What will I do when my phone stops ringing?

One day, my work phone will stop ringing. I’ll retire and enter a new season of my life. 

I’m not retiring anytime soon. But I recently attended a talk, ‘What will you do when your phone stops ringing?’, and it got me thinking about the future.

Most people think about retirement in terms of the amount of money they want to save – but will that approach set you up for happiness?  

I think about retirement in terms of who I want to be and how I want to lead my life. I’ve realised a lot of people don’t think about retirement in this way, so I thought I’d share some of my musings on the subject.

Please note: I’m not retired (nor will I be anytime soon!), so take these thoughts with a grain of salt. 

Visualise your retirement

Allow yourself to imagine what your retirement might be like. (Note: this exercise should not depress you!) Think about how you want to spend your time. 

For example, I know I always want to be learning. I don’t want to be on a beach doing nothing.  

Visualising my ‘ideal retirement’ helps me feel excited, rather than depressed, about the future. It also encourages me to work harder to make that dream a reality right now, in the prime of my career. 

Define what retirement means for you

Retirement might mean tapping out of the traditional workforce, but it’s also an opportunity to ‘tap in’ to other things you care about. 

For example, you might decide to join an advisory board, work as a mentor, or maybe even start your own business.

No rule says you can’t work once you retire. Work comes in all shapes and forms – paid and unpaid.  What organisations would you love to give your time to one day? 

Focus on the present 

I know this is an article about thinking about the future but bear with me. I believe the best way to take care of your future is to focus on the present.

I used to worry about the future all the time. I’d worry – will I have enough money for my family? Will I have enough for a comfortable retirement? 

We get so caught up in trying to improve and chase bigger, brighter dreams that we overlook what’s right in front of us.

For example, I used to worry that I’ll look back and regret not spending more time with my kids. When I live in the present, I spend as much time with my kids as I can and trust that it’ll be enough – because really, that’s all any of us can do. 

My mindfulness practices are a huge help in this regard. 

What will you do when your phone stops ringing?

Do you ever think about this? Have you got grand plans for your retirement or is it not even on your radar? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments down below.