"Retire? Won't You Get Bored?"

Nope. I have a plan.

Nov 04, 2025

I officially retired on August 29^th of this year.

When I told people I was retiring, many of them asked, “Won’t you get bored?” I laughed and said, “I have enough hobbies and interests—plus yardwork—to last three lifetimes. I doubt I will be bored much.”

Another common question was, “Won’t you miss work?” For me, work has always been a means to support my family and purchase the things I wanted. I have enjoyed some jobs and disliked others, but they were always jobs. I don’t miss work.

Some people asked, “What are you going to do once you retire?” That was the tough one to answer. No one really wanted to hear me ramble off a list of my interests, hobbies, and projects, so I usually kept it brief and just mentioned a few.

It might be nice to be one of those people who are obsessed with one thing (like writing), so I could focus on it during retirement. “I’m going to write a novel!” But that is not the case. Music was my first obsession, and I have continued to pick up others along the way. And, of course, I still have those pesky daily tasks of life that take me away from my creative passions.

Plus, I am married, and I would like to keep it that way. So I devised a plan.

Accomplish one thing per day.

This is my retirement goal. I am not talking about monumental accomplishments like climbing Mt. Everest or running a marathon. I mean realistic things like grocery shopping, getting rid of something (I have too much stuff), writing a story or song, going on a power walk, etc. I hope all the little things will eventually add up to getting a lot done.

I have some bigger short-term goals, such as releasing an album of original vocal songs, but accomplishing one thing per day is my long-term strategy for retirement.

I realize there will be days when I won’t accomplish anything. That is alright. This is a goal, not a rule. I hate rules. And I realize that, as I age, I won’t be able to do as much physically. I have far less energy and strength than I did when I was a young man. Or even in my 50s. But that is life. You can complain about it or accept it and do what you can.

My Report Card

Friday was a productive day. I cleaned a bathroom, vacuumed the house, and swept the floor. I also wrote this essay in my head while cleaning sticks and leaves off the yard.

Saturday and Sunday, my wife and I drove three hours each way to visit our daughter’s family. I will count that as an accomplishment.

Monday, I power walked the old-age soreness out of my hips, went grocery shopping, reorganized two kitchen cupboards, wrote a song, and practiced with a friend for an upcoming livestream.

After two months of retirement, I am reasonably confident that I won’t get bored or miss working. I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of what I want to do.

If you are retired, what have you been up to?

If you are not yet there, what is your plan?