Weekend Reading: The Benefits of Having a Schedule in Retirement

This article appears as part of Casey Weade's Weekend Reading for Retirees series. Every Friday, Casey highlights four hand-picked articles on trending retirement topics and delivers them straight to your email inbox. Get on the list here.
Weekend reading schedule retirement wall street journal thumbnail Weekend reading schedule retirement wall street journal thumbnail
Weekend Reading

The transition from your career to the wide-open landscape of retirement can become all the more seamless with the simple inclusion of a schedule. Read the article from The Wall Street Journal below.

READ THE ARTICLE

Structural support: After decades of working with designated time for specific tasks, retirees can often miss the structure that comes along with a nine-to-five job. Whether it’s a loosely developed schedule or a more rigid calendar, any type of daily organization can help eliminate uncertainty and promote more focus. Within this article, it states to view each day as a delicious meal you’ll be planning for yourself. Decide which ingredients to mix in, then create your ideal day.

The types of activities you dedicate your time toward might differ from that of your neighbor or even your spouse, but writing those plans down or sharing them with someone you care about can help keep you accountable. Here, the author includes a sample schedule of ways to shape your time in retirement:

📌Use mornings to: Exercise, be spiritual, be curious/creative or work

📌Use afternoons to: Learn, socialize, give back or embrace nature

📌Use evenings to: Engage in media, retain friendships or relax at home

Take note: Although you might dream of the opportunity to have absolutely nothing on your schedule in retirement, it could be one of the worst things you do for your mental health.