Are you in a Retirement Rut? 83 Ways to Break Out

Are you in a retirement rut? Now that you are a retired, empty-nester, are you stuck in a rut doing the same things every week? Mondays are for doctor appointments, Tuesdays are for groceries and other shopping. Wednesday is for taking care of your grandchildren. Thursday is for cleaning the house. Friday is volunteer day. And every day, you start the same way with exercising, showering, getting dressed, and putting on your makeup. All dressed up and nothing to do?

If you are someone who follows the same predictable schedule each week, maybe it’s time to remind yourself that you have looked forward to retiring for years. Instead of being bored out of your mind, maybe you should start having fun. Maybe now is the time for you to break out of that rut.

The retirement rut

After retiring, have you noticed that you are lonely? Has boredom become your plan for the day? Have you noticed that you are watching TV most of the day? Do you wonder why you looked forward to this?

It sounds like you didn’t make any plans for what you would do after you retired. You may have wanted to enjoy your new life, but you haven’t implemented a plan to do that. But it’s not too late to stir up some excitement and live your life to the fullest. So, I have compiled a list of great ideas to get you out of that rut and spark some excitement in your life, now and for the rest of your life.

Starting off simply

I wouldn’t expect you to go from a boring life to jumping out of airplanes the next day. It would be best if you started slowly and then get more daring and involved as you go. Let’s start with these ideas.

1. Teach your grand daughter how to knit, if you knit. Maybe her friends would also like to learn.
2. Learn how to play chess. If you already know how to play, find someone to play with or teach a child how to play.
3. Read all the books that you own, that you haven’t read yet. If you run out, buy more at a garage sale or estate sale. Or maybe your local thrift shop. Our local Hospice Thrift Shop sells their regular books for 10 cents each on Thursdays.
4. Once you have read those, visit your library for more books. If you don’t have a library card, sign up for one. It will surprise you how many things you can check out of a library, besides books—things like movies, music, and magazines. Libraries usually have computers for you to use. Some cities have lending libraries that lend tools. In California, they include Berkeley, Oakland, Loma Linda, Tulare, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Sacramento. But there are many more in states throughout the country. Check with your local library or PG&E.
5. Start a new hobby. Is there something you wished you had time for when you were working but never could do it? This could be the time to start quilting, crafting, collecting model trains, woodworking, writing, etc.
6. Put aside your former excuses and join a gym (be sure to check for a senior discount) or start walking or running.
7. If you want to relax, start taking a daily, or as needed, nap.
8. Go golfing or learn how to golf. If golfing doesn’t appeal to you, try tennis.
9. Go shopping, window, or actual, depending on your budget. Take a trip to a local shopping outlet, Ikea, or maybe the big city.
10. You can play board or card games with your friends or family members. Or put together a puzzle. Or try your skills at video games.
11. Take a class or two at your local community college. In my city, they usually offer courses in jewelry making, composting, music lessons, cooking, dance lessons, CPR, and so much more. Or if you prefer, try Accounting, Music, Geology, or Math. Check out this blog post on learning something new every day. Click here: https://growingoldereveryday.com/learn-something-new-every-day/

The second phase of breaking out of your retirement rut

Stretch yourself a bit on these ideas. But, then again, maybe these things won’t even present a challenge for you.

1. If you feel the need to keep working, look for a part-time job.
2. Travel. Didn’t you plan to travel when you retired? If you are alone, check into packages of group travel. Maybe take a cruise.
3. Spare your children a multitude of decisions by decluttering your house now. Or give them the items you plan to give them in your will now. Donate what you can. Or if you want to sell things, have a garage sale or sell them online through Facebook groups, Offer Up, or Craig’s list. If you declutter your house, consider downsizing. Here is a post about how our downsizing process went: https://growingoldereveryday.com/our-road-to-downsizing/
4. Get to know your neighbors. They may end up being great friends. Maybe they can keep an eye on your house when you are out of town. If your neighborhood doesn’t have a Neighborhood Watch, you can work on establishing one.
5. Go out for lunch with a friend. Or track down an old friend from high school and go out for coffee.
6. Load up the boat and go fishing. If you are lucky, you might bring home dinner.
7. Become a regular fan at your local minor league baseball games. Part-time jobs at baseball stadiums are plentiful if you are interested. Mascot anyone?
8. Start going to garage sales and estate sales. If you learn the value of old items, you may resell the items on eBay or Craigslist for a profit. Or maybe you will find a hidden treasure to keep. Please keep in mind number 3 above.
9. If your neighborhood allows it, buy a few chickens and start collecting fresh eggs each day.
10. Did you always want to ride a horse? Now might be a good time to learn how to ride one.
11. Make a budget to plan your future, so you can afford to finish your Bucket List. If you don’t have a Bucket List, make one. See this post with ideas about your bucket list and get a free form to make your list on. https://growingoldereveryday.com/63-amazing-bucket-list-ideas-for-any-age/

Break out of your retirement rut – All about you

Sometimes it’s good to care about yourself and do what you want for a change.

1. Get a DNA test. This can be very interesting for you and a conversation starter among your friends.
2. Keep your brain working with crossword puzzles and Sudoku. Buy a paperback book full of them.
3. Don’t forget to have your annual medical checkup.
4. Take a relaxing bath.
5. Start a blog.
6. Learn photography and take pictures of every trip you take. Enter them in your local county fair.
7. Beat the crowd and see a matinee. When you pay for a movie, always ask about the senior discount.
8. Relax at a spa. Get a massage. Maybe a manicure and/or pedicure. Get your brows done or maybe some waxing.
9. Change your hairstyle, or if you are adventurous, change your hair color.
10. Start attending a yoga class. Or goat yoga?

Your retirement is also all about others

Be sure to make a point of helping others. You have the time now; use it wisely. See more about the benefits of giving to charities here: https://growingoldereveryday.com/5-reasons-you-should-give-to-charities/

1. Do a random act of kindness and pay for the person behind you in the drive-through. It is especially nice if there is a mother with small children behind you.
2. Support those in need in your community. Find a local charity to support. Volunteer your time and donate your money to the charity.
3. Become a tutor or yard duty person for a local elementary school.
4. Find out if you can become a foster parent for kids in need.
5. Volunteer to work in an animal shelter.
6. Donate your blood or plasma. A donation can help three others in need.
7. Buy some extra groceries and donate them to the local Food Bank.
8. Volunteer to read books in your library’s children’s story hour.
9. Donate your gently used clothing to a homeless shelter. Some of your nicer clothing will be great for job interviews.
10. Smile at a stranger. Maybe your smile will be the only one they receive today. Need more ideas read this post: https://growingoldereveryday.com/31-ways-to-spread-kindness-and-compassion/

Keep it local

Support your local community. It’s close to home, and your community is there for you, so why not be there for them.

1. Attend any local events like Chili-Cook-Offs, Annual Festivals, Craft Fairs, Car Shows, Farmers Market, and Fund-Raising Events.
2. Check into the social opportunities through your local senior center.
3. Take wellness classes through your insurance, a local yoga studio, or a local church. Possibilities include but are not limited to grief counseling, monitoring your health, divorce care, caregiver support, women’s health, etc.
4. Go on a date to the local putt putt golf course.
5. Join a Bible study.
6. Surprise someone you love with a romantic picnic.
7. Go to a concert, symphony, or play. Maybe an outdoor one if you have one in your area.
8. Pick fruit in season at your local farms that allow this. In my area, you can pick several kinds of berries. Buy what you can’t pick at a fruit stand. Fresh is the best.
9. Attend the opening of a new artist at an art gallery.
10. Try out the latest restaurant in town. Support local business as often as you can.

Leave town

Sometimes you have to get away, at least for a day or two.

1. Take a train ride on Amtrak. Be sure to take advantage of the 10% senior discount.
2. Do you love sports? Follow your team through their season, seeing every home and away game. Or possibly visit every professional baseball stadium, even if you take a few years.
3. Go on a group excursion offered through your local college or travel agent. Our Junior College offers shopping trips, theater trips, and trips to sporting events.
4. Start training for the next 5K, half-marathon, or marathon in your area. Enter it and have your fans cheer you on as you pass the finish line.
5. Winery tours are common in California. What kind of tours do you have in your state? Check them out.
6. Buy your Senior Lifetime National Park Pass for $80 and start seeing all the National Parks. It’s a super deal. https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/understanding-national-park-senior-pass-rate-increase
7. Go to your State Fair. If it’s far away, make a weekend of it.
8. Get your cowboy on and attend a rodeo.
9. Travel to visit your grandchildren or, if they are local, take them out for a special day at the zoo or the lake.
10. Go on a cruise to Alaska, the Panama Canel, or the Caribbean. Or any other place of your choosing.
11. Make a budget to plan your future, so you can afford to finish your Bucket List. If you don’t have a Bucket List, make one. See this post with ideas about your bucket list and get a free form to make your list on. https://growingoldereveryday.com/63-amazing-bucket-list-ideas-for-any-age/

Getting more difficult

These might get a bit more difficult, but I think you will be ready for this list if you pace yourself through the previous ideas.

1. Get a college degree. Maybe you never did or wish you had gone for your masters, and now you have the time. Learn new things, and once you have finished, you can walk down the aisle for your diploma, as your proud children and grandchildren cheer you on. You won’t be the first person to graduate in their 60s, 70s or 80s.
2. Create a list of the states in the United States that you have never visited and begin planning trips to see them. A great way to show your progress is a scratch-off map you can hang on the wall. Check Amazon for an excellent selection.
3. Start a compost pile to use in your garden. It’s a great way to recycle or reuse leftover produce, eggshells, used coffee grounds, newspaper, shredded paper, dryer lint and hair.
4. Don’t have a garden, start one. If you don’t have room for one, see if there is a local community garden. If there isn’t one, look into starting one in your community. More information about gardening, check this out: https://growingoldereveryday.com/its-garden-time/
5. Take a cooking or baking class and impress your guests at your next dinner party. Homemade pasta, anyone?
6. Learn how to can, dehydrate, and freeze produce. Maybe some of your garden’s produce.
7. Simplify your life by taking all of your old VHS tapes and have them copied to CDs. Or you can purchase the machine needed to do it and copy them from the privacy of your own home.
8. Adopt a pet from the local animal shelter. Be sure to take time thinking about this before you run over to get a pet. Think about potty training if you are buying a puppy. Consider how often you are away on trips. Can you take your pet with you? Do you have a place to bring your pet or someone that can watch it while you are away? Don’t forget the love and support you will receive from that pet.
9. Have you had an adventurous life or possibly a desire to write a novel? It could be time for you to write a book. Learn everything you can about the ins and outs of writing and publishing a book and then have at it. If that works out successfully, write another.
10. Go bowling. If you like it, try joining a daytime bowling league. Or maybe a league at night.

Are you ready for these ideas?

These ideas may really push you beyond what you thought you could do. It’s time to stretch further.

1. Take a hot-air balloon ride. Or, if you are fearless, go skydiving.
2. Is it time to do a little updating in your home? Consider expanding your master closet, adding a shop in the garage, a wine cellar in your home, or maybe a craft room.
3. Attend City Council meetings and get to know what is happening in your community.
4. Run for a political office in your local community, like mayor or city councilperson. Or set your sights higher.
5. If you are brave enough, try a zipline. If you like that, keep searching for ziplines when you travel. They are exciting and can be in the middle of breathtaking scenery.
6. Roller skate or ice skate like you did as a kid. Extreme caution is advised.
7. Start star gazing. Visit the closest observatory to your home. See if you can locate the Big Dipper. Go to your library to check out some astronomy books. Then, purchase the ones that interest you the most. If you find it as fascinating as you hoped, buy your own telescope. Share your findings with friends and family, especially grandchildren.
8. Start making your own wine or beer. First, learn all about the process and then take steps to create what appeals to you.
9. Take all your recipe cards and type them into a recipe organizer like Recipe Manager or Master Cook. It makes it easy to find the recipe you want. They also can help you make a grocery list. 
10. Learn boxing or karate or something similar. This skill may come in handy if you are surprised by someone trying to steal your purse or your wallet, cell phone, or camera.

I’m guessing that you have read this list because you needed an idea or two to keep yourself busy. And to stretch yourself so that your future goes from boredom to excitement. Go for it! Start today with something easy and continue working through the ideas that appeal to you. This list is for you, not for the 93-year-old lady next door or the 29-year-old across the street. Get off that couch and turn off the T.V.; it’s time to break out of your retirement rut!

In the comments section below, let me know below which idea is your favorite in the comments below. I know you have a favorite! And which one will you be starting with? It would be great to hear your thoughts. Also, you can follow me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/GrowingOlderEveryday/ or follow the Growing Older Everyday blog at https://www.GrowingOlderEveryday.com/.