Just Retired? Here’s the Starter Playbook.
By Erica and Karen
was June 30 the last day of your career—or at least your job?
Congratulations!
Here’s what to do now.
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Sleep late. You are tired, from decades of work and the emotional strain of retirement. Recuperate for a little while.
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Do something crazy. Take a long walk through your favorite museum during the middle of the day. Go see a mid-day movie. Binge watch the shows that you never had time to watch before. Sign up for a cooking course that meets in the afternoon. Read a long book while you sip a glass of chardonnay. In other words—play hooky.
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Find some friends—or make some new ones—who are on your type of schedule. For example, consider day classes at a local cultural institution. Meeting new people is daunting, but it is worth the effort.
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Think about what you have always wanted to learn, and find out where you might learn it. One of us learned to fly. One of us learned design. You might be interested in astrophysics, or pizza making, or ballet. Check it out. In a relaxed way.
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Think about water. It’s summer, so go to the beach. Or the lake. Or on a cruise. Being near water settles the mind.
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Work out, if you can. You’ll feel better if you do, and it’s good for your brain.
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Visualize your post-career image. Think about the new focus for your wardrobe—which might be a free-thinking remix of your career wardrobe.
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Be proud of what you have accomplished, and let it show.
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Do no chores for others. Unless you want to.
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No long-term decisions for a while. Commit to nothing until you have time to assess and explore your options.
After the recharge phase, you will be ready to think about what you want to do for the next thirty years. We’ll talk about how to do that soon. Take it from us—it will go better if you first restore yourself, and grieve over the loss of your job and your job identity. It was a big part of your life and you will miss it.
After that—you will see that your career was a stepping stone to an amazing and creative new world that will open like a flower for you. But until then, relax.
I retired 18 months ago and gave up many “social obligations” I was involved in due to my job as a non-profit executive director. My brother gave me very good advice about my retirement…. don’t commit to anything new for a year (like being on board of directors), get rid of those obligatory things you have done (maybe that is a service group you have been involved in), travel (!!), take it easy! Eighteen months into my new lifestyle, I love my lifestyle. My only volunteer job is with a local mediation center as a volunteer mediator and I pick and choose mediations. I read ALOT, I bike, I weight train three times a week in the morning, but not at 6 am! I have a flexible schedule, I drink my coffee in the morning not being rushed. I love it.
I grieved for 880 miles, crying almost the entire route when I retired from the military and headed home to be with my also retired husband. I lasted 9 months. I thought I was going to collect unemployment at the department of labor in Louisiana but they gave me a job. That was in 2001. I am making plans to retire in Jan 2026 and thinking maybe June 2025. I am NOT repeating my experience from 2001. I am grateful for all the ideas that Lustre shares with this community. Still planning.
Thank you for this timely post. This is only week two of my retirement, and it certainly is an adjustment. I’m still waking up at 6:00am and feeling like I need to "do" something, not sure what that something might be. I am thankful a colleague referred me to Lustre, I appreciate your podcasts and the helpful advice. Looking forward to this new phase of life.
Tomorrow I will leave a company I have loved working for after 18 years due to budget cuts. I am grateful to have had this time and the experiences. After 37 years in my profession since graduating undergrad, I am ready to exhale. Turning 60 the same week I am laid off is also a bit of a gut punch. However, your list above is a great starting point for how I want to visualize my "NEXT" — with a focus on health/fitness, self-care, meditation, being by and on the water, and continuing my passion for lifelong learning on my terms. I am exciting to be a part of the Lustre community and learn from all of the amazing women who are part of it. Thank you Erica and Karen for creating this amazing "space."
Thank you for this. I didn’t realize ahead of time that retirement would have a sense of "loss". Your articles are helpful and helping me understand that this is somewhat normal. Coming from the C-Suite, I needed a bit of an off-ramp and have been doing some coaching and interim work for the last 2 years while my brain and body adjusted to a freer lifestyle. I’m getting there and realizing that I loved working, and I also can love not being in-demand 24×7. Thank you!