Finally saying goodbye to the 9-to-5 grind is definitely a huge moment in life. Retirement is that time when you’ll find that a lot of staples of your working life just aren’t as important anymore, for whatever reason. Today, we’re looking at 25 of these things.
Alarm Clock
Remember waking up to those annoying sounds of your alarm clock? In retirement, that’s not a problem anymore because your mornings can start whenever you feel like rolling out of bed. Maybe you could swap that old alarm clock for the smell of fresh coffee or perhaps the sound of birds. Isn’t it nice waking up naturally instead of being jolted awake?
Business Clothing
Retirement means you can finally say goodbye to stiff suits and hello to comfy pants because your wardrobe’s about to get much more casual. There’s no need to impress anyone with your fashion choices anymore, and you can wear what feels good. You can finally pack away those dress shoes and ties for good.
Budgeting for Work Clothes
Speaking of work clothes, retiring means you won’t need to spend a chunk of change each season to update your professional wardrobe. Instead, you can go on shopping trips that focus on whatever catches your eye, not just what’ll look good in the office. Maybe it’s time to explore those boutiques that you’ve always just walked by.
Commuting Tools
It’s never fun when you have to rush out the door with a coffee in your hand, fighting your way through traffic or onto public transport. Thankfully, during retirement, those days are long gone. Those train passes and toll tags? You might as well use them as bookmarks because you can set your own schedule now.
Peak Hour Traffic
Similarly, those days of planning your life around peak traffic times are completely over. If you need to run to the store, you can go mid-morning when everyone else is busy and miss all of that rush-hour hassle. Now, you can make plans that are based on what you want to do instead of when traffic will allow you to do it.
Work Emails
Checking your email every five minutes is a thing of the past now because you don’t have any urgent work emails that need your immediate attention. Who knows, you might even find yourself going a whole day or week without logging in. What will you do with all that extra time and peace of mind?
Professional Networking Sites
LinkedIn notifications used to be all shout opportunities and connections. But now? Your biggest notification will just be remembering to log in. Retirement is a time for those networking efforts to take a backseat as you focus more on those personal connections, which probably matter to you a lot more.
Business Cards
All those business cards you collected over the year will probably start taking up space in a drawer somewhere. It’s time to clear out that clutter since you won’t need to swap your contact information at a networking event anymore. This makes so much more space for you to keep your souvenirs or simply a tidier space.
Work-Related Stress
If you’re one of the 83% of workers dealing with work stress, then we’ve got some good news for you. Retirement means you can finally relax without the endless pressure of work stress. You can start filling your days with the things that make you smile instead of frown. It doesn’t matter if you pick up a new hobby or spend more time outdoors because your schedule is now yours to enjoy, stress-free.
Lunch Breaks
Structured lunch breaks are out, and eating whenever you feel like it is in, which means no more scarfing down a sandwich during a 30-minute break. Now, you can take your time to plan your lunch and try new recipes, or you can skip it altogether if you’re not hungry. You can listen to your body’s needs instead of just watching the clock.
Needing Fast Food
Even the type of food you choose will change because you won’t need to grab a quick burger between meetings anymore. With all the time in the world, you can whip up something nice at home or even check out a local diner. You can enjoy your meals without the rush and savor every bite, no matter where it comes from.
Annual Reviews
Retirement means you don’t have to sweat through annual reviews anymore, wondering about how your boss will judge your performance. The only feedback you need to worry about is whether you like the new coffee blend you tried this morning. Your days of worrying about performance are over unless it’s something personal.
Office Politics
Forget all the games and power moves of office politics because retirement gives you the chance to make real connections and have genuine relationships with the people around you. Crazy, right? You get to choose who you spend your time with, and that means your social circle will be filled with people who bring you joy instead of stress.
Work Conferences
Unless you’re planning to attend a convention about a hobby you love, you can forget all about those mandatory out-of-town conferences. Just think about all the fun places you can travel to now, on your own terms and at your own time. You can travel just for fun to places that you’re genuinely interested in instead of the ones you’re forced to go to.
Setting a Work-Life Balance
Trying to squeeze your personal life around your work hours is history because now you can balance every day just the way you like it. You’ve got so much more time for your hobbies and family, or maybe just doing nothing at all. Since your calendar is so open, you can do whatever you want as spontaneously or as planned as you prefer.
Keeping Up With the Industry Trends
When you were working, you had to keep up with industry trends if you wanted to have any chance of moving head on the corporate ladder. But now, you get to just chase the fun stuff. Got a thing for gadgets? Go and explore it. Feeling a passion for gardening? Now’s the time for you to explore it.
Company ID Badges
That ID badge you needed to just get through the door at work is probably lying at the back of some drawer now, and you certainly don’t need it anymore. The only badges you’ll use are the ones that’ll get you into the local golf club or community event. Life’s a lot simpler when you’re just swiping into places that make you happy.
Daily Planner
Your daily planner isn’t packed with back-to-back meetings anymore. Instead, you’re penciling in the fun stuff, like going out for a coffee with your friends or spending a day in the garden. Even planning your day is fun now because you’re doing what you actually want to do. What could be better than that?
Productivity Apps
It’s time to say goodbye to those apps you used to monitor every minute of your workday since you just don’t need them anymore. Instead, you can fill your phone’s storage with apps to help you unwind or even learn a new language. They’re there to help you grow personally, not just professionally.
Professional Journals
It might be time to let go of those professional journal subscriptions that kept you in the loop at work now that you’re not there anymore. Why not replace them with something that makes you interested? It doesn’t matter what your hobbies are because magazines about your favorite ones are always fun to read.
Expense Reports
The time of making careful expense reports for every work-related purchase is now over because the only things you’re buying are things that make you happy. You can spend your money on things that improve your day-to-day by helping you relax or feel better about yourself. There’s no need to justify each penny to a finance department anymore.
Team-Building Activities
Even those compulsory team-building sessions are a thing of the past because your social life involves talking to people you care about. You could go for a quiet coffee with a close friend or attend an event at your local community center. Either way, you’re just working on building your relationship with your friends and family, not your colleagues.
Career Advice Books
The books you read have also changed quite a bit since you don’t need to learn about climbing the professional ladder anymore. Now, your shelves are filled with texts that spark your imagination and help you feel creativity like you never did before. Retirement is the time for you to finally discover how reading brings pleasure.
After-Work Drinks
Since you don’t have to socialize with your co-workers anymore, you don’t need to take part in the ritual of after-work drinks. While it might’ve been a nice way to let go of the week’s stress, you’ve now got the choice to do what you want in the evenings. Why? Because socializing happens on your terms.
Desktop Computers
Is there any need for a heavy-duty computer anymore? As you’re not doing any work projects, maybe you should go for something a little lighter and more portable, like an all-in-one or a laptop. They’re much more suited to a retired lifestyle because you do practically everything on the go without the bulk of a desktop.
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