Retirement is a goal we all strive for to have the time do the hobbies and leisure activities we desire. However, after three, six, or nine months of retirement, reality sets in. Your leisure time was great for the first few months and others were jealous of the freedom you had. Yet inside, your excitement is not the same as it was preretirement, and you realize you are not enjoying your life.
You love your grandchildren, but spending time with them all day is too much. You find yourself sleeping in, and the days pass. You have no goals to reach and find yourself bored and lonely.
How To Prepare For Leisure In Retirement
If you’re not currently retired but nearing retirement age, start preparing for leisure time by trying out various leisure activities and hobbies.
- Think about what you would like to do when you retire.
- Then consider how much money it will take to support your leisure activities (travel, entertainment).
- Make sure your leisure plan matches your desired lifestyle.
- Think about what you want to do in retirement.
- Spend time with friends and family while still working; make sure both groups know each other well enough for a good rapport after work ends.
Hobby List To Consider
Even in retirement, a schedule is essential. Your human need to want to do something with a purpose is natural. So you begin to think, what can I do to meet my needs, to have that sense of community and purpose in life.
You can start by taking the Am I Satisfied With My Leisure Quiz to determine your next steps.
Everyone will lean towards different leisure pursuits, and below are suggestions to help you think about, explore and see what may work for you.
| Take leisurely walks in your neighborhood for exercise. |
| Sign up for a course at a local college to learn something new about which you are interested. |
| Find an activity that uses your skills and talents—like landscaping work, woodworking projects, photography classes, and join an association of people who share these interests. |
| Enjoy leisure activities you used to do when you were younger, like dancing lessons or jam sessions with friends on musical instruments. |
| Spend leisure time traveling around the country. |
| Get involved with social organizations such as the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Toastmasters, or other community groups. |
| Look into adult sports leagues where you can play against people within your skill level. If there’s no one in your town, start one by recruiting friends and neighbors. |
| Take up a leisure activity like writing or painting that you enjoy but haven’t done in the past because of time constraints. |
| Join an organized leisure activity such as a walking club or dance lessons. It’s likely there’s something in your area for people who like every leisurely pursuit imaginable! |
| Go on leisurely bicycle rides |
| Play with pets |
| Watch movies at home; watch movies outside |
| Go to the library and read books |
| Visit senior centers for dances and music performances or lectures |
| Attend community fairs and festivals |
| Travel around the state or country visiting national parks |
| Use some of that extra free time to volunteer |
| Attend leisurely activities, like card games, movies, balls games, camping trips |
| Take leisurely walks for exercise |
| Play leisure sports like tennis or golf |
| Play sports that you enjoy |
| Yard Sales |
| Travel and Vacations near and far |
| Clubs for gardening, woodwork, model building. |
| Quilting, tatting, sewing groups |
| Yoga, Tai Chi, Gym |
| Learn to play a musical instrument, take art classes, learn to paint, write poetry. |
How Do I Explore Leisure Activities I Might Enjoy?
Exploring leisure activites you might enjoy is a leisure pursuits in itself. What a joy it is to try various activites and see if you enjoy the activity, the people the location. The following are a few considerations that help with your exploration.
- If you don’t know what leisure classes and leisure activities are in your area, ask friends who currently do such leisure classes and leisure activities.
- Unless the friends have discussed this with you before now, they will unlikely offer anything besides leisure age-specific interests.
- There may be yard sales going on, which will enable you to find things for DIY hobbies.
- Look at your community calendar. The schedule for any given month should clearly indicate monthly events you can try.
- Research at the library or on the internet for locations near you for activities such as hunting, fishing, camping so you can go whenever you want.
- Sit down and think back to when you were younger, and also look at yesterday and review the things you did that brought you joy.
- Create a leisure time bucket list. Depending on your interests, you can also get involved in leisure activities like swimming, leisure games (e.g., golf), leisure sports (e.g., baseball), and more.
- Leisure opportunity costs. When you think about how much money is available to do the things you desire, think about what’s available now and what will be available when working ends in retirement because leisure opportunities are sometimes scarce in some locations if they’re not readily accessible by the public transportation. For instance, there are no public buses near my home that go into the heart of the city.
Final Thoughts
Leisure pursuits to try are endless. The key is to find the leisure pursuits that bring you a sense of purpose and joy and meets your needs. The ones that get you up in the morning, fill your soul, and bring to you the fullfilment in each day.
Try new things as this is truly the only way to know which leisure pursuits or hobbies are for you.
