7 Observations from 7 months of retirement
I retired in September 2025 after 40+ years in accounting and finance as a CPA. I continued a part-time volunteer opportunity. After 7 months, here are the 7 things I’ve learned and experienced in retirement.
1. Do I really want a “job” or a set item?
I went from full-time to now only a few hours a week. But I do struggle with the notion of “Do I want to have any job now?” Do I just want to fully decompress after all these years for some time before doing something? I haven’t solved this so far.
2. No urgency — or focus
Urgency is a challenge. It seems like I have so much time now that I struggle with getting things done. The constraints of having a work schedule are gone, and I struggle with this now. I knew this was going to be a problem for me, and I haven’t figured out a way to solve it yet. I even find it hard to focus on hobbies and activities I enjoy, and I thought I would have more time to pursue them.
3. Hard time with schedule
I’m still operating on a Monday–Friday schedule. The activities I had scheduled for my weekend are still on the weekend, for no specific reason. Is it just comfort?
Even admin. tasks like paying the bills, planning the week, and laundry are still all by the calendar week. Why is that? I have the flexibility now to do these items whenever I need to embrace this randomness. Within what is reasonable for me.
4. Too much of my identity was tied to my job/title
I now realize how much of my identity and value was tied up in my job. I had the responsibility, authority, and team, and in a day, all of that was gone. That half of my life is now gone, and the other half of being a husband, father, equal partner, friend, is now my full-time role. This is great, but it is taking a bit of effort to let go of the work status and way of operating. I can’t bring that work life into my family. No one needs PowerPoint decks! I know we all know it, but I am now realizing that I was replaceable at work and that work has moved on without me. Completely.
5. I need to figure out my new norm
What is my new norm? Do I try to establish a new schedule and routine, or can I embrace the variability in my life now? This is tough. I do find myself with a bit of panic at night thinking about what I must do tomorrow, and when I can’t think of anything, I wonder what I am missing. With my work schedule, there was always something for tomorrow. My wife’s schedule hasn’t really changed, so I need to adapt to the new family norm for both of us. What am I going to do?
6. This is my life now
When you get out of your teens and get a job or head to college, you have the world ahead of you, and so many possibilities, life events, and experiences. I’ve retired, and now I have maybe 25-30 years of what? I need to really be intentional about what the rest of my life is going to involve. Right now, I’m a bit of a blank slate and am anxious that this is it; 25 years of just surviving and living. I need to make sure I’m experiencing, growing, and challenging myself. That right now is tough.
7. Be Intentional About What You Start or Stop Doing
You can’t do the same things when you're 60 that you could at 25. You can’t bounce back the same way either. I need to be intentional about what I start and stop doing. Stopping tennis now makes it a lot harder to get back into it. Stopping skiing, running or golf is the same. I can’t just jump in and out of things as I like. Yes, I can start new hobbies, interests, and activities, but the on-ramp is much longer and harder. These can become permanent when you give them up.
I picked skiing back up a few years ago, and I’m mindful of keeping this going so I can enjoy the sport for years to come. I’m going to be intentional about what I am doing and spend a bit of time contemplating when I’m thinking about giving something up.
Observations from a recent Retiree
No great conclusions, just experiences I’ve had over the past 7 months. I don’t have any answers yet, but I continue to work through it. That gives me and you something to think about.