What do people aged 65-75 do when they retire compared to everyone else? Well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, their days aren’t radically different from the rest of us, except they tend to sleep a bit more, engage in leisure activities like watching TV, and handle household chores—while obviously working less.
It turns out that retirement might not change your daily life drastically. The biggest perk? No more alarm clocks and the freedom to watch your favorite shows for a couple more hours each day. It sounds average and perhaps a bit dull, but that’s often the case with ‘average’ scenarios.
From my perspective, the true beauty of retirement is the freedom it offers. Imagine doing whatever you want, whenever you want—now that’s something priceless. Looking at how my parents spend their retirement cruising around the globe and visiting cities like Cairo and Istanbul, while also having time to visit family, really sets a great example. My dad even started a business for fun, and my mom now spends her time diving into books about health and other topics she’s interested in.
Below is a breakdown of how seniors aged 65 to 74 spend their days, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They spend about 9.51 hours on sleep and personal care, 1.46 hours eating and drinking, and 7.12 hours on leisure and sports, among other activities.
If you could retire by this year’s end, how would you feel? For me, I might keep working a few more years out of sheer excitement that I wouldn’t have to! Being retired since 2012, I’ve relished the time away from the traditional workplace and thoroughly enjoyed contributing to Financial Samurai for over a decade.
As we ponder retirement, the current political climate might also influence our decisions, especially if there’s a shift during a Democratic presidency. Retirement is as much about managing finances as it is about enjoying newfound freedom to pursue personal interests and passions.
