How To Build a Happy Retirement In Seven Days
Can you build a happy retirement in seven days?
We believe that you can.
Clearly you cannot change your whole life in seven days but you can put in place a framework that could change your life in the long term.
All journeys begin with just a single step.
The first step is often the hardest to take but is the most important.
Taking action of some kind is the key.
Here’s how you can improve your life and improve your retirement in seven days.
Choose Your Seven Life Priorities.
First you need to decide the top seven areas in your life that will make for a happy retirement.
These will be different for everyone. What brings happiness to one person would make others happy.
If it makes sense to you it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else.
Have the confidence to set your own agenda based on what makes you happy.
Write these down on a note pad or computer, then assign a day of the week to each one.
For ease of discussion we have chosen seven areas that could be a good starting point;
Money and financial security.
Physical health and fitness.
Hobbies.
A healthy diet.
Good mental health.
Safe and tidy home.
Relationships.
Having decided on your seven priority areas, assign each one to a day of the week as below;
Monday – Money and financial security.
Tuesday – Physical health and fitness.
Wednesday – Hobbies.
Thursday – A healthy diet.
Friday – Good mental health.
Saturday – Safe and tidy home.
Sunday – Relationships.
What Next?
On each specified day of the week spend an hour or two concentrating solely on the one area that you have allocated for that day.
This is too allow you thinking and planning time for this part of your life.
You’ve already decided that it’s an important part of your life and this is the time in the week when you can look at it in detail.
You only need to spend an hour or so doing this so the rest of the day will be free.
Think about where you are in relation to this part of your life and what ways you can improve.
Set in place an action plan that you can use over the next week.
You don’t have to complete the plan in the hour or two you are thinking about it.
The important thing is that you have given this subject some consideration and decide a way forward.
Here is an example of what your week could look like;
Mondays – Money and Financial security.
Review your current financial position and determine where you are financially, what ways can you improve this, and what are your short, medium and long term financial objectives.
Decide on a budget that meets these plans, look at other ways to save money, or think of ways to improve your income.
Tuesday – Physical Health.
Work out a way to include 30 minutes of exercise in your daily routine.
Look at how to make sure you got sufficient sleep at night. This might involve making changes to your night time routine or bedroom area.
Set fitness goals such as walking 10000 steps a day or swimming 30 lengths of your local swimming pool.
Wednesday – Hobbies.
Make sure you have all you need for your current hobby or look to start a new one.
Look for a club for people that share your hobby or join a Facebook group that attracts like minded people.
Thursday – A healthy diet.
Review what you’ve eaten in the past week and where you can improve your diet for the week ahead.
Read a cookery book for new a recipe healthy or check Youtube for inspiration.
Make a shopping list of your favourite or new nutritious meals.
Friday – Good mental health.
Plan how you can spend more time in nature, meditating or writing.
Consider starting crosswords, sudoku or puzzles to stimulate your mind.
Seek support from friends or from a mental health professional if needed.
Saturday – Safe and tidy home.
Declutter and organise your home.
Make a list of small DIY projects to complete over the next week or larger ones for long term home improvements.
Sunday – Relationships.
Text or phone a friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Seek out ways of making new social contacts.
Consider ways in which you could improve your relationship with close family members.
Final Thoughts.
By putting in place a framework based on your priorities you are giving yourself a better chance of leading a happy and fulfilling retirement.
The weekly changes in each area don’t have to be significant.
Small changes applied consistently over a long period can have significant results.
Dave Brailsford, the UK Olympic cycling coach referred to this process as the aggregation of marginal gains.
He explained it as “the 1 percent margin for improvement in everything you do.”
James Clear in his book ‘Atomic Habits’ states ‘small, incremental, everyday routines compound into massive, positive change over time’.
By setting your priorities and working on them consistently over a number of weeks you can greatly improve your retirement.
Give it a try for one week and see how you get on.
Once you get started who knows where it will lead!