Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in planning for retirement that we forget about planning what to do in retirement. Without an idea of how to spend all of that glorious free time, you might find yourself struggling to enjoy life after the workforce.
Our favorite tool to solve this challenge is a Dreambook™. It’s a great way to tap into the things that truly make you happy, fulfilled, and inspired–things you want to fill your retirement years with. But knowing what to do is often much easier than actually getting started. If you haven’t been able to make it past the cover page of your Dreambook™, you’re not alone. A blank page with no rules or limitations is harder to fill than you’d think!
So let’s make it easier. Here are three ways to get your creativity flowing and make retirement planning uniquely yours.
First, a Reminder
Before you pick up your pen, let go of the bucket list mindset. A bucket list is really just a checklist: see the pyramids, run a marathon, cross it off. A Dreambook™ works best when it’s free of anything that feels too structured or like a to-do list; it’s a space for every idea, big or small, practical or not, without a censor. The only rule is that there are no rules! No ranking system, no “that probably isn’t realistic,” and no worrying about what anyone else would think. The point is to get rid of any mental limitations and think about a retirement that’s truly yours.
1. Tap Into Your Inner Child
Think back to your earliest memories of what you wanted to be when you grew up. Were you going to be a firefighter? A cowboy? A vet or a ballerina? Follow that thread forward. Did any of that curiosity show up again in high school or college, maybe in a class you loved but couldn’t fit into your schedule, a major you considered but set aside? What was it about those paths that pulled you in? Sometimes the excitement is still there, just waiting for you to make room for it again.
Get the Wheels Turning:
- Who was your childhood hero? What was it that made you want to be just like them?
- Did you have a favorite Halloween costume that you couldn’t wait to put on? What did you love about wearing it?
- When you played pretend as a child, what was your favorite role?
2. Try the Sliding Doors Method
Imagine a version of your life where you couldn’t have the career you ended up with. What would your top three alternatives have been? Don’t get caught up in what’s practical, realistic, or pays a living wage. Just allow yourself to envision the road not taken, and ask yourself what draws you to that version of your life. Is it the idea of the work itself? The lifestyle? Something you found intriguing but never figured out how to turn into a paycheck?
Get the Wheels Turning:
- If you could go back to college and study any subject without needing to focus on grades or landing a job after graduation, what would it be?
- Was there a moment you consciously chose the “practical” path over another?
- Of your alternate lives, which one excites you most?
3. Project Forward to Your 90-Year-Old Self
Picture that you’re 90 years old, sitting in your front porch rocking chair, and looking back on 25 wonderful years of retirement. It’s been everything you hoped for. What did you spend your time doing that made you so happy? This approach works well because it sidesteps the “before I’m done, I’d like to…” bucket-list trap. Instead, it helps you picture a full, well-lived stretch of years and work backward from there. What filled those years with meaning? Start writing it down.
Get the Wheels Turning:
- Imagine telling your grandchildren about the best experience of your retirement. What story are you telling?
- What would you regret not trying, looking back from age 90?
- If you had unlimited time and energy for 25 years, how would you have spent your days?
Turn Your Dreambook™ Into a Date Night
If you’re planning retirement with a partner, consider setting aside a date night to dream together and launch every idea onto the table, no matter how far-fetched. The rules are the same: no plans or practicality allowed.
This can be especially helpful for couples because you may have very different ideas about what makes for a “good” retirement, but you’ll never know until you start dreaming out loud together. Waiting until the last minute to compare notes can create real surprises, like finding out one person wants to live on a cruise ship for 6 months out of the year, while the other has been waiting to build and enjoy their dream garden. Taking time to share your ideas can give you time to create a shared version of your happy place that you can dream about and plan for together.
Mapping Out Your Happy Place
Grab any notebook you love, a good set of pens, and a cup of coffee. Don’t let the fear of getting it “right” keep you from getting started. The most important part of creating a Dreambook™ is to set aside practicality and give yourself space to dream freely and find what makes you come alive. Then, you can start thinking about how to turn those dreams from “I wish I could…” into “I can’t wait.”
Retiring to your happy place starts with figuring out what that happy place actually looks like, one uncensored idea at a time.