Tapas: Revamping my Retirement

I really struggled through the first couple of years of retirement. The first year, without any kind of schedule in place, with just free time surrounding me, I found it impossible to accomplish anything. Although I had retired early in order to accomplish a BIG GOAL of my own, I felt aimless, drifting through my days with no clear sense of purpose or a framework to work within. This was something I hadn’t expected, and I was at a loss. Complete freedom apparently has a downside. I fluttered from one interest to the next, all of them distracting me from my BIG GOAL, and from each other. And definitely from the housework, which, oddly enough, I had easily accomplished when working full time.

In the second year, Covid hit, my husband retired, and then 2 months later fell from the roof of the new shop he was building, necessitating 2 separate surgeries, rehabilitations, and recoveries over the course of the next year. (After that, I tore my meniscus and had surgery, rehab and recovery of my own, but now I am getting ahead of my time frame!) Now I had a schedule, but it was temporary and still unfulfilling as far as achieving my personal goals went.

Eventually, I saw a little book on Amazon entitled Tapas Life: A Rich and rewarding Life after Your Long Career, by Andrew Robin. The idea intrigued me. The main message I took from it was that it is okay to try to fit a lot of little things into my retirement life. Some people retire (or continue to work) with the desire to accomplish a big goal. Others retire and enjoy a variety of smaller interests.

While I do have one BIG interest and goal, I also have many smaller interests that I was having trouble juggling, and I was feeling really (and inexplicably) guilty about having so many. The guilt was crippling me to the point I was not accomplishing anything!

Discovering that my problem is fairly common was a big help. I went on to find, read, and implement several habit building books (all of them short, easy reads), and now I have a schedule that allows me time for my main interest, all my side interests, and getting the housework done, too! That schedule is not so full or rigid that it is completely constraining, and not so empty that I flounder without any kind of framework. I finally found a balance!

This new balance reflects the “tapas” that are my way of choosing JOY and living a mindful, creative life. EnJOY!

Tessa

Books to help build yourself a framework for retirement life: (but only if you implement them!)

Tapas Life: A Rich and rewarding Life after Your Long Career, Andrew Robin

The 30 Day Productivity Plan, Damon Zahariades

Wake Up Successful, S.J. Scott

S.M.A.R.T Goals Made Simple, S.J. Scott

The To Do List Makeover, S.J. Scott

Master ToDoist: How to Use a Simple App to Create Actionable To-Do Lists and Organize Your Life, S.J. Scott (An overview of the Todoist App, which I highly recommend.)

The Anti-Procrastination Habit, S.J. Scott

©2022 Tessa Chenoa