Organizing for Retirement

Back in February, I did a post on 6-Steps to Financial Freedom. There I indicated that my plan had worked so well we were nine years ahead of schedule and I had set a date for early retirement. That original retirement date was 3 years from now. Well, I didn't stick with that plan. About two months ago I moved it ahead by another 3 years. Last Thursday was my last day on the job. I am now officially retired.

This means I now have to do some different organizing of my time a.k.a. Time Management. The last five years I have been the P.M. General Manager at a restaurant. That meant 5 days a week my shift started at 4 or 5 p.m. and ended anywhere from 1:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. My days were then spent sleeping, catching up on TV programs I had recorded, and doing yard work or home projects. The bad part was the entire time I was aware of keeping an eye on the clock so I wouldn't be late for work, which kind of ruined the entire day. If we went anywhere, I had to plan around when I had to be home to get ready for work. Five days a week the entire day was geared toward having to go to work later on. That was different from getting up, going to work, and then spending the evening doing whatever until I got tired and went to bed. Also, vacations were spent cramming in all those things we wanted to do but didn't have time for during the regular routine.

Now I don't have to watch the clock. My wife quit working last August so she has had some practice already. Suddenly we can do whatever we want to whenever we want to. We don't have to try to fit it in quickly before I go to work, or cram it into a few days vacation time. This is going to take some getting used to. When I woke up this morning I was thinking, "What are we going to do today" as though we have to plan something every day. We don't. We can do whatever we want to whenever we want to, any time of the day, any day of the week. This is going to take a different kind of planning, a different kind of time management to keep from getting bored or lazy. We both like golfing and tennis, and we have two young grandsons in town. So we have things we can do. It will be interesting working it all out.

I'll also have more time to work on Organizational Tips. So keep tuned in and I'll keep you updated on how the organization of time is going.

Set a routine

Setting a routine of doing the same things the same day of the week or the same time each day can really help a person stay organized and on top of things. For example, I like to recharge my shaver each week on Monday. That way I don't get to the middle of the week and all of a sudden the shaver is too weak to finish the job. I can plug it in and finish shaving, but that would make me seem unorganized and it wouldn't be as efficient.

Map out a routine: Decide which things you need to do daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. Then set a certain time of the day, week, month, or year to do that task. Having it set as a routine will mean you are less likely to forget. People will comment about how organized you are. That will feel good.

Include reminders: Even this "routine" system can require reminders. Yesterday was Monday. I forgot to recharge my shaver. I thought of it last night as I brushed my teeth to get ready for bed. I didn't want to leave it plugged in overnight, since it takes less than an hour to fully recharge. So I got out the cord and laid it on the counter so I would remember in the morning. It was good I put the reminder out there, because I caught myself putting my shaver away this morning when I noticed the cord laying there. Without that reminder I would have forgotten. Maybe you are not as forgetful as I am, or maybe you are in denial. I would recommend giving yourself reminders just to be sure, especially if it is a monthly or annual task. You can use Google Calendar or Zoho Planner to send yourself an email reminder in advance. Or set a To Do List pop-up reminder like I do for most of my upcoming recurring tasks.

Do unfavorable things first: There are some things that we don't like to do as much as others. I do vacuum maintenance at work each Wednesday night, the beginning of my work week. The vacuums need cleaning and checking to make sure they work properly. The hose is usually plugged up with straw wrappers or sugar packets which no one will admit to not picking up before vacuuming. So I routinely clean them out so they can't come up with the excuse "I can't vacuum tonight, the vacuums aren't working." Cleaning a vacuum is not my idea of having fun. But by having it pop up on my To Do List, I get it done right away and don't have to think about it the rest of the week.

At work or at home: These routines are good to set whether you are at home or at work. Being highly organized at work and completely unorganized at home doesn't make sense. What is good for one is good for the other. So, make a routine, stick with it, and feel good about yourself!

Reminders when I feel dumber than a log.

I always need to give myself reminders for things I need to do. A simple example: when my wife wants me to take out the trash when I go to work, I have to put it in front of the door so I remember when I leave for work. If I leave it in the kitchen, chances are I won't go in there as I'm leaving for work and I will forget the trash. If it is in front of the door, it is much easier to remember it, especially when I trip over it. "Why don't you take it out right away?" you ask. Well, why do you suppose my wife sometimes lovingly refers to me as Lazyman?

The Kleenex dilemma: However, sometimes even my reminders don't work. I have been suffering from a cold the past week and a half. I took a box of Kleenex along to work in case I needed them. I wanted to bring them home at the end of the night because anything left there disappears. So as I was checking out everyone's closing work, I put my brief case on a chair by a table as I always do so I can pick it up on the way out. I put the box of Kleenex on the table by the chair so I would remember it. After all the closing work was checked, and everyone was clocked off, I set the alarm. Once the alarm is set in the back, I have only 45 seconds to get to the front door, unlock it the inside, let everyone out, and then lock the door from the outside. If I don't get that all done, the alarm will sound and automatically contact our alarm company. So there is a little time-pressure involved.

I still forgot the Kleenex: Can you believe it? With the alarm set, and my mind counting 1001, 1002, 1003 . . . I grabbed the brief case on my way out. I realized as I drove in my driveway that I didn't bring the Kleenex. O well. Not an expensive loss except to the ego. How could I forget it when I had left it out close to my brief case as a reminder There are days my Sometimers (sometimes I can't remember things) turns into Mosttimers. I guess I needed to make the reminder a little more obvious - like put the Kleenex directly on the briefcase so I couldn't miss them. I need to make the reminder something that would work for someone dumber than a rock, which is how I feel sometimes.

Make it obvious: If you need to make reminders for yourself, be sure to make them obvious. When I'm driving somewhere and think of something I need to do, I don't want to take a chance and try to write a note while I'm driving. So I lay something on the seat (where there normally wouldn't be anything like that) to remind me when I stop. Then I can either take care of it, or write myself the reminder note I'll need later. The main drawback is remembering why I laid a pencil on the car seat. (A Sometimers symptom) If you need to mail an important bill tomorrow, lay it out on the table tonight so you'll see it in the morning. Don't rely on your memory to get it out. Put out an obvious reminder. There are many little things that can use reminders and make your day run a little smoother.

Task lists can help: I use task lists a lot as reminders. Those work well and can be very specific including a description, due date and relative importance. Notes on the refrigerator can work, but you have to remember to write the note and then check the notes once in a while.

Do better next time: If you are like me and sometimes feel dumber than a rock because you forgot something, do better from now on and make an obvious reminder for yourself. Then congratulate yourself for never forgetting things like that again.