RELAXATION

Planning for Increased Leisure through My Plan After 50

Even the most committed, “I’m-going-to-die-at-my-desk” executive (or business owner) looks to a time when they can cut back, move the fulcrum or balance point of their life so there is a little more weight on the leisure side. As one of our My Plan after 50 executive workshop attendees disclosed, he hoped to reduce the business focus of his week from 92 to 72 hours over the next ten years!

For most of us, that may seem extreme. However, also extreme for many who enter retirement is the addition of 40 or more hours per week to the leisure side of the balance. A recent survey of retired people found that 41% identified retirement as the most difficult of all their life’s transitions, citing boredom and monotony. And the National Institutes on Health indicates that more than one-in-five people over the age of 60 suffer from the symptoms of depression.

Seems many in our generation may have a problem fitting leisure into their life plan. That’s why the comprehensive personal planning with My Plan After 50 includes relaxation as one of the eight elements essential to a vibrant life after 50. It’s that important; and, for many, it’s neither automatic nor easy. The fact is, leisure is only relaxing and rejuvenating when it’s a counter-balance to some sort of routine. As we go through life after 50, our routines will very likely change, and the great temptation is to take what has, till now, been a leisure activity, and use it to fill our more expansive discretionary time. The problem with that is this: what was formerly leisure has now become routine. The eventual result: boredom, monotony and, possibly, depression.

So, whether you’re one who internalized the childhood “your work = your worth” messages, or one who has effectively balanced work and leisure to date, the changes ahead will challenge you to develop a leisurely life after 50. Our My Plan After 50 planning resources include:

• Articles concerning a leisurely life
• Tools for self-directed life planning, including the My Plan After 50 workbook
• Leisure- and relaxation-related blog topics and webinars
• Life and retirement coaching
• Online communities of other Boomers adding leisure to their personal life-after-50 plan!

Explore all the rich leisure resources available to you as a MEMBER of My Plan After 50.