Planning free time equals happy retirement
For most people, retirement means finally having the time to do what they want. With no schedules to meet, many look forward to the open-ended days where you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. But new research shows that it’s not about how much free time retirees have but what that do in their leisure time that ensures a happy retirement.
According to a study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, how well a retiree manages their free time has a far greater impact on their quality of time than the amount of free time the person has. Previous studies have found that leisure time is important for older adults, and that is positively impacts their happiness and quality of life, but too much spare time can create problems such as boredom and an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle.
Researchers from the I-Shou University in Taiwan studied 454 retirees to understand the link between management of spare time and their overall quality of life. They asked the retirees about the goals they had set, their general attitude toward them and how they scheduled and managed them. They found those who managed their free time to make the most out of life in retirement had a higher quality life compared to those who did not plan for their leisure time.
Wei-Ching Wang, lead author of the study, told Medical News Today, “Quality of life is not affected as much by the amount of free time that a retiree has, but on how effectively the person manages this time on hand.”
He added: “Therefore, it's important to educate people on how to use their free time more effectively to improve quality of life.”
The change from a busy lifestyle to the more relaxed one retirement years bring is often a big change that requires getting used to. With no structure or schedule to time, people can feel aimless or adrift in all the freedom the retirement years brings. It’s a timely reminder that if you want to make the most out of your retirement you may need to plan for it.