Organizing Retirement Around Your Passions and Purpose

Many retirees organize their new schedules around their hobbies and interests. Rather than squeezing all your practice and learning into off-hours and weekends, you can now invest more of your time in the activities that will make this new stage of your life more fulfilling. 

You can also use your unique skillset to give back. Orienting volunteer work around the things you do best could help you find new meaning and satisfaction in your hobbies while also creating new social connections that will deepen your retirement experience. 

Here are some examples of the synergies that retirees can create between what they love to do and what their community needs:

Bookworms

Share your love of reading with adults who are trying to make a positive change in their lives. The teaching curricula that many adult literacy programs use will give you a fascinating new perspective on how words work, block by block. And as your students progress, you will gain a new appreciation for the power of story and the importance of communication. Or, look for opportunities to read to kids at your local library or elementary school.

Animal Lovers

If your dog or cat spends more time on the couch than you do, find younger, more enthusiastic playmates at your local animal shelter. There may be opportunities to walk, groom, and feed animals, or to help on the administrative side to find your new furry friends’ good homes. 

Doctors, Dentists, and Nurses

Take a few weekly shifts at a nearby free clinic or senior center. Connect with organizations like the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders and work on a major health care mission at home or abroad. 

Gardeners

Put your green thumb to work outside your backyard. Volunteer to help neighbors with their own lawncare needs or gardening projects. Turn that patch of weeds at the end of your block into a community garden. Volunteer at your local parks and recreation department or nature center. 

Artists

Your favorite nonprofit or charity might need a new logo, or some graphic design work for its next big campaign. You could also offer to teach a class at your local senior center or start a new after school program for kids and teenagers. Neighbors might appreciate your help adding a splash of color to a bare wall or a peeling fence.

Writers

ChatGPT and AI have not replaced you yet! Charitable organizations and schools still need wordsmiths who can create and edit professional copy. You could also start a local writer's circle to encourage other writers and get feedback on your own budding masterpiece. 

Cooks

Help homebound friends, family, or neighbors do their weekly grocery shopping. Cook healthy meals for folks who can't or folks who need a little extra help, like new moms or a neighbor who is on the mend. Organize a monthly potluck dinner that rotates through your neighborhood, bringing people together to share good food and new recipes.

Entrepreneurs and Businesspersons

If you have more time to commit and are especially enthusiastic about filling a gap in society, consider social entrepreneurism. This route involves using your entrepreneurial nature with business skills to address key social issues. This could involve coming up with innovative solutions, creating a way to make this mission financially self-sufficient, and collaborating closely with other community leaders and volunteers. For those that struggle with retiring cold turkey, this route could keep your motor running at a high level while making a significant impact on individuals and the community. 

Grandparents

Are your own grandkids too far away for a daily visit? Spend part of your week subbing at your local grade school. Many states facing high demand offer accelerated paths towards earning a substitute teaching license. If you don't want to teach, volunteer in the lunchroom, library, or at after school programs. 

And when you do spend time with your grandkids, give them some one-one-one instruction on hobbies you might be able to share. Paint, sculpt, or woodwork together. Start a family book club. Take them on a run and show them your half-marathon training schedule. Straighten out their drives and strengthen their backhands.   These kinds of activities may not fit a traditional definition of “giving back,” but helping your grandkids grow is certainly a very high use of your talents. 

Of course, you do not have to wait until retirement until you combine these activities with volunteerism. Getting started before you retire could allow you to develop a passion and a roadmap for retirement well ahead of that retirement date.

What hobbies and causes do you want to organize your retirement around?