Dear LPG, 

I found these two videos online not so long ago, and even though they both appear to have been made as lessons designed to guide people much younger than the pensioners that I would imagine read the pages of this website, I believe that they have a lot of relevance to the lifestyles of everyone, irrespective of age, circumstances or goals.

I have read this idea before here, and I agree with the person who wrote that retirement is a life milestone that usually comes with a bit of a ‘honeymoon period’ where not having to get up early in the mornings or be in a specific place at a certain time leaves new retirees enjoying the first few months. Still, those positives can become seriously harmful as boredom sets in.

Many retirees, especially those who live alone, soon find the value of not having to structure many aspects of life, which can leave them lethargic and somewhat apathetic before they realise what is happening.

I found that not having to get up at a particular time, eat at a specific time or be anywhere at a certain time can make for a day-to-day life where it becomes hard to work out how to do anything at a particular time before you know it. The post-retirement honeymoon period can be where the two fundamental rules of life can be lost if we are not careful, and our physical and mental well-being can go downhill at a rate of knots.

The two fundamentals I am talking about must be the importance of knowing what you aim for and maintaining your plan to get there.

This often happens because we are at a stage of life where we have perhaps more choices and knowledge about the alternatives than at any other time. We all indeed have options all the way through, but logic, work, family, and so much more often dictate the directions we elect to go in.

I think you often have to leave work to realise how many choices we have made and lived by for so much of our lives. Until then, routine is essential, but the practices that have dictated our choices until that point suddenly become a thing of the past.

I think the secret is to work out your goals before planning each day and then design a daily routine to live by as you work out how to get there. Of course, it is also essential to adhere to your rules, although you have the freedom to tweak them a little at this time of life.

KH, New Cross

(Before offering the following links, LPG would again like to remind readers that, while so many of them are filled with good and relevant information, they often carry invitations to get involved with apps which can be valuable but also potentially expensive, although the principles are much more important and can be implemented with a pencil and a bit of paper in many instances …)

KH shares the videos mentioned in her message…

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… and LPG has found a possible starting point that can be adapted for anyone of any age  …

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