Retirement Life Archives – Page 2 of 10

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

December, Santa, Santa Claus, holiday, UP, Unretirement Project

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!

Inspiration: The Best Thing To Do With Success Lists

December 12, 2018 by Keith Lauby 1 Comment

success list, inspiration, rules for success, business, business success

We’ve all seen inspiration lists that feature a wildly prosperous person (like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or Steve Jobs) under a catchy headline telling us how to be successful – either in business or life in general. It’s followed by a number of things we should all do to achieve that success. The idea, of course, is that it worked for this person, so it should work for us too.

It’s easy to dismiss these offhand – – I’m never going to be a billionaire entrepreneur so just forget it. Early in my business life I did that all the time. At some point, though, I started to pay attention to some of the inspiration lists. And this is what I decided to do with them:

Look for things you are doing already. Okay, we all work hard. We all read and try to learn things that will make us more effective and productive. We try our hardest to achieve without giving up. These are affirmations of the great job we are doing every day. Look for them in inspiration lists and celebrate them! Then think of ways to do even more of them.

Cross off things that are beyond your control. This one will take some soul searching because it’s easy to dismiss a lot. You don’t make the company’s products, or you don’t have any input on who gets hired or who you get to work with. But you can offer great service, whether it’s to the general public or coworkers. And you can always help others improve. Make better the things you can and don’t worry about the rest.

Look for things you can start doing. Whether it’s focusing on your well-being or taking more risks, there is almost always something in an inspiration list that you could do better. And avoid the temptation to feel you have to do it on a grand scale. If organization is a problem, schedule a little time to organize something small. Too many distractions? Develop a morning routine and stick with it! That will help you focus for the rest of every day.

The best way to be successful is to know yourself. Know what you do well and find ways to do more of it. Regardless of where you are in your career, we all have areas we can improve so make that a priority. Learning resources are abundant so take advantage of them.

In the end, we all make our own success. Our stories can be an inspiration to others. But everyone has to find ways to make it on their own. In the year ahead, be your own inspiration and create your success story.

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

4 Unretirement Realities We Have to Face

November 7, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 1 Comment

One of the things that I find interesting is how much retirement conversation is starting to creep into everyday life. And not because I’m talking about this on Unretirement Project. I’m hearing more people talk about retirement at conferences, etc.

On some level, I figured retirement would be something only discussed among people who are retired or very close to retirement age. And it would only be discussed in the context of simply not working anymore. But that’s not the case. Retirement conversations are happening with people of all ages. This is a good thing. We’re starting to demystify retirement. But that also means it’s opening our eyes to what the future holds – both the good and the challenging.

If you have a moment, I would recommend watching author Elizabeth White’s TED talk on the personal finance crisis. Because it has a direct bearing on retirement. And the notion of unretirement.

Regardless of where you are in your unretirement journey, I thought White’s talk had a few harsh realities we will eventually need to face.

Being the first to “unretire” will be hard. Being the first at anything is hard. There are no rules or best practices. That’s one of the reasons we’ve started this blog. Hopefully along the way, we can document some of the great things people are doing and be helpful to future unretirees. But it’s important to keep in mind that we’re one of the first and we will need to use our past experiences to help us along the way.

We will have to change. In her TED talk, White tells us that we need to “Get off our thrones.” We’ve always known that retirement would be a change. But the question becomes how much. Make no mistake unretirement will be a change too. Even though unretirement is designed to ease our transition, that doesn’t mean it eliminates change.

We will need to develop a new relationship with money. Speaking of change, one of the biggest changes we will have to make is with money. In fact, it might extend to all of our resources. How we budget and spend our resources will change. We will need to prioritize our needs and wants. Many of us already know this, but we haven’t had to live it yet. It’s one thing to discuss “tightening the purse strings” and another to do it.

Think retirement strategy, not money failure. So much of retirement is caught up in finances, I think it’s important to realize there are other aspects to retirement. Our retirement strategy includes quality of life, our health, etc. This could relate to money in terms of “Do I spend money on a trip or a pergola for the backyard?” Ultimately, we have to understand what’s important to us to develop a good retirement strategy.

I’m really excited that conversations about retirement and unretirement are more frequent. It tells me that people are planning for retirement as a new beginning. Because that’s what it can be. If we plan for it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of San Francisco, CA

2 Reasons to Maintain Social Media Accounts As You Age

October 31, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

It might be tempting as we get older to say, “I don’t need to be on social media anymore.” Well, I’ve recently heard a couple of comments that made me realize being on social media isn’t something we can simply abandon as we age.

Social media helps us find opportunities. If taking on a side hustle is part of your unretirement, then staying on social media should absolutely be a part of your strategy. I ran across a press release from Challenger Gray & Christmas recently discussing what I would call the double-edged sword when it comes to social media and aging.

Organizations have been told for years to use social media for marketing and recruiting. It’s cost-effective and can allow organizations to distribute their message to a wide audience. It totally makes sense.

BUT keep in mind the audience is only the people who are on social media. So, if only young people are on social media…well, you get it. Then only young people get the message. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I’ve survived the past five years without being on Twitter so no need to join now.” Well, maybe it’s time to rethink that. Or if you’re saying, “I only need LinkedIn if I’m going to work in an office environment. Once I retire, I’ll delete the account.” Again, maybe it’s worth keeping. And more importantly…using.

Social media helps to establish our identity. I was listening to an AARP webinar recently that talked about personal branding and they made an interesting comment – having a social media presence is important because it proves you’re a real person. I have to admit, this was both obvious and insightful at the same time.

I don’t know about you but there are many times when a company tries to call me or connect with me that the first thing I do is look them up on the internet. Are they “real”? Or is this just spam? I’m sure people do it with me as well.

Even if you don’t plan to have a side gig in unretirement, it could make sense to keep a social media presence. For example, Keith and I recently met some couples in our new community. We had a nice time and talked about staying in touch. Of course, they’re already retired so they don’t have business cards. I thought, we can just connect on Facebook. Well, they don’t check their Facebook account. They have an account. But it just sits there. So not only are they not using it to connect with people, but they aren’t making sure it’s not a target for hackers.

I understand that there are days we all want to close our social media accounts and shut out the world. But there’s also some really fun stuff on social media. Like this article about gay penguins rescuing a neglected chick at a Denmark zoo. And a lot of really nice people. Bottom-line: social media can bring value to your unretirement and retirement. Start making the investment to learn and use it.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Las Vegas, NV