I’ve noticed an annoying time trap, now that I’m retired. Errands that used to take only a part of my working day, now seem to take the entire day to complete. My weekday calendar is dotted with a little something every day. When a friend asks me if I’m busy on Tuesday, a quick check of my calendar will tell me that, yes, I am busy. I’m picking up the cat’s medication. What is happening here? My errands are swallowing my time.
Busy With Stuff
I often hear retired people tell me that they are busy. I’m learning that it’s not difficult to fill my time and stay “busy.” I am padding my calendar with a long list of appointments and errands. The problem is that I do not want to spend the week this way. Why do these tasks take up so much more of my time now, than they did when I was working?
Time Warp At School
The time warp that I’m experiencing may be a psychological phenomenon called Parkinson’s Law.* It’s human nature to fill the time available. When I was teaching there were always students who took weeks to complete their wind turbine projects. (This was a group assignment that I did with my class each year.) I knew how long it would take most students to complete it. But, if they were given the extra time, they would always use up more time to complete the project. The projects dragged on unnecessarily. It was so frustrating!
Time Planning Change
I’m learning that if I give myself more time than I really need to complete a project, errand or appointment, I will act just like my students and fill the time. I’m planning to look at my schedule and group more chores and appointments into one day. I want to allow myself more “free” days to focus on meaningful activities. Now, if only I was better at estimating how long tasks actually take to complete…
Have you noticed the time warp in your life? Comment below.
** Click here for tips on how to estimate time.
Retired, And Now What? 
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