is why experiences – anything from a vacation to a daily swim – are more satisfying than stuff: you get the anticipation up front, then the joy of the activity, followed by fond memories. Most of these daily activities should be active, not passive (i.e., watching a screen) and provide you with the feeling of flow, when time stands still and you’re absorbed in the work while other thoughts and worries disappear.

The key to a successful retirement is to maintain your health as best you can and be curious. I’ve found that those who are endlessly curious about the world do the best in retirement. I’ve also read that to enjoy retirement you shouldn’t be running from something (i.e., your job) but rather towards something (i.e., other interests). But what if running away from a job also means running towards a less stressful life that you can finally enjoy without the heavy blanket of work-related worry? To me, that’s a fair trade.

If you remove the things that cause you chronic, long-term stress that weighs you down, then contentment, delight in the world, joy, and even happiness will come bubbling up without effort. These are always there but are just suppressed by the stress. So it’s not about adding external things that you think will bring joy (they rarely do) but removing the negative. This is true for me: when I left work and all the work stress lifted, I would sometimes feel euphoric, that I finally “woke up” to life, not because of anything I added, but what I removed. The reason I woke up? I was finally able to enjoy the present moment, which is where we actually live our lives. I stopped living in the future, constantly in suspense about all the work-related stuff endlessly hanging out there.

The best scenario for enjoying retirement? Retiring on your own terms from a job that came with chronic stress, still in good health, with a desire to learn about the world. You get the double benefit of killing your work stress and finally being able to live in the present moment, coupled with the ability to explore what interests you. At the opposite end is being let go from a job you loved, but you haven’t taken the time to cultivate hobbies, activities, and interests, and generally lack curiosity. This scenario will lead to boredom, restlessness, and discontentment.

A long morning swim at the local gym followed by some time in the sauna is the one constant in my day to day. The resulting endorphins set the stage for the rest of the day. Other daily activities include: hiking in the desert or in the surrounding mountains; walking the University of Arizona campus and browsing the bookstore; a trip to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods for the daily meal; meal prep and cooking; lunch at the local deli; happy hours, trivia nights, and dinners with friends; woodworking; writing; adult classes at the University of Arizona; (lots of) reading and life-long learning about science; health and diet; investing and finances; Stoicism and other philosophies of life; evolutionary psychology; archeology and anthropology; astronomy; and hopefully many other future topics; local travel and camping around Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah; regional travel to see family and friends; a little down time at night streaming a movie or t.v. show, among other activities. The real delight is not having a blanket of work stress to weigh me down and pull me out of the here and now during these daily activities. I can have a quiet lunch at the local deli and actually enjoy myself. An extra bonus is no more Sunday Evening Blues….

You Also Need a Purpose 

I do think that, along with a “Here-and-Now” daily routine, we all need an underlying purpose that is greater than ourselves – we’re happiest when on a quest, after all. This may require some work to figure out – the modern world does not provide this easily and I still struggle with it. These blog posts fit into this category: helping others with personal finance and providing some advice on living a good life. I also love helping my nieces and nephews with this stuff. Most are just out of college and starting their careers – the absolute best time to learn about these concepts. A small change today can make an enormous impact in their lives over a period of decades.

Your purpose doesn’t need to be work related, of course. It could be regaining your health; personal growth; working on your philosophy of life and developing an excellent inner character; rekindling old friendships; lightening the load of your friends and family; reconnecting with nature; lifelong learning; or a million other things that may not fit in the career/work category. Human beings are hard-wired to strive towards something. Traveling, relaxing, having fun, and spending time with friends and family are important but, without an undercurrent of purpose and productivity and the experience of flow on a regular basis, may still leave most of us feeling rather empty. For me, happiness is having something to look forward to every day, a daily routine of “Here-and-Now” activities, helping others, experiencing flow, keeping healthy, gaining skills and competence, lifelong learning, working towards goals, and being autonomous. I like idle time, too – it helps me think. Add in friends and family, travel, relaxation, good food and drink, and you have a recipe for contentment and, occasionally, joy.

Well, this is the end of the line my friend. I’ve said all I want to say and yonder mountains are calling – it’s time to load the truck camper and head up into the pines. Thanks for spending this time with me. Years from now, I hope that you’re healthy, content, and at ease with the world, in part because of what you learned in these pages.