Sharlyn Lauby, Author at Unretirement Project

What We Are UP To in January 2019

January 23, 2019 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

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Disclosure: Occasionally we receive free products for review or include advertising links in posts, but no one impacts the honesty of our opinions.

Watching|Bohemian Rhapsody

> I’m a fan of Queen’s music, so I thought this biographical music film was awesome. I was surprised how many people were in the movie theater when we saw it early in January. The film has been out for months. It will be interesting to see how the film does during “awards” season.

Reading| Steal Like an Artist

> The focus of Austin Kleon’s 2012 book is how to be more creative. I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while. At the same time, I was a bit intimidated by the subject matter. When I think of creativity, I think Picasso and Prince. Not to worry, Kleon’s book is filled with practical tips to make better use of your creative spirit. I loved the idea of having an “analog” desk.

Remembering|Bag Man

>I just finished listening to Rachel Maddow’s podcast series called Bag Man, about Spiro Agnew. I must admit that I was young when it happened. Maddow does a great job with this history lesson. The takeaways are very timely given what’s happening in government today.

Working On| Cooking at home

> Keith and I like to cook. And we find that we enjoy our cooking over most restaurants. While we’re still trying to get out and explore Gainesville, we’ve decided that we miss our own cooking. I found a local grocer that sells slightly blemished fruits and vegetables, so we spent a January weekend making banana bread and muffins. I hate food waste and consider it a personal challenge to use as much as I can. I’m looking forward to doing more cooking and baking.

Feeling| Settled in

> I can’t believe that I have no business travel on my calendar for a month! While I love to travel, it’s nice to be home. Even if it’s in a rental house. Ha.Ha. I’m hoping to use this time productively, including learning more about Gainesville. For a small town, there are so many things to see and do.

Planning| Another move

> You guys know that Keith and I picked up and moved to Gainesville because we’re building our forever home here. Well after months of delays, we’re actually seeing progress in January and hope to be moving again soon. While moving is never fun, I can’t wait for this move to happen.

Loving| Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary

> Keith and I recently learned that a group of squirrel monkeys were released from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration nicotine study and “retired” to Jungle Friends, a primate sanctuary in Gainesville. So, we’ve adopted a couple of them (named Gregory and Riot). Only seems fitting for us to help their monkey retirement. LOL!

Geeking| UV Sense

> I’ve mentioned before how taking care of my skin is important to me. I just picked up the La Roche-Posay UV Sense. It’s a wearable electronic UV sensor that provides information about the level of ultraviolet exposure you’re receiving. Very interesting data – even in January!

What’s UP with you? We hope that your holidays were fabulous and look forward to sharing 2019 with you!

Retirement Success: We Need to Learn About Happiness

January 9, 2019 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

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Yale University’s most popular class ever is called “The Science of Well-Being”. The good news is you can take it for FREE on Coursera. And, just out of curiosity, I did. I could see how it might make sense to incorporate this program (or something like it) as part of an individual’s planning and preparation for retirement. Here are a couple of reasons why:

Happiness is about judgment and decision-making. The professor for this course, Laurie Santos PhD, started the course sharing the G.I. Joe fallacy, which is that the age-old mantra of “knowing is half the battle” really doesn’t help when it comes to making real-world decisions. So, if we want to be happy and satisfied during our retirement, then we need to *retire* the idea that just giving people information is enough. (No pun intended.)

Happiness means knowing what will make us happy. Santos also talks about the concept of “miswanting”. This is the idea that individuals think they want something a lot more than they do or that they believe they will like something a lot more than they actually will. An example might be the person who thinks they’re ready to quit working and travel the world, then once they officially retire, there’s a bit of remorse.

I’m bringing this up because, in our retirement life, we will often have to deal with trade-offs. For example, we can travel often but our accommodations might be economy. Versus traveling less but more luxuriously. Or we can retire earlier but it means downsizing and paying off a mortgage. Or we can work longer, but it means becoming a freelancer or contractor without healthcare insurance. For us to make good decisions, we need to truly understand what makes us happy. In addition, we need to have a greater understanding of how to make the decision, not just have the information but have enough self-awareness to know the conditions that are right for us.

The last thing anyone wants is to make wrong decisions where their retirement is concerned. I remember years ago meeting someone who was approaching their retirement based on what they read in a book. The book said they needed to retire at XX age. So, they did. And they were unhappy. The book told them they should do XX. So, they did. And they were unhappy. Of course, their unhappiness spread to their spouse. It wasn’t until they said, “I’m just going to retire my way.” that they found their retirement happiness.

Santos suggested a catchy acronym that individuals could use in evaluating decisions and taking action. It’s called WOOP:

W = wish for what you want

O = outcomes are defined

O = obstacles are identified

P = plan your strategy

For me the real success in the WOOP method is in the W. Wishing for what you want means understanding what makes you happy. I don’t know about you, but no one ever talked about this in school or college or at work. I’ve learned what makes me happy over lots of years and many mistakes. “The Science of Well-Being” could be one of those courses that helps individuals focus on happiness. And hopefully not use trial and error as the way to reach it.

There’s an increasing conversation about money not buying happiness and how happiness impacts personal well-being. But it only works if you know what your happiness is. Maybe it’s time to start finding out. That way you can create a successful retirement plan.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while happily exploring Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, HI

What We Are UP To in December 2018

December 19, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

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Watching| The Good Place

> Keith and I took a cruise during the Thanksgiving holiday and accidently discovered this show. We were immediately hooked! There’s a nice juxtaposition between the education of ethics and morality with well-written humor. And the plot twists keep us on our toes…

Reading| The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

> While “death cleaning” is a thing, I’m finding this book to be more about the art of minimalist living. There are plenty of references to “your kids don’t want your stuff” and “the need to “downsize” but my takeaway from this book is that getting rid of possessions is hard and everyone needs to find the right time and way to do it.

Remembering|A Year of Images

> This year, I made a resolution to post an image every day on Instagram. And I actually accomplished it. It was a fun activity and it helped me to identify my photographic voice. You know, writers have “voices”, which is basically their writing style. I’ve been struggling to find my photography voice. Not completely there yet in December…but a big step in the right direction.

Working On| Exercise

> Moving to Gainesville has majorly interrupted our fitness routine. We loved Pilates in South Florida and finding something like it has been a challenge. So, I think we’re resolved to finding something new. Not sure what that is…but we’re starting with Disney’s Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon. We can participate at our own pace and still get a finisher ribbon.

Feeling| Excited

> The builder has finally started construction on our home this December. This has been the absolute longest house building process ever. But we were so excited to drive by our “pile of dirt” and see activity. We still have months to go, but it’s so nice to ultimately see progress.

Planning| Strategy Meeting

> We’re a small company. Over the years, we’ve found that having a regular strategy session helps us. Keith and I try to get away for a weekend to discuss our personal and professional lives. That includes a discussion about what we want our retirement to look like and are we doing the right things now to make our plans a reality.

Loving| 7 Little Words

> I love word games. A few years ago, I met two ladies on a cruise who introduced me to the app “7 Little Words”. Since then, I play the game every single day. They offer a daily freebie. It’s challenging but not impossible. And it’s fun. If you’re looking for a way to keep your brain cells working, this might be something to consider.

Geeking| Mophie Juice Pack

> I love my iPhone X. And the battery life is good. But I must admit that there are times when I’m at a conference or during Pokemon community days, when the battery starts running dangerously low. Mophie finally introduced a juice pack for the iPhone X. It’s not big and clunky like some other battery cases. And it’s able to use a Qi charger.

What’s UP with you this December? We hope your holidays are filled with friends, family, good food, and fun. Thank you so much for reading Unretirement Project. We look forward to seeing you in 2019!

Do Not Be a Pest In Your Job Search, Do This Instead

December 5, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 2 Comments

I recently ran across an article on the site Career Pivot about following up to get a job. There was a sentence in the post that said, “If you want to get the attention of a prospective employer, you may very well have to be a pest, a nice persistent pest but a pest none the less.” I get it and I completely understand why Career Pivot wrote it. Candidates want the job. So, they’re anxious and excited.

As a human resources professional, let me offer some advice. Don’t be a pest. Not even a “nice pest”. What you do want to do is be effective, efficient, and a good communicator in your job search. You want to follow-up and try to connect. But do not be a pest.

That being said, how do you follow-up and not step over the line to “pest” status? Well, here are a few considerations.

Remember the goal of job search. I worked for an outplacement firm many years ago and we always told candidates the goal of a job search was to receive multiple offers. The key word being “multiple”. That means job seekers should be constantly working leads – multiple leads – in the hopes there will be multiple offers. I’m bringing this up because…

Don’t put all of your efforts in one basket. If the goal is to get multiple offers, then candidates shouldn’t be focused on one company or one job. Yes, I’m sure there are jobs that you really like. But if a company isn’t responding, there are other opportunities available. Especially in today’s job market with record low unemployment.

When you go to an interview, find out next steps. Then follow them. I tell recruiters that a candidate should never leave an interview not knowing 1) when the company is going to make a decision and 2) who to contact with follow-up questions. If the recruiter doesn’t automatically tell you, ask the question. Then, once you know, do what the company asks.

Now, if all of these considerations haven’t convinced you that “being a pest” may not be the best approach in your job search, let me toss out one more thing. Do you really want to work for a company where you had to become a “pest” to get the job? Even a “nice pest” to get the job? When it comes to new opportunities, you should be interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. And if it takes pesky behavior to land a new job, just imagine what your career will be like. Enough said.

Maybe it’s just my perception of the word pest, but when you cross over to the pest category, you run the risk of organizations questioning your ability to follow the rules. This doesn’t mean you can’t contact the company or send a follow-up note. (You absolutely should.) Just be careful about going from appropriate job seeker follow-up to pesky candidate.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Austin, TX

What We Are UP To in November 2018

November 28, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

Watching| Hidden Figures

> I know I’m really behind in watching this one and just caught it while traveling in November. It’s a great movie about three African-American women mathematicians working at NASA during the space race back in the 1960’s. What a wonderful story about history and the people who made it happen!

Reading| Be Internet Awesome

> I recently discovered a project from Google called “Be Internet Awesome”. It’s a program for kids about how to use the internet in a responsible way. But I’m not so sure about the kids’ part. While there are lots of guides about conducting business on the internet, there are very few about being a good internet citizen. If you’re turned off by the crazy on the internet, but know you need to be there, maybe a dose of internet awesome is for you.

Remembering|Nostalgia

> I ran across an article earlier in November on The Conversation about how nostalgia can be helpful and positive. I can see how it’s importance to have balance. On one hand, I love 80’s music and old cheesy movies. But I need to embrace current technology and processes.

Working On| Catch-up days

> This was one of my goals in 2018 and sadly, I was terrible at it. So, I’m going to try again in 2019. I need to block off a day for catching up around the house and office after a trip. There are emails to answer, laundry to do, grocery shopping, etc. Here’s hoping I get better about this one next year.

Feeling| In it for the long haul

> Based on the comments I read on my Facebook page, the midterm elections wore people out. Me too. I get it. Whether you’re an R or a D, there was plenty to go around. But I’m trying to look on the bright side. Hopefully, people understand the importance of being an educated voter. Get ready because 2020 is starting right now. And when you need to take a break from politics, do it. Then come back, read up on the issues, and make sure you vote.

Planning| 2019 Goals

> Am I the only person saying, “I can’t believe it’s almost the New Year?!” How time flies! Anyway, with the new year, Keith and I will be carving out time to reflect on our accomplishments for 2018 and discuss what we’d like to do next year. In November, I wrote a post over on HR Bartender about the planning tools I use most often. We will definitely be pulling these out for our planning session!

Loving| Cooler weather

> South Florida never really had a change in seasons. We laugh that we didn’t turn the heat on for three years. Something tells me that’s going to change in Gainesville. LOL! It’s not too cold right now, but we are noticing a change in the weather (obviously, I wrote this before it got down to the 20s here in November). I have to admit, it will be nice to have seasons again.

Geeking| Google Titan Key

> I will admit that I’m still trying to figure this one out. I’ve read some articles that this security key is excellent and is used by Google employees to keep their files secure. But I haven’t found setting it up very intuitive. Tech security is important, so I will keep trying to develop a new routine with this device.

What’s UP with you?

Should You Keep To Do Lists After You Retire

November 20, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 2 Comments

I recently saw an article on Sixty and Me titled “Should you throw out your ‘to-do’ list after 60?” I certainly hope the answer is no.

I will totally admit that I’m a planner. As a person who likes to plan, I make lists. Granted, all of my lists aren’t created equal. For example, I plan our meals using lists. It helps us save money on groceries and we don’t waste food. I also have a list of small tasks that I need to complete during the day like “buy tickets to see Bohemian Rhapsody on Friday”. I can’t imagine when I retire that I would stop making those types of lists.

Then, I have lists I keep on my Outlook calendar. Someone could argue they’re more of a project plan or regular work activities, but to me they’re very similar to a list. It’s a list on my calendar of the things that I need to accomplish during the day. In fact, I have a regular occurrence on my calendar to write for this blog. It helps me remember all the things I want and need to do. The joke around our house is when it’s put on my calendar, it gets done.

But honestly, I could see that list changing. At some point, I’ll have fewer client obligations so those “to-do’s” on my calendar will go away. The question is will they get replaced with something else like volunteer meetings or just “me” time. At this point, I don’t know. But I do know that I will have to deal with having fewer lists someday. And that I need to be okay with that. The presence or absence of a list is not an indicator of my value or worth.

The other thing that I need to start thinking about is the way I keep lists. Right now, I have a system that includes a paper planner and Microsoft Outlook. I’m not sure that I will always need them. Oh, don’t get me wrong…I still have a few years to make this decision. But it has occurred to me that at some point I will have to part with my planner. LOL! And the question becomes will I be ready when that moment comes. For people who plan like I do, is the answer to downsize planners as an interim step?

Also, will there be a time when I don’t need Microsoft Office 365 and the iWork suite that comes with iMac will be totally adequate? Purely from a financial standpoint, I don’t want to pay for software I’m not going to use. But when do I make that decision? I’m sure I want to do it in time to learn the new software before getting rid of the old.

I know it might sound like I’m overreacting to a simple little article about keeping “to-do” lists but that’s not my point. It’s that at some time, many of the things I do today, I won’t do anymore. Either because I don’t need to, or I don’t want to. How I make those decisions is up to me. I can control them if I want to. And I can make the change experience fun or depressing. The choice is mine.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, FL

5 Retirement Strategies We Need to Start Planning For Now

November 14, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 5 Comments

At this year’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) annual conference, one of the early morning sessions focused on retirement strategies. Honestly, the session was more focused on what employers need to do for employees considering retirement, but as I was listening to the speaker, it occurred to me that these are things employees need to focus on too. So, I wanted to share them with you.

Reskilling. It’s no surprise that technology has a huge presence in our lives. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I love walking into a room and saying, “Alexa, turn on the bedroom lights.” And poof! they come on. It’s also fun during the holidays to say, “Alexa, turn on the Christmas tree.” But that means we need to stay up on the current technologies: read about them, try some of them out, and continuously learn. It’s not acceptable to say, “I’m not a technology person.” You’re missing out.

Repurposing. Everyone wants purpose in their lives. The question becomes what is that purpose. I recently took a FREE Coursera course titled “The Science of Well-Being”. It’s the most popular course at Yale University. The subject? Happiness. How to find happiness in our lives and not waste time on hollow pursuits. Professor Laurie Santos talks about the importance of young people finding their purpose. I can see how as we get older, we might need to recalibrate our version of purpose.

Reducing Stress. As I start approaching “retirement”, I understand the comments about it being stressful. Did I save enough money? How will I fill my days? How’s my health? And the list goes on. It’s important for us to have a sense of self-awareness and create habits and rituals that will help us manage stress. I wrote a post over on HR Bartender about “How to Create a Morning Routine”. It’s one of my favorites. There’s also equal time being given to the idea of creating an evening routine.

Reverse Mentoring. I must admit on some levels I dislike the term “reverse mentoring”. Why can’t we just call it mentoring? But I do realize that for many people, mentoring conjures up images of an older person passing along knowledge to a younger person. That being said, it’s time to break that stereotype. We should all look for opportunities to learn from individuals who are different from us. Both in terms of age and other attributes. It can help us with reskilling, repurposing, and reducing stress.

Phased Retirement. It really does make a lot of sense to start test driving retirement before going all in. We can do things like transitioning to part-time employment or starting a freelancing business on the side. This can be a win for both us and the companies we work with. As part of the transition, we can use strategies like reverse mentoring to help us. But it takes being open and honest with the organization as well as having some sort of plan about how we would like to proceed.

The more time I spend writing about retirement, the more I realize how big of a step it is and how much time it’s going to take to prepare. And I’m not just talking about the money part. This is a huge transition in life, sorta like when you move out of your parents’ house, and we need to plan for it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Kansas City, MO