What to do with all your time?

ader42

I expect I’ll often be staying up late each night in my home cinema watching movies, getting up in time for lunch-time (often one of a few locales), doing my exercise of choice (weights or rowing) followed by a session of video-games or reading before tea and then repeat.

Of course some days I’ll have to go for days out to spend some quality time with elderly parent or trips for lunch then to the cinema with friends and I plan on quite a lot of long holidays abroad too, including festivals and gigs. 

If grandchildren happen then that will take up a significant chunk of time (fingers crossed as it’d be some way off).

And that’s all excluding some hobby interests too so I can’t see me ever getting bored, if anything I’ll wonder how I ever found time to have a full-time job. 

jim8888

Albermarle said:

Thanks for the reminder about U3A though, I keep toying with the idea and need to get round to actually joining!

There are lots of positive comments about U3A in this thread and elsewhere. However when I look at their website(s) I think the 'U' bit is a bit misleading, as although there are learning/educational resources, a lot  of the courses/activities seem to be based around card games, gardening, walking, quizzes, hobbies, badminton/pickleball coach trips etc.

Also when you see pictures most participants seem to be female and older, so an imbalance of gender and age range.

Maybe I have got a misleading impression ?

Wasn't "Men in Sheds" started as an organisation to try and break down the barriers that older men seem to have in terms of making social connections in retirement? I've looked at U3A and thought the same - a friend of mine went on their local cycle run to find he was the only bloke in attendance. At my gym, classes are often full of women without a man in sight, especially in classes for pilates, yoga or stretching. In the last three of these classes I've attended, I've been the only male participating. The exception for me seems to be golf, where blokes seem to mingle and socialise really well and the clubs and members ofter work hard to facilitate this. If I wasn't golfing three times a week, I do wonder where I'd easily meet other retired blokes!

michaels

Albermarle said:

Thanks for the reminder about U3A though, I keep toying with the idea and need to get round to actually joining!

There are lots of positive comments about U3A in this thread and elsewhere. However when I look at their website(s) I think the 'U' bit is a bit misleading, as although there are learning/educational resources, a lot  of the courses/activities seem to be based around card games, gardening, walking, quizzes, hobbies, badminton/pickleball coach trips etc.

Also when you see pictures most participants seem to be female and older, so an imbalance of gender and age range.

Maybe I have got a misleading impression ?

I think the difficulty here is you are assuming that Unis are about elite academics - that hasn't been the case for a number of years in the UK outside of the Russell group.

TSCati

jim8888 said:

If I wasn't golfing three times a week, I do wonder where I'd easily meet other retired blokes!

Join a choir!

In particular, join a male voice choir as they are always looking for new members. 

Wish I’d joined mine many years before I eventually did. 

westv

I am still working but I sometimes peruse the U3A website. The list of courses available does seem to vary greatly.  Some local groups have a list as long as your arm whereas others might have just a few. 
It also seems the group in the city where I live no longer exists and (it was one with limited groups anyway) I wouldn't be surprised if others have closed down in the last few years.

Pat38493

TSCati said:

jim8888 said:

If I wasn't golfing three times a week, I do wonder where I'd easily meet other retired blokes!

Join a choir!

In particular, join a male voice choir as they are always looking for new members. 

Wish I’d joined mine many years before I eventually did. 

Last weekend I went on a harmony singing workshop. I was a big anxious about it but it was actually a lot of fun and quite inspiring.  It was mostly women there but there were also 3 men, which they were happy about as they then had a bass section!

They have also just started up a local singing group down the road so I might try that also.

Albermarle

michaels said:

Albermarle said:

Thanks for the reminder about U3A though, I keep toying with the idea and need to get round to actually joining!

There are lots of positive comments about U3A in this thread and elsewhere. However when I look at their website(s) I think the 'U' bit is a bit misleading, as although there are learning/educational resources, a lot  of the courses/activities seem to be based around card games, gardening, walking, quizzes, hobbies, badminton/pickleball coach trips etc.

Also when you see pictures most participants seem to be female and older, so an imbalance of gender and age range.

Maybe I have got a misleading impression ?

I think the difficulty here is you are assuming that Unis are about elite academics - that hasn't been the case for a number of years in the UK outside of the Russell group.

As an ex Poly student I am fully aware that not all further education revolves around Oxbridge !
However using the word University in a name does rightly or wrongly evoke a certain image or expectation, even taking into account it is a kind of voluntary group with some social activities,

Vespaboy

My ex Poly wrote to me a number of years ago to see if I wanted to send my degree certificate back so it could be re issued saying “ university of…..” suffice to say once a poly student…..

katejo

zagubov said:

Learning stuff.

It’s one of the few things that slows down the subjectively accelerating pace of time as you age.

I was an OU tutor many moons ago while also being a full-time lecturer in a college.  Quit the OU to do a part-time degree alongside my full-time job.

However, at least back then, OU tutors could enrol on other OU courses either free or subsidised. 

When I finally retire f want to look into that again. If you’ve got expertise in anything academic there might be  a way of earning, helping others to learn and/or learning something new. Obviously go to the summer schools to meet and bond with fellow-students.

There used to be A level and GCSE evening classes at many local colleges but that seems to have been cut savagely.

Other distance learning providers are available -i’m not currently an OU employee or related to one, so I don’t want to push that one particular provider but I’ve always been banging on about it being such an overlooked resource.

So much learning to do.

That's one of my plans once I am fully retired. I want to be able to do daytime classes instead of evening. Sometimes I  have found courses of interest  (perhaps a series of lectures) but I can't book just 1 and take a day off. I have to book all 6 which isn't possible while  still working. 

Anonymous101

Beddie said:

For some of these comments, it feels like "the important phase of your life is over, so let's try to fill it with time-consuming things until you die."

I don't want to do things to fill time, to tick off 21 periods per week, as someone said. It's not meant to feel like an accountant charging out their work units!

I don't have the answer - we're all different. I "waste" most of my time. But it does seem clear that some were not ready to give up work yet. That must be a difficult change to come to terms with.

Thanks for the reminder about U3A though, I keep toying with the idea and need to get round to actually joining!

What's truly important? I suspect most people's work isn't important at all, I can think of a few exceptions healthcare, education, charitable work etc but that not most people. To that end working life is largely a waste of time in order to earn money perhaps giving the employee some mild satisfaction or purpose.

I look at "retirement" as an opportunity to do something more rewarding. Hopefully money becomes less important as you age and you're therefore more able to move towards spending time doing something which benefits community, young people or helps those in need.