The early weeks of my
retirement brought a sense of unfiltered joy. With no deadlines or obligations,
I drifted through each day — doing what I liked, ignoring what didn’t interest
me, and catching up with friends who were on a similar journey. For a while, it
felt intoxicating. I was smug, convinced I had hit life’s jackpot.
But soon enough, the thrill
began to fade. I realised that an unstructured day, repeated long enough,
begins to feel strangely flat. The same activities that thrilled me in Week 1
felt ordinary by Week 3.
I realised two things very
quickly:
- The same amount of “fun” began giving diminishing returns.
- My constant presence at home wasn’t quite the blessing I thought it would be — they preferred me in a “less is more” format.
That’s when I paused to
reflect, and a few truths surfaced quickly:
- After 36 years of working toward
goals, my brain needed a sense of progress.
- People at home welcomed my
retirement — but still needed space.
- Drifting through the day was
lovely, but needed moderation.
- With more time on hand, I needed
to bring in things that couldn’t fit into my 14-hour workday.
This exercise led to the
first rejig of my early-retirement life:
- Kept my One Task A Day (OTAD) but
added a few meaningful weekly tasks.
- Enhanced my health and fitness
routine — brought in naturopathy tweaks, yoga, swimming, and Pilates.
- Strengthened my connects — at
home, with family, and with friends; even created a simple calendar to
reach out and meet people regularly.
- Planned travel — longer trips,
booked well in advance.
- Raised my reading targets —
slightly ambitious, balanced against reduced afternoon nap time.
- Pushed the remaining goals to the
36-month mark (more in Part 2).
Very soon, something
shifted. My days felt textured again. My energy returned. The people around me
were happier. And so was I.
The result?
A happier, fitter, and more content version of me.
PS: I even polled my
husband, daughter, Rani, and friends — and the ratings were noticeably higher!
