“You’ll be bored.”

More than anything, that’s the response I expect from friends & family that when I retire early next year.  The plan is that it will be just a few weeks short of my fiftieth birthday (‘FIRE by 50’).  It’s a worry that increasingly dominates my thoughts.  Will I think myself a clever genius for making an early exit from the workforce, or will I be asking myself “Fool! What have you done!”?

Many people that retire early talk about the list of things they’ve made up to make sure they are not bored.  Happily, many report that they find themselves so busy in retirement that they barely crack their list.  That would be nice, but why not be prepared?

I’ve been doing a couple of things to prepare, even though my FIRE escape date is still one year away.  Below is a list I’ve been making of the kinds of things I am looking forward to.  I didn’t include volunteer time (I’m involved on 2 Boards), time for working out, everyday errands, or at-home hobbies (of which i seem to have plenty).  Just a list of half-day or full day activities that I always feel pinched for time to enjoy.

My goal was to have 150 items on the list (3 things to look forward to each week) …

• 35x – Travel – I love traveling more than anything.  My DW & I plan on taking 4 trips a year spanning 5 weeks.
• 30x – Movies – I love movies, and so does my DW.  I came up with 30x, based on the movies we saw last year.
• 12x – Shopping – Unlike some guys, I like to go to the Mall.  I don’t spend a lot, but enjoy it with my DW.
• 10x – Boating – We belong to a boat club and love getting out in the warmest months.
• 6x- Holidays – Christmas, Christmas Eve, Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving, Halloween – family events or parties.
• 6x – Museums – There are more than 20 museums in our metro – we can rotate them every 3rd year.
• 8x – Watch Sports – Our metro has all 4 major pro sports + college that we like to follow.
• 6x – Golf – I like to golf, but not as much as some.  Once a month my brothers & I golf with my Dad.
• 6x – Small Town Visits – Small towns have interesting shops, antiques & great places for lunch.
• 8x – Concerts/Plays – We go to about 3-4 plays a year now.  Once everyday is a weekend, I’d like to go to more.
• 4x – Parties – We usually host 2-3 parties, including a Christmas party, every year.
• 4x – Festival Events – Art shows, car shows, parades, small-town festivals
• 4x – Food Tours – Wineries, tap rooms, pizza barn trips, etc
• 3x – Speakers – At the bookstore, or at one of the nearby colleges.
• 3x – Ski/Skate – There are a lot of places to ski within 1 hour of our home.

I’m up to about >140 days of fun already.  With parties we go to, trying out new restaurants, and going to parks – I’m sure we’ll be good on the number of things we can look forward to.  That said, I’m also looking to get into a sports league, take a class, and have some other scheduled activities.

I also thought this was interesting – LINK – someone on Reddit’s Financially Independent site posted a weekly schedule they created to ensure that their retirement time didn’t get “absorbed by little menial tasks”.

Any ideas from your FIRE list?  I’d love to hear them!  🙂

Image Credit: Pixabay