When I retired, I expected my calendar to stretch out before me like a wide-open range—no meetings, no deadlines, just freedom to do as I wanted. I had counseled people for years on how to plan for retirement, and yet when it was mine, I found myself waking to days that were indistinguishable from each other. It did not take long to see that retirement without planning was not freedom—it was pandemonium.
Since 2010, I’ve been writing about retirement issues, guiding seniors through this transition, and helping them create fulfilling, purpose-driven lives. As an Advisor to the Senior Advocate for BC, President of the Wilson Seniors, and Chair of the Tri-Cities Senior Action Society, I’ve seen countless retirees struggle with an unexpected challenge: what to do with all this time. Many believe that once they retire, time management no longer matters. But here's the reality—time management is not about extracting productivity from every minute; it's about optimizing your days so they don't get away from you.
Envision time as an essential spice to life. Like the way you need the proper spices to provide zest to a dish, you need the proper handling of time in order to bring zest to retirement. We are given 24 hours a day, and already we utilize a portion of it sleeping. What is left over is up to us to shape—but with no purpose, it's easy to get caught in habits that leave us unfulfilled.
One of the biggest retirement lessons is that everything changes. That's life. But that doesn't mean we can't plan. Having some structure in your day, loosely set, allows you to do the things that matter most. That might be taking time for hobbies, exercise, volunteering, or time with friends and family. Without structure, days pass, and before you know it, months have gone by without doing what you enjoy.
For those still working part-time or volunteering, time management is equally crucial. One of the most frequent complaints I hear is the constant barrage of emails. Email is an essential tool, but it can also be a distracting burden. Allocating specific time every day to review and answer messages—instead of allowing them to control your schedule—opens up time for more substantial pursuits. Unsubscribing from unwanted mailing lists, sorting significant emails into folders, and setting up automatic filters can maintain digital clutter under control.
Next, there's the authority of the notes. Whatever you're doing—jotting reminders, making appointments, arranging meetings—good note-taking keeps things together. If you're part of group meetings, pre-checking with participants will iron out essential points and eliminate wasted time. These small habits pay dividends, making your day run more efficiently and smoothly.
But time management is not so much about things to do—it's about balance. Scheduling time for yourself is no less important than scheduling time for work. Whether spending the morning on walks, reading, hobbies, or just sitting over a cup of coffee without any frantic hurry, such self-indulgence is what makes retirement a worthwhile experience.
Retirement is not filling every second with duties, but nor is it letting time go unmarked. By creating soft habits, living in the midst of what matters, and working with interruptions, you can intend each day. The reality is, the beauty of retirement isn't so much in having time—it's in creating the time valuable.
