The first year of retirement has a reputation as a long holiday, and for many people it starts that way. No alarm, no commute, no meetings. Time for the garden, the grandchildren and the trip that was always next year.
It’s also a year of habits forming, whether we choose them or not. The way we fill our days in those first months can easily become the shape of the years that follow. That makes the first year a good time to put a few things in place, while there is energy, time and a fresh start to work with.
None of what follows is financial, legal or medical advice, and every retirement is different. But research and official guidance point to a handful of steps that are well worth taking early.
1. Find something that gives you a reason to get up
Work, whatever its frustrations, gave most of us a sense of being needed. When it stops, that sense can quietly disappear, and the evidence suggests it is worth replacing.
In a 2019 study in JAMA Network Open, Aliya Alimujiang and colleagues looked at 6,985 Americans over 50 who were part of the long-running Health and Retirement Study. Over the following four years, those with the weakest sense of purpose in life were more than twice as likely to die as those with the strongest, even after accounting for health and other factors. The study can’t show that purpose itself causes better health, and illness can erode purpose as well as the other way round. But the association was strong.
Purpose doesn’t have to be grand. It might be a role in a community group, minding grandchildren one day a week, a long-term project in the shed, or a commitment to a cause you care about. The first year is a good time to try a few things and notice which ones you look forward to.
2. Learn something genuinely hard
Keeping busy is not quite the same as keeping your mind working. In the Synapse Project, led by Denise Park at the University of Texas at Dallas and published in Psychological Science in 2014, 221 adults aged 60 to 90 spent about 15 hours a week for three months on different activities. Those who learnt demanding new skills, such as digital photography or quilting with computerised sewing machines, showed improvements in memory. Those who joined a social club or did easy activities at home did not.
“When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone,” Park said. The researchers didn’t yet know how long the gains would last. Still, the first year of retirement is a natural moment to start the language, instrument or skill you’ve always meant to learn, and to choose something that stretches you rather than something easy.
3. Give a couple of hours a week to others
Volunteering can bring purpose, routine and people together in one go. In a 2020 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Eric Kim and colleagues followed nearly 13,000 Americans over 50 for four years. Those who volunteered at least 100 hours a year, roughly two hours a week, had a lower risk of dying during the study, a lower risk of developing physical limitations, and better wellbeing afterwards than those who didn’t volunteer.
The study found no link with many specific conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, and like most research of this kind it shows associations rather than proof. But two hours a week is a modest commitment, and plenty of organisations are looking for exactly the skills people bring out of a working life.
4. Build movement into every week
Without a commute, a walk to the train or a day on your feet at work, it is surprisingly easy to move less in retirement than you did before. The Australian Government’s movement recommendations for people aged 65 and over suggest at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity on most days, muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week, and activities for balance, mobility and coordination on three or more days. They also recommend breaking up long periods of sitting, several hours of light activity each day, and seven to eight hours of good-quality sleep.
The first year can be a useful time to explore ways of making movement part of your routine: a regular walking group, a weekly class at the local pool or gym, gardening, or a strength session you book in like an appointment. Anyone with a health condition is best to check with their GP first.
5. Rebuild your social circle on purpose
For many people, work supplied most of their day-to-day company. When that ends, friendships with colleagues often fade without anyone meaning them to.
It helps to be deliberate. Get in touch with old friends you’ve lost contact with, join something that meets regularly, and say yes to invitations even when the couch is tempting. Research suggests people worry about reaching out more than they need to. In experiments with more than 5,900 participants, published in 2022, Peggy Liu and colleagues found that people who contacted someone they hadn’t spoken to for a while consistently underestimated how much it would be appreciated.
6. Get a health baseline
Retirement is a good time for an unhurried check-up with your GP, to catch up on screening and vaccinations and talk about anything you’ve been putting off, such as hearing, eyesight or sleep. Having a clear picture early makes it easier to notice changes later.
Eligible people aged 75 and over can have a Medicare-funded health assessment once every 12 months, covering things such as medications, falls, memory, mood, vision and hearing. It is free if your practice bulk-bills it, so check about any fees when booking. According to a report in The Senior drawing on ABS data on Medicare claims, only about a third of eligible Australians take it up. It’s worth putting in the diary well ahead of time.
7. Sort the paperwork while it’s easy
Few people enjoy thinking about wills and powers of attorney, but the first year of retirement, when life is settled and decisions are clear, is a far better time than a crisis. Alongside an up-to-date will, Advance Care Planning Australia explains the documents that let you set out your wishes and choose who decides for you if you can’t. In Queensland, for example, an Advance Health Directive and an Enduring Power of Attorney cover health care preferences and who manages your personal and financial matters. Each state and territory has its own forms.
The same guidance suggests talking with the people you appoint about what matters to you, giving copies to family and your GP, and reviewing the documents whenever your health or circumstances change.
8. Check how the money is really going
Spending usually changes once work stops. Some costs fall, such as travel to work and work clothes, while others rise, like travel, hobbies and home maintenance. Moneysmart, the Australian Government’s financial guidance website run by ASIC, notes that making a budget can help your money last longer and offers a free retirement planner for estimating income.
After six months or so, it’s worth comparing what you’re actually spending with what you planned. Moneysmart also reminds people that the Age Pension is available from age 67, subject to other requirements, and warns retirees to be wary of scams, such as calls or ads urging you to move your super. For decisions about your own situation, a licensed financial adviser is the right person to ask.
A year to set the pattern
Nobody needs to do all of this in the first month, and a few lazy weeks at the start are well earned. These steps can help at any stage of retirement. If the first year has been difficult or has already passed, you haven’t missed your opportunity to shape what comes next.
A sense of purpose, something challenging to learn, regular movement, people to see and the paperwork in order: none of these guarantees a good retirement. Together, though, they give the years ahead a solid place to start.
