Keith Lauby, Author at Unretirement Project

How to Start a Blog In Your Unretirement

February 14, 2018 by Keith Lauby 2 Comments

Blogging started back in 1994. At that time, they were mostly the work of a single individual about a single subject. In 2017, it’s estimated there are more than 440 million personal and corporate blogs in existence. And they cover far more subjects that we can even begin to imagine.

Blogging can be a very satisfying pastime. Sure, there’s a learning curve – just like there is for everything. But today, it’s easier than ever and there are plenty of resources to help you along the way. Done right, a blog can even be monetized to provide a source of revenue in your unretirement.

If you are considering blogging, there are 5 things I would recommend giving careful thought:

Think about the platform. There are many places to blog. Sites like Google’s Blogger have been around since 1999. In recent years, Tumblr has become extremely popular. This blog (and our first one, HR Bartender) are on a self-hosted WordPress site and it has worked very well. Just do your homework about what platform you want to blog on.
Figure out why you want to blog. Maybe it’s because you have something you want to say. It might be to find clients for your consulting business. Or to directly make a little extra money. But it’s important to know why you’re blogging, because it will drive other decisions along the way.
Never say never. Be open to opportunities as they arise. The reasons you blog may change over time. Just understand how that change impacts other aspects of blogging. For instance, if you just blog for fun, you can immediately publish whatever comes to mind. If you want to monetize, your readers and potential sponsors may have different expectations.
Carefully choose your blog’s name because, no matter why you blog, you will need to market So, develop a name that helps you accomplish your blogging goals (see #2). Just remember, it can be very hard to successfully change your blog’s name and rebrand down the road.
Think about how much time you want to spend. Blogging can sometimes take a lot of work. You might start off slow – maybe once a week. Then put yourself into the shoes of your audience. Knowing what your audience wants is important when deciding how long a post should be or how frequently to publish.

Don’t worry, these considerations aren’t designed to scare you. Taking a little dedicated time on the front end should help eliminate a few frustrations down the road. And, if you’re curious why the list has little to do with writing, it’s because we all have something to say. That part you’ve already taken care of!

Do you have any questions about blogging? Let us know and we’ll try to answer them!

The New Definition of Retirement Insanity

November 30, 2017 by Keith Lauby Leave a Comment

You probably know the famous quote about insanity that is most often attributed to Albert Einstein:

Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

The meaning of the quote is pretty simple – change requires doing things differently. You can find a perfect example in sports – – if you line up your golf swing and hit it the exact same way, the little white ball will travel the same every time. Every time! Now, if you’re like me, that ball will slice into the lake or hook onto the beach. But that just means I made slight changes to my stance or club face.

In business, the Einstein quote is often used in relation to productivity or profit. You can’t expect to produce more if you have the same number of employees working at the same rate. Makes sense, right?

When we consider this for our workplace or career, it’s important to remember two things:

Primarily, the quote references a controlled environment like a laboratory.

That was then, and this is now.

Today, the thing that keeps CEOs up at night is the speed of change. External factors like technology and competition are changing faster than ever and businesses are struggling to keep up. So now, we can’t expect the same results if we keep doing the same thing. We have to find new and improved ways to use our skills and explore different paths that can lead us to success.

The same is true for our retirement. We can’t expect to do the same things our parents did entering into their retired life. We won’t have the same results. Adapting our skills for the gig economy or learning new skills that can take advantage of technology will ensure our successful retirement life.

Planning for retirement can be challenging, but preparing for your encore career is an important part of it. Learn about opportunities that are available to you and understand the best way to take advantage of them. A career coach can help or organizational resources available through AARP. Whatever you do, don’t think that everything will work out just fine without preparation. Because that would really be the real definition of insanity.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the Wynwood Arts District in Miami, FL

The One Key to Successful Blogging

August 9, 2017 by Keith Lauby Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, Sharlyn wrote a post about blogging as part of your overall unretirement strategy. I thought I would add my suggestions about what blogging can (and can’t) do – with a focus on growing your audience.

There are many different reasons to blog. But, if you ask just about any blogger, they do it because they have something to say. Don’t assume, however, that having something to say is the goal of the blog. That may, or may not be the case. Some people blog just for fun. Or maybe they want to make people aware of something they enjoy or believe in.

People also blog for profit.

Regardless of the goal for a blog, the typical measure of successful blogging lies in its audience. Whether it’s quality in terms of loyalty or engagement or just a large quantity of readers, your audience is often what makes or breaks your blog. And the one key to building an audience for your blog is marketing.

No, you don’t need an MBA from Wharton to market your blog. If you’re just starting out, you should focus on two important things:

Letting people know about your posts. Trust me when I say that “Build it and they will come” only works in Kevin Costner movies. After you write a post, you need to tell people there’s some new content to read. Social media is a great place to start, so fire off a quick note on Facebook or Twitter. Some readers will want to get your posts emailed to them so they can read it when it’s convenient. Giving them a place to sign up to receive emailed posts is an important part of blog marketing. Be sure to put it in a highly visible part of your blog.

Learning as much as you can about your audience. Successful blogging means giving your readers what they want to read. Makes sense, right? Initially, you attract an audience because they generally enjoy what you have to say. Now the goal is to get more. Any marketer will tell you, that means finding out what you’re doing well, and doing more of it. Google Analytics is a great place to start. Just a few of the basics at first – how many visitors, where do they live, popular pages and posts, and how do they access your blog.

Blogging and unretirement can be a dynamic combination. Successful blogging can give you the freedom to enjoy all aspects of your unretirement. That’s why we will talk about it a lot here. All it takes is a little creativity, some basic marketing know-how, and a lot of patience.

Out of curiosity, what do you find are the easiest (or most challenging) aspects to marketing your blog?

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after attending the Great Place to Work Conference in Austin, TX

The Disney Highway in the Sky Dine Around Is a Must Try

August 2, 2017 by Keith Lauby Leave a Comment

My love for Disney spans decades. As a child, I sat mesmerized in front of our console television set, watching Walt Disney explain the development of Walt Disney World. Later, as an adult, I revel in Disney events like the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

That’s why I was more than intrigued when Sharlyn told me about the Disney Highway in the Sky Dine Around. What’s that, I asked. Think progressive dinner hopping from resort to resort along the world-famous Walt Disney World monorail. They call it a “dinner unlike any other” and it more than lives up to that!

Check-in took place at The Wave. . . of American Flavors restaurant at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. They had a small reception area where we received our dine around passes and enjoyed some informal networking time with our intimate group of approximately 30 fellow diners. That was aided by an adult beverage (less than adult is also available) and a delightful amuse bouche of smoked pea and bacon soup. Yum! While we noshed, we were introduced to our hosts who would patiently guide us along our evening’s dining adventure.

After just the right amount of time to get things started, our hosts escorted us to the monorail landing where we were whisked off to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The Poly (as those in-the-know call it) had a decorated area where we enjoyed our appetizer course. Reminiscent of a Hawaiian luau, servers presented three small plates of island inspired fare accompanied by ukulele music. My favorite was the sushi, though I’m not much of a seafood fan. It was just that good!

Back onboard the monorail, we passed through the Disney World Transportation and Ticket Center on our way to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The first stop was the Garden View Tea Room where afternoon tea is typically served. For our group, however, they delighted us with champagne and charcuterie before escorting everyone up to their Mediterranean styled restaurant Cítricos.

For our main course, we were treated to surf and turf with fall-off-the-bone tender short ribs paired with halibut. Not a fish eater like me? No problem, we’re happy to give you extra short ribs! The entrée is served with your choice of red or white wine. Our final trip on the monorail brought us back to Disney’s Contemporary Resort for dessert and an exclusive view of the Happily Ever After fireworks show. And, when I say exclusive view, you could almost reach up and touch the monorail whenever it passed directly overhead.

Part of the enjoyment was the many informal conversations with the other guests. We had the pleasure of meeting several people who shared our admiration for all things Disney. We even learned about other events to check out in the months ahead.

Our dining adventure was complete and there was never a disappointment. My love for Disney continues, though it costs a little more. Okay, a lot more at $150 per person plus tax and gratuity. Make no mistake, this specialty dining experience is limited in size and availability. Even if you plan ahead, you may have to be flexible with your dates to get a reservation. But, as chef Alton Brown likes to say, your patience will be rewarded.

Using Feng Shui to Plan Your Unretirment

June 21, 2017 by Keith Lauby 1 Comment

You may remember at the start of the century, the growing interest in the United States with the Chinese philosophical system of feng shui. If you’re unfamiliar with it, feng shui professes the importance of harmonizing everyone with their surrounding environment. Evidence of this ancient practice dates to 4000 B.C.

Like many westerners, Sharlyn and I were curious about feng shui so we purchased a few books and read some articles to learn a little more about it. Historically, feng shui practices have to do with orienting buildings and their structures, such as doors and windows, relative to local features such as bodies of water or stars. Please note that I in no way profess to be an expert in feng shui. The main thing that I took away from reading about it is that the practices are designed to make your life easier.

That’s what really caught my attention. More than 6000 years after the start of feng shui, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates was believed to have said:

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Had Bill known me at the time, he probably would have made me chairman of the board.

And this is where feng shui becomes important in unretirement. Chances are, you won’t wake up one morning and say “Today I will quit my full-time job and focus on my unretirement gig.” Instead, what most of us do is find some spare time to work on gigs on the side. No spare time? No gigs.

So find ways to create a little some spare time by making your life easier. One of Sharlyn’s favorite quotes is by celebrity chef Alton Brown, “Organization will set you free.” So get organized and harmonize yourself with your inbox, your desk, and your to-do list. Focus on the things you do repeatedly throughout the day and find ways to do them easier and faster. A few minutes here and there can really add up.

When planning for your unretirement, you don’t have to be a feng shui master to understand the value of a little harmony.

Cruise to Another World: Havana Cuba

May 31, 2017 by Keith Lauby 2 Comments

Havana is a city in renaissance. It’s a city that clings to its past, parading their classic 1950’s era cars up and down historic cobblestone streets. At the same time, renovation and remodeling construction is everywhere, preserving history and ever so slowly bringing Havana into more modern times. And surrounding it all is the city’s stunning Baroque, art nouveau, and art deco architecture.

Sharlyn and I had the distinct pleasure of cruising the Norwegian Sky to Havana – their third such cruise since travel restrictions were relaxed in 2016. At the time of this writing, however, U.S. travelers must meet one of 12 cultural exchange conditions. Norwegian was very careful to make sure all of their Cuba excursions complied with this legal requirement.

There were two big highpoints for us over the two days in port – a walking tour with a focus on Old Colonial Havana and a visit to Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the National Museum of Fine Arts. Cuba was “discovered” by Christopher Columbus during his 1492 voyage to the Americas and then became a Spanish colony. Fortunately, the Cuban government mandated the preservation of their colonial heritage for the benefit of their citizens and travelers alike.

This was also evident in the National Museum, which showcased Cuban artists from colonial through modern times. The museum’s carefully curated works proudly displayed each artist, showing how their artistic vision evolved over their lifetime. Our guide was diligent in tying each visual portrayal to Cuba’s historic events at the time. This trip also took us to Muraleando, an amazing “community project” in which volunteers help develop local artists.

6 Things You Need to Know

Since traveling to Cuba is still new, it’s constantly changing. But here are some details that we found helpful during our trip.

Customs – Cuba requires U.S. travelers to get a special visa and Norwegian helped us get it for a fee. Over the two days in port, we had to go through Cuban customs six times. Don’t worry, they are very efficient.

Excursions – We were told that the Cuban government runs the tours and we were encouraged to “act like travelers, not tourists”. This is a nice way of saying things may change without notice. They can and do, so expect it.

Weather – Think hot and humid whether you are wandering the streets of Old Havana or inside most of their buildings. Air conditioning is very limited except on the tour busses, which are modern and very comfortable.

Shopping – Some of the excursions include shopping. One of our tour guides took us to a government store where we could purchase coffee, rum, and cigars. There’s also an open market near the port. A little bit of shopping is available at the port terminal.

Money – Speaking of shopping, no credit or debit cards are accepted. While everything Sharlyn and I read said you should exchange U.S. currency at the cruise terminal, we found that everyone took U.S. dollars (though maybe a couple more of them).

Jaw Dropping Moment – rounding a corner on a narrow cobblestone street and walking past an open doorway that led to a small courtyard where a very talented opera singer was performing for a well-dressed crowd at 10:30 AM.

As a couple of travelers who mostly thought of Cuba just in terms of 1959 to today, this Norwegian cruise to Havana was an amazing and humbling adventure. It’s the people! The visual splendor of old cars and incredible architecture pales behind the warmth, knowledge and friendliness of Havana’s proud people. That’s evident in their love of music, dance and community and the inspiring expressions of their storied cultural heritage.

UPDATE (July 2018) – we just returned from a second trip to Havana and loved it just as much as the first! But, as can happen with American travel overseas, the rules and restrictions appear to have changed. As of this date, travel is still legal, but there are updated regulations. So do your research before you book your travel! Ask your tour operator, cruise line or the State Department to know all legal restrictions. For us, it was still another amazing adventure! I’m sure yours will be too.

6 Lessons Learned As a Caregiver

March 22, 2017 by Keith Lauby 2 Comments

Not long ago, Sharlyn wrote a post on lessons learned while she was recuperating from her ankle surgery. A reader commented on the post, mentioning the role of caregivers during recovery. I thought it would be a great idea to extend that conversation here.

Being a caregiver wasn’t new to me. While my classmates attended after-school sports and educational events, I rushed home to help care for my mom. She contracted what is now called COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) when I was seven and medicine at the time could only make her as comfortable as possible as she slowly declined over the next ten years.

I learned many caregiver lessons then. But times change and so do some of the needs and responsibilities of today’s caregiver.

The patient doesn’t want to be a patient. Yes, Sharlyn wanted a way to fix the growing pain in her ankle. But, she didn’t want to be limited in her exercise and activities and hobble around on crutches. That was just a necessary part of the recovery.

Get creative in finding ways for the patient to contribute. They might not be able to do much but this isn’t a vacation. It frustrated Sharlyn that she couldn’t contribute to helping with household needs. But she could read me recipes while I cooked, spend time doing internet searches for recovery solutions, and deal with phone calls to doctors and insurance providers.

Think about mental needs in addition to physical. Communication is never more important than during recovery. The physical repair to whatever was injured is just part of what the patient is dealing with. Think about and discuss the ramifications of limited activity over an extended period. And don’t forget about no access to hair and nail salons or maybe even daily showers.

Remember to give yourself a break too. Okay, the patient is depending on you. That might mean cutting back on trips to the gym, the morning run, or even some downtime playing games. Depending on the length of recovery, you might get a little out of shape too. It won’t last forever, then you can get back to it. And don’t forget #1 above.

The doctor is calling the shots now. As much as Sharlyn’s frustration grew, she knew how important it was to follow doctor’s orders. Carefully letting the body heal will pay huge benefits in fewer problems in the future. I had to remember that too whenever added responsibilities started to annoy me.

They would gladly do the same for you. And you know it.

If you’re like me, you develop routines and habits that make up your daily life. Caregiving is a major disruption to that. Remember to communicate more and pay close attention to everything that’s happening. You might just learn a few things that will make that daily life better.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby along the streets of Washington, DC