Filling in the hours

Poppy hi and welcome to GN if you're new. You will soon join the "How-did-I-ever-find-the-time-to-work" club, and the hours will fill themselves.

When I first retired from working full-time, I kept "work hours" and would be up and fully dressed by 8 a.m. Nowadays, I'm like "Oops, it's 10 o'clock and I fancy a second cup of tea, best I get up when I've finished reading this chapter" ...

Enjoy!

Don't worry about that Poppyred - you'll find yourself wondering how ever you fitted full time work in, within a very short time.

That was my concern too! I can honestly say, as others do on retirement, you will find you don't know how you ever had time to go to work. Trust you have good health?
I gradually reduced my hours before retirement and my interests pushed out work. So, after initially enjoying the well earned rest and relaxation, get stuck in with your interests. The world won't beat a path to your door.
Find out about U3A and Phoenix clubs, join fellow enthusiasts what ever your interest it. Find keep fit/Pilates/walking group.
It's a good time of year if you have a garden.
If you have DC or DGC you can see, perhaps you can see more of them too?
Enjoy!

Hello Poppyred, you might find it difficult in the first few weeks, but allow yourself time to adjust. You will begin to enjoy life’s small pleasures. Grannyknot is quite right!

Retirement! Bliss! Embrace it!

I must say that it took me longer than I thought to adjust to being retired and I actually worked off and on for the next two years.
My husband settled into it the following day and has never regretted it!
I'm fine now and have developed new hobbies and a couple of regular fitness groups to go to but it did take me longer than I thought.

Poppyred, you will love it I’m sure, at first, for me, it was like a long holiday. Then I blitzed the house and had a good declutter. Now it means that I can have the GCs to stay during school holidays, I can potter around the shops and the garden and still have time to cook a decent meal, rather than rush.
I feel guilty that DH is still working part time, but I manage to live with it?

Just enjoy - really; this is your reward for a lifetime of hard work.

FutureLearn does online free courses and I have found this interesting and rewarding.

When you retire fully you get to do all the things you didn't have time to do when you were working.
We always wanted to travel and in our first year of retirement we went back packing for 12 months round the world with a friend of ours. We left work at the same time. What a year we had, so many memories and photos to look back on.
Enjoy it's just the next part of your life.

If you've got hobbies and interests you'll have the time to explore them more fully. Less rushing about will help you to be more laid back which is surely a good thing. Enjoy.

Poppyred take your time. Try things out, maybe things you thought you would never do. Just remember it is up to you what you do now and if you don't like something change and do something else. There's a world of things out there to explore.

Poppyred, this needs to be re worded ! Not how can I fill in the hours ... but how am I going to spend my new life ... it’s a wonderful time for all of us to make that bucket list and start working on it ?‍??‍??‍?????‍♀️???‍♀️?️‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️✈️????? the list is endless .... go girl and enjoy !!

Hi - play Forge of Empires! It can take up as many hours as you care to play it for, as well as a large part of your income, as I have found out ;)

What you haven't factored in is that once you leave work, your life goes into fast forward mode! Well that's what seems to have happened to me, when I go on GN for 10 minutes, suddenly an hour has disappeared.

I went "cold turkey", retiring from a very busy, responsible, and demanding job, with long hours, to an immediate "stop". It truly was the best thing I could have done, and like other posters here, I now don't know where the time goes - the hours fly by. (Admittedly I do love a lie-in.) DH is retired too, so maybe that makes a difference? My advice is that you take a walk, go window shopping, meet a friend for coffee - do whatever you enjoy and RELAX. And give yourself permission to slow down, before making any big commitments like voluntary work. Give yourself enough time to do what YOU want to do, alongside supporting your family. Wishing you a very happy retirement.

When I first retired I felt I had to justify my existence by doing things, jobs around the house etc and then listing them all when DH returned from work. Felt really guilty if I just sat down with a book. After about 6 mths this passed and never looked back since - the joy of not getting up at the crack of dawn, driving to work or putting up with difficult people. Sometimes bored I must admit but there's usually something to do in the garden or even the dreaded afternoon TV.

Hi Newquay - I googled Phoenix clubs, and they seem to be for Swingers.... ????? If there’s a different version, could you post the link, please.

Wish I could afford to retire! Thought I would be able to ar sixty and not in the best of health. Will keep going till I can reduce hours embrace it!!

I am still working, and am deciding whether to work on, or retire. The thing that puts me off retiring is the drastic cut in income! What if you dont hve the money to do what you want!

Poppyred i m going against the popular opinion on here
I hated retirement so much that I could feel myself going downhill I think living alone when you’re retired is very different to still being a wife ( you still have a role) if you’re both retired you can go out and about together and feed of each other’s energy living alone it’s very easy to get in a rut After a year in the doldrums I started voluntary work three days a week and it feels so much better I still find it difficult to fill the hours especially at weekends now the grandkids are teens and up up and away I have no siblings all my cousins are dead but I do have good friends I go to lunch with a few times a month I don’t drive and live on a pension eyesight not very brilliant so reading comes low down on the list now although I used to love sitting with a book
I still get up 6 am and I m not living an unhappy life but it’s very different, for me work was not only work but my social life

Yellowmellow- well if you don't have the money you will have the time. You could shop around for the best deals - holidays for example and you can go at short notice so get a better deal. Cooking from scratch, joining adult education, lots of online courses/tutorials free. If you still have a library you can find plenty to read. Walking is free, meeting for coffee does not cost too much. Some pubs have special deals mid-week. Plus could volunteer at charity shops or local NT. It's not all about money. (although of course it helps!)

Coconut is right. See this as the beginning of your new life. Since retiring I've been able to live the life I used to dream of. I now write books, three novels published to date, am involved in the local arts scene and volunteer as a helper with a drama group. The one thing I would have wanted to do was more travelling but OH has not been too well so that has limited the amount we've been able to do. Whatever your dream now is the time to follow it and if you haven't a dream, then sit back, relax and ....

Make plans of what you would like to do when you retire. The world, or your home is your oyster. I personally decided as I wasn't one for gadding about, That I would be able to knit all the lovely things I didn't have time to do, I also started making greetings cards, I got out my recipe books and cooked and baked to my hearts content. There are always friends and neighbours that appreciate a home made cake, loaf, or even a carton of homemade soup. You don't need to sit around and wait for someone to do something with. Get of your bottom and enjoy yourself.

After a busy working life, kids etc, you know, the full catastrophe, I just love the sheer luxury of having the time to be a bit bored sometimes. Ahhhh.....