{"id":44511,"date":"2025-08-24T10:47:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T10:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isafespend.com\/?p=44511"},"modified":"2025-08-24T10:47:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T10:47:05","slug":"3-tips-about-retirement-and-time-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isafespend.com\/?p=44511","title":{"rendered":"3 Tips About Retirement And Time Management"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

In retirement, many of us have time to slow down and the freedom and flexibility to make our own decisions. Yet, we can find ourselves busier than when we worked. In fact, I\u2019ve had clients tell me, \u201cI am so busy that I don\u2019t know how I had time to work!\u201d If you agree with this sentiment, then here are three tips for managing your life.<\/p>\n

Tip 1. We Don\u2019t Manage Time.<\/h3>\n

Early in my career, I was hired to facilitate many workshops on \u201cTime Management\u201d with the goal of helping employees become more efficient and effective. But I told them, \u201cWe don\u2019t manage time. We manage our behaviors in the context of time. Whether we like it or not, time keeps ticking away.\u201d My emphasis became making them aware of how they spend their energy, attention, and focus. And this emphasis has only become more important in this economy where everyone is fighting for your attention.<\/p>\n

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says this: “The more control you have over your attention, the more control you have over your future. And it starts with having enough courage to protect your time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Guillebeau, author of Time Anxiety: The Illusion of Urgency and A Better Way To Live<\/u><\/em>, defines time anxiety as \u201cOne part is the fear of time running out\u2014it\u2019s nonrenewable and that\u2019s inherently stressful,\u201d Guillebeau told Tim Maurer in a podcast conversation<\/u>, \u201cThe other is the day-to-day question: What do I do next, out of unlimited options?\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on my own coaching experience, one of the issues retirees struggle with the most is the lack of structure. How, where, and with whom do I invest my time? When we do a deep dive on \u201ctime,\u201d we realize that it is the most democratic and precious resource we have. What we know is that it doesn\u2019t matter who you are, what you look like, how much money you have, or what your profession. We all only have 24 hours. And once time is gone, we can\u2019t get it back. We can\u2019t replenish, replace, or reclaim it. That time is gone forever.<\/p>\n

In her TIME person of the year profile<\/u>, Taylor Swift said this, \u201cYou can\u2019t give your energy to everything. Focus is a currency, and I want to spend it intentionally. I don\u2019t want to waste it on things that take me away from the work or the people I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip 2. We Need To Reframe How We Think And Talk About Time.<\/h3>\n

If you listen carefully, we tend to talk about time in the negative: I had time to kill. I had time to waste. I used up all the time I had. I spent too much time doing this task. I was killing the clock. I was running out of time or I felt time slipping away. <\/em><\/p>\n

It is important to reframe these negative time expressions into positive or empowering ones that that suggest purpose, mindfulness, or growth. We can start by replacing how we \u201cspend\u201d time with \u201cinvest.\u201d How, where, and with whom do we want to invest our time? This change in language can shift our mindset about how valuable our scarce resource of time really is. Be careful and aware of how you think about talk about time.<\/p>\n

Tip 3. We Don\u2019t Always Have To Say \u201cYes\u201d And We Don\u2019t Have To Finish.<\/h3>\n

When our time is not structured, it is easy to start filling up our time rather than fulfilling our time. Just because you have time, doesn\u2019t mean you have to agree to be involved especially if it doesn\u2019t really interest you. As James Clear says, \u201cIt’s so easy to say yes. We want to be agreeable, helpful, liked. That’s how time disappears and attention becomes fragmented: not in big chunks, but in a thousand small concessions. What you trade your attention for is what your life becomes.” So the next time someone asks you to do something, don\u2019t check your calendar\u2014check your personal goals and dreams and make sure you\u2019re not trading away too much of your time and attention.<\/p>\n

Anne Lamott, in her book Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son\u2019s First Year<\/strong><\/em>, <\/strong><\/em>points out that \u201cNo is a complete sentence.\u201d She continues to explain,<\/strong> \u201cIt is okay to say no without offering an explanation. It is okay to protect your peace. If you\u2019re not careful, your calendar will become filled with other people\u2019s priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can earn some time back by not finishing everything you start. Whether it\u2019s a book, a movie, a TV show or series, a concert, a football game, or another kind of event, you can stop or leave and invest that time in other ways. Recently, I was watching a series on Netflix and I found the theme to be dark and dreary\u2013the opposite of positive and uplifting. When I said to my husband, \u201cI don\u2019t really care how this series ends or what happens to these characters,\u201d we decided there were better ways to reclaim that time by focusing on what matters more to us.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

We live in a society where being \u201cbusy\u201d can be viewed as a badge of honor. We are used to our productivity being evaluated. Just remember that you don\u2019t manage time. It will manage you if you let it. Pay attention to how you think about and talk about time. Mel Robbins<\/u>, author and podcaster, summarized Taylor Swift\u2019s quote in this way: \u201cTreat your energy like a luxury good \u2014 not everyone can afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shift to a positive mindset because you are investing your attention on what and whom matters. Only say \u201cyes\u201d to things that add value to your life or bring you joy in some way. And I give you permission to not finish everything you start. If you are not enjoying the journey, you can stop. While we don\u2019t manage time, we can manage how we invest our time, attention, and energy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n