Time management is a concept I continue to struggle with in retirement. Going from a rigid and predictable schedule to entirely open, is an on-going challenge. I’ve made some progress in assessing what I want to spend my time doing. In addition, my most recent experiment with a weekly planner has helped me to realize how much time I need to allot for different activities. But, I have a persistent problem with time: I’m too busy!
What does “too busy” look like for you?
“Too busy” for me is not having time to do the regular business of living that always needs to be done (cooking, laundry, cleaning, caring for others/myself…) AND the things that I want to do with my time. Quite often I find myself enjoying time with family, or going to a farmer’s market, accepting a lunch invitation or helping someone pick up a few things, and then feeling stressed afterwards. I want to be able to do all these things that bring me joy. Isn’t that part of the reward for retiring?
The Backlog And Stress
I have the flexibility in my schedule to do each of these activities as they pop up, even if it’s at the last minute. I just tell myself that the laundry can wait until tomorrow. The business of living can be done at any time these days. I don’t need to do it in the evenings and on weekends because I’m not working 8:00 – 4:00. But chores, and other business of living, still need to get done! It’s stressful to realize that I’m doing what I love to do, at the expense of the things that have to be done. I suspect the solution comes down to creating better time boundaries.
My Time Boundary Questions
Boundary work is something that takes mindful effort. I’m starting with some questions for myself:
1. What aspects of the “business of living” do I need to complete each week to not feel stressed?
2. How much time do these tasks realistically take to complete?
Part One: Moving The Blocks
Using the answers to these questions in conjunction with my weekly planner experiment, I can make “lego blocks of time,” that can be moved around on my calendar. If something more valuable than my exercise class pops up (meeting with an old friend, for example), then I move my exercise block to another time. The key is to ensure that I do the exercise later. If a block is moved out of my regular routine, I have to set an alarm to remind myself to complete it in its new, temporary spot. (Without an alarm, I will not remember.)
Part Two: Saying No
The second part about setting time boundaries is recognizing when saying no is necessary, even if the activity that pops up is enjoyable. When my schedule for the week has run out of blocks to move around, the answer will have to be, “Not now.” I can move the activity to the following week, but the business of living has a finite amount of time that it can be rearranged into. Laundry won’t wait forever.
Saying Yes To Removing Stress
It’s hard emotionally to say no, however, I’m thinking of it as a “yes” for me. It’s a “yes” to feeling less stressed and more balanced in retirement.
Are you too busy? What do you do to manage your time effectively? Comment below.
Click on these links to related blog articles on time management:
- When errands fill your day, but you don’t want them to.
- How to decide what you value spending your time doing.
- Adjusting to no schedule when you’re newly retired.
Retired, And Now What? 
It’s week 1 of my retirement and I have a big list of projects I want to get to. As you point out, the trick for me will be creating some sort of routine that lets me balance the things I want to do with the things that need to get done. I expect it will take some time to get into a new “normal”.
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