It’s about your happiness and ability to fully enjoy the free time you’ve worked so hard for and deserve.

Sure, having your money figured out is extremely important before you retire. However, knowing what you want your retirement to look like and setting those plans in motion before retirement is equally as important as the money piece – perhaps even more so as an early retiree.

Ask yourself:

1. What do you really want to do everyday when you are no longer working?
2. Who do you want to do these activities with?
3. Where do you see yourself doing these activities?

Chances are, you have some interests that you’d like to pursue in retirement. Your “what” might be a continuation of activities/hobbies you already enjoy. This is a great starting point to begin replacing the social network (your “who”) that you currently have at your job. Even if you are an introvert like me who is easily “peopled out,” you still need some folks to hang out with on a regular basis. Humans are social creatures, after all. Remember, friends will come and go in your life. Most tend to stay for a season, some for several seasons and a few for what will seem like forever. Cherish these forever folks and stay invested in the relationship. Be open to meeting new people at most any time, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Some people think I’m crazy for attending quilt retreats where I don’t know a soul. It forces me out of my comfort zone and I get to meet some of the most interesting people. Finding your quilty tribe takes time, especially as an early retiree because most of your social circle is probably still working full-time.

Your “where” may or not be where you are currently living. Perhaps you want a smaller home in the same area or want to move closer to family. Full-time RVer? Get as far away from the big city as possible? It will be helpful to have some inkling of your future plans before you retire. For us? One level house – yes. Location? TBD. The area in which we currently live is convenient, but rapidly changing with lots of high-density development coming soon. We’d both prefer a little more room us and our neighbors and a lot less traffic.

And finally, always keep in mind that even the best laid plans are subject to change. Don’t fight any changes – embrace them. Life is richer when you do. I am still quilting, volunteering and even working part-time as I thought I might be – only those activities look different today than I expected them to do when I retired in May 2022. I wouldn’t have it any other way.