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What Would I Do If I Retired?

Baptiste Wicht | Updated: |

(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links)

There are many people who do not know what they will do if they retire. If you are serious about reaching financial independence and retiring early, you should already know what you would do in retirement. You will have a lot of time on your hands.

I already know that there are many things I would do more once I retire. There are a few things I wish I had more time to do. It is my hope that in retirement, I will be able to do more of these things.

In this article, I describe the changes for me in retirement. As you will see, there are many things I would like to do more in my life. I will also describe how I would organize my days. Of course, this is only a thought experiment. I am far from retirement. A lot of changes will occur in the meantime.  But it is still a nice thought experiment.

I would read more

I have always liked to read. I must have read more than one thousand novels in my life already. And I have read many books several times. I started to read novels very young. At that time, I had a lot of time to read. I used to read four or five novels a month, sometimes more. I am lucky enough to read quite fast, and I can read novels in French and in English. These days, I mostly read on my Kindle when I find cheap books. Otherwise, I read used books from second-hand shops.

These last years, I did not have as much time as I would have liked to read. I still read when I can. But I have given priority to several other things that make me read less.

I would really like to go back to reading for at least one hour each day. This is something I will definitely do once I retire!

I would code more

Programming
Programming

I am an enthusiastic programmer. I have many personal projects. Before my new job, I coded a lot more for my personal projects. I have several personal projects on which I would like to code again.

My work is more stressful than my previous one. Once I arrive home, I am not as motivated as before to code on my projects. Since I am still coding at work, it is not a huge deal. These days, I am still coding a bit on at least one of these projects. I am adding features to what I need for my own usage. I wish I could add more features to some of these projects. Once I retire, I will probably not code as much as I do now. But I would definitely code more on my personal projects.

I would play more

Gaming guy
Gaming guy

Most people say that computer gaming is a waste of time. It may well be. But I like it a lot! Over the years, I have played many computer games. I play several kinds of games. I have played strategy-building games such as Pharaoh, Anno 1602, and Sim City 4. But I probably spent most of my time playing role-playing Games (RPGs). I have spent many hours on World Of Warcraft, Morrowind, and Diablo II. A few years ago, I was introduced to Path of Exile. And it must be the best game I have ever played. It is really great.

If I had the time, I would definitely play more Path Of Exile. And probably other games in the future as well. These days, I am still able to play. But not as much as I would like to enjoy the game more. I would like to be able to play for around 2 hours every day. And maybe a bit more once new content is released. That would be great!

Some people will probably tell me that it is a waste of time in retirement. But I do not agree. As long as what you do makes you happy, it is a good use of time. And it is a very cheap hobby! Once retired, everybody should be able to do what they want.

I would cook more

Cooking with a wok
Cooking with a wok

I enjoy cooking. I mainly cook Chinese food. However, these days, I do not cook as much as I used to do. I returned later from my new job than when I was working on my Ph.D. Mrs. The Poor Swiss is cooking almost every day during the week. And we share the cooking during the weekend. It is much more convenient like this. But I still wish I had time to cook more.

I would probably blog more

These days, I still have time to write three posts a week on this blog. However, I do not have much time to improve the blog. If I did all I wanted for the blog, I would not have time for the other things I do.

I think that if I was retired, I would spend more time improving and polishing the blog. I would like to improve some previous articles and increase my social media presence. However, I do not consider going full-in on the blog. But I would like to grow my readership a bit more.

I would spend more time outside

Hiking in the mountains
Hiking in the mountains

I really enjoy hiking and the views from the mountains. These days, I can almost only hike during the weekend. I do not have enough time to go hiking on weekdays. We are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Another thing I miss is going outside. In summer, I really enjoy reading outside and sipping my coffee. In the winter, I come back home when it is already dark. I wish I could enjoy the day more during the days.

If I was retired, I would at least go hiking once a week. I would probably go even more. Not only would I go hiking more, but I would also spend more time outside during the day.

I would (hopefully) do more sport

To be honest, I am not a big sports guy. Indeed, I have to force myself to go to the gym three times a week. I like walking a lot. But I do not go walking as much as I would like. And in the winter, I do not really go walking outside anymore. On the other hand, in the winter, I go skiing in the Swiss mountains. Now, I have difficulty doing sports because I have little time. And it is difficult to motivate

Hopefully, I will be able to do more sports once I retire. I am not quite sure about that. I would like to go walking or hiking often. And I should really get running several times a week. It will not be easy. But I will try!

I may travel more

I will probably travel a bit more than now in retirement. However, I do not think I will go crazy and travel all the time like some bloggers. I really enjoy my own country, so I do not need to travel very far to be fulfilled. So, I will for sure travel more inside Switzerland.

There is one thing that you have to be careful about traveling. If you plan a lot in retirement, you need to take into account the expenses for the travel. It is very important that you correctly estimate your expenses in retirement. Otherwise, you may end up using your money too fast. If you want to travel constantly in retirement, this is fine. But you need to account for it correctly!

Things may change!

Of course, this is only a plan! And I am far from retirement. Things may change a lot between now and retirement.

What I think will change the most is that I hope to have children before I retire. This will change my schedule for sure. I will have less time, and there will be several things to do for the children. This is not a problem, of course. This is just something that will change the time I have for myself!

It is also possible that my hobbies change in the meantime! It is possible I want to do new things. I will see about that in the future!

If you are trying to figure out what you will do once you retire, you need to plan for what could change.

Finding a balance

As you can see, there are a lot of things I would like to do more of it. And I may discover new things that I want to do.  So I will need to have a balance over these things once I am retired.

One thing I would definitely do in retirement is wake up at the same time every day! This is something I have been doing for a few years. But now, there are too many events for me to be able to wake up at the same time during the weekend. But I want to get back to a routine once I retire. It feels great!

I am a man of routine. So I would likely organize my life the same every day. I really like routines! Of course, my routine would be perturbed by people like my wife and my future children!

Conclusion

Writing this article really made me want to have more time on my hands! There are so many things I would like to do more. I do not know if I can do all these things. But I am sure to have more time once I am retired.

You may have noticed that I did not mention my wife in these things! This is not that I do not want to do things with her! On the contrary, once I retire, we will spend much more time together! Several of the things that I want to do more will be done with her.

As I said, this is only how I view my retirement now. This may, of course, change over the years. We are planning to have kids in the future. So this may definitely change our retirement plan.

Now, do not take me wrong. I already like my life! I am happy! Indeed, I am one of the few lucky ones that like his job a lot. I do not mind commuting to work every day. And the conditions are really great. It will definitely help me reach Financial Independence. I just wish I had some more time for other things in my life.

What would you like to do if you were retired?

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Baptiste Wicht started thepoorswiss.com in 2017. He realized that he was falling into the trap of lifestyle inflation. He decided to cut his expenses and increase his income. This blog is relating his story and findings. In 2019, he is saving more than 50% of his income. He made it a goal to reach Financial Independence. You can send Mr. The Poor Swiss a message here.

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6 thoughts on “What Would I Do If I Retired?”

  1. I liked the post, for sure reading, doing sport, traveling and spending time outside is a MUST for everyone.
    And in my retirement, I would like to have some time to do “handy projects”: from learning how to paint with oil to DIY projects like doing a electric Go Kart or a piece of furniture.
    Another thing that I could add to my personal set of interests is being more active in trading stocks, not just because of the money I really enjoy doing it.

    1. Thanks Guillermo,

      Yes, I really should go outside more. Already now, I should force myself to do some sports and go outside.
      Building an electric Go Kart sounds like a lot of fun!
      Actively trading stocks can be enjoyable indeed. However, you need to be careful with the money you are actively trading ;)

      Thanks for stopping by :)

  2. You have really thought this through! I have not, since I’m quite far away from retirement. Also, I’m not sure if I ever retire. Maybe I’ll just work for myself, only doing the fun projects. I don’t know yet. But this is definitely a great list!

    1. Thanks :)

      Working for yourself is a kind of retirement already! I am not sure totally sure I will retire early. I am not even sure I will be able too. And for now, my job is great. But I like to think about it anyway :)

      Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Life can really open up when you retire! My older brother retired at 50 and seems more busy than when he was working. Everybody is different though – and some people will probably have a hard time figuring out what to do with life in retirement because they’ve been so used to someone telling them what to do with their time. One of the best books I’ve read on what to do at the midpoint (assuming that is where many are when they land on retirement or earlier if practicing FIRE), is called Halftime by Bob Buford. He suggests making your life about building a legacy and giving back (after a first half of accumulating). I’d hope to do that.

    1. Hi Aaron,

      Congratulations to your brother to retire at 50! Yes, as you said, people are very different in retirement. I want to have a lot of things to do, but I mostly want to stay home. Some people always have some outside agenda. I know someone in my family that never had so much to do than after retirement. And there are also people who sit all day in front of the TV and get bored very quickly. It also depends a lot if you have many hobbies during your career or not.

      I did not know about this book, thanks for sharing :)

      Thanks for stopping by :)

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