Three-Hundred Rounds of Golf a Year?

Balancing your leisure in retirement

I see far too many retirees lose their sense of purpose simply because they start filling their time rather than making room for fulfilling time. If your retirement plans are limited to the number of rounds of golf you are going to play, then it might be an opportunity to take a new look at how you can best use your retirement time.

Don’t get me wrong—I love to golf and it is one of those activities that I will continue to play for as long as I can. In fact, golf is one of the top three expected activities for boomers in retirement (gardening and travel are the other two).

However, just because golf is a passion doesn’t necessarily mean that my retirement will be spent entirely on the golf course. Mark Twain once wrote that

"Play is any activity that has great meaning but no purpose."

One of the keys to a happy and fulfilling retirement is to balance your leisure, pursuing many different activities and interests. A good way to do this is to consider how much time you expect to spend in the six basic leisure areas of your retirement life:

Social interaction or the time that you spend with your friends, family and social network. A number of prominent studies have focused on the positive role that social relationships play in longevity. As you look at your retirement lifestyle, how much time will you be able to spend building new relationships and nurturing the associations you have now?
Creative expression and the time that you spend thinking of new ideas, pursuing hobbies that allow you to build and create. Is there a book you want to write, a picture you want to paint or an invention you want to perfect? The great thing about retirement is that you have more control over your time and you can devote some time to that creativity that rests in most of us.
Physical activity where you can get your heart rate up and keep yourself active and fit. Again, there is a direct correlation between healthy aging and longevity and you will want to take some time each day to devote to some form of physical exertion.
Solitary contemplation is the time you spend thinking about where you are going, the plans that you need to make or just reflecting on your life. Most of us like to take quiet time, but in our work lives it is sometimes difficult to find a few moments for ourselves. In retirement, you can put aside the time that you need to recharge. By the way, I came across an interesting study last year that suggested that there is also a direct correlation between meditation and longevity!
Intellectual stimulation where you can make your mind work and strengthen the connections. In retirement it is often too easy to let your mind retire at the same time. We had a women at one of our retirement workshops who is seventy-five and has recently earned her MBA! Whether you buy a book of Sudoku puzzles, go back to university to take some courses or manage your own stock portfolio you are continuing to exercise your mind.
Spectator appreciation when you can go to a play, watch your grandkids play or attend a sporting event. Not only do these events provide you with some structure (“I have to be in town next Thursday because we have tickets..”), but they can be a source of intellectual stimulation, social interaction and even solitary contemplation!
As you look at each one of these leisure activities, ask yourself how much time you are spending now in one and what changes do you want to make in this next phase of life to devote more time to achieving a balanced approach to your leisure?

You don’t have to “micro-manage” your life in retirement, but time management can give you the opportunity to build a fulfilling retirement lifestyle. Successful retirees understand the importance of maintaining structure after they leave the workplace and building a balanced leisure plan is a great way to create that structure.

It’s all about control. Again, successful retirees tend to control those aspects of their lives that they can and creating a balanced leisure plan lets you devote the time that you need to live a rewarding life.



At ScotiaMcLeod, we understand that wealth transcends money and represents the things in life that we would like to accomplish. As a Wealth Advisor, I work closely with my clients to help them create a clear vision of their retirement and then a financial strategy that is aligned with those goals. I think it would be beneficial for us to meet and discuss how we can work together to make sure you get the most out of this next stage of your life.