Retirement ideas: How to find hobbies, health & happiness post-career

After decades of pouring your energy into a career, retirement is approaching. You've probably dreamed about what this post-work life might look like for a long time—but you may not have tactically planned all the details.

It's time to shift from goals of building your retirement savings to goals of spending your time and money in ways that matter to you. And it pays to have a plan in place for how you'll do just that in this exciting next season of your life.

When you hear the words "retirement planning," the financial aspects may quickly come to mind. Make no mistake: Tax considerations, RMDs and timing Social Security are important. But you also need goals and meaning as you shift your focus from professional to personal.

Consider what your new routine will look like. Doing so can help you feel grounded, give you a sense of purpose and ensure you stay active—physically and socially. As you move away from your day job and its built-in network of coworkers, you'll find new opportunities to connect with your family, community and others.

With more control over your time, you can achieve more balance. You'll no longer have to give up evenings with friends to acquire a professional credential or choose between joining a pickleball league and teaching Sunday school.

Retirement can create opportunities to engage with all the people and activities that make your life meaningful. These questions below can help you think about how to pursue your priorities with intention—and set the stage for a healthy, happy and spiritually fulfilling post-career life.

Staying active doesn't have to mean drudgery and more things you don't want on your to-do list. Think of this time as an opportunity to try new activities that appeal to you and keep your body moving. Consider these factors:

• Interests. What physical activities have you always enjoyed or always wanted to try?
• Availability. Who offers these activities at your level in your area?
• Social opportunities. Do you want to do those activities alone, with a friend, with a coach or in a group?
• Schedule. Does exercising in the morning make you feel energized, or exhausted? Do you prefer empty afternoons or bustling weekends at the park or gym?
• Season. How can you adjust your activities by season and weather conditions to keep up a routine year-round?
• Health. Is pain, stiffness or shortness of breath keeping you from being more active? If so, would seeing a specialist, physical therapist or trainer potentially lower those barriers?

Try: fitness classes, pickleball, running or walking clubs, yoga, swimming, nature walks, rockhounding, bowling, square dancing, Pilates, disc golf, archery, charity walks, cycling, tai chi, axe throwing, beachcombing

Studies show that regular social engagement can increase your lifespan by up to 50%. Even if you're someone who values alone time, it's crucial to find outlets to interact with others and engage socially. You can:

• Check in with friends and family. Who do you most want to spend time with, and when are they available? How might you deepen existing connections now that you have more time?
• Rekindle old connections. Are there relationships you've let lapse but want to rebuild? How might you reconnect?
• Meet new people. Do you want to meet people in your age group or who share your interests? What about people outside your usual circles? Where might you cross paths?

Try: book clubs, cooking classes, watercolor classes, language classes, knitting groups, film clubs, maker spaces, church choir or other musical groups, improv classes, chess clubs, alumni events, tabletop game groups, trivia nights, community theater

Hobbies are not just a way to fill idle time until something else comes along. They give you an opportunity to learn new things and use your brain in meaningful ways, keeping post-work life interesting as you continue to grow as a person. Narrow down what means most to you by assessing:

• Quantity. Do you have one hobby you want to dive into deeply, or do you prefer splitting time across several interests?
• Quality. What hobbies do your friends or family take part in? Would you like to join them so you can spend more time together?
• Novelty. What's something you've always been interested in but never had enough time for?
• Variety. Do you have a mix of sedentary and active hobbies? Solitary and social ones?
• Cost. Do your retirement hobbies fit within your budget? If not, can you make adjustments to prioritize them?

Try: gardening, cheesemaking, woodworking, scrapbooking, bonsai, silversmithing, ham radioing, restoration (think vehicles, furniture, dolls—you name it), magic, puzzling, photography, model building, orienteering, podcasting, vlogging, lapidary, letterboxing, writing, art, learning an instrument

How to go from saving for retirement to spending in retirement

Now's the time to adjust your planning and mindset around the assets you've worked so hard to accumulate.

Master the transition

Retirement means more flexibility to discover the world around you—and finally getting to your longtime travel wish list. Whether you're interested in getting to know the local landscape or visiting faraway places, exploring can introduce you to new people, cultures, foods and more. Give thought to all the ways you can get from here to there:

• Road trips. Was road travel inefficient for your family in the past? Or were you in too much of a hurry to stop the car for a spontaneous detour? Do you delight in small-town quirks?
• Train travel. Do you enjoy watching the scenery go by but despise driving? Would you want to take a modern high-speed jaunt or kick back on a historic railway ride?
• Cruises. Is there a place you'd like to visit that's inaccessible by roads, like Alaska's Glacier Bay, Antarctica or the Seychelles?
• International travel. Have you always wished you had weeks to tour another country or an entire continent?
• Navigating. Have you ever wanted to sail a boat or fly a plane? Do you wish you could hike without fear of getting lost?

Try: bird-watching, national parks, alumni vacations, geocaching, community field trips and excursions, orienteering, hiking, seafaring, nature photography, walking tours, visiting every park in your city, hot air balloon rides, skydiving

Using your passions and skills to serve your community can help you share important skills with others and make the world a better place. Weigh unmet needs with your interests and skills to consider actions you can take:

• Coach. What activities or sports do you know well enough to teach others? What age group would you want to work with? Can you get involved through your local parks and recreation department?
• Mentor. Who could benefit from your experience in life or work? Who doesn't have a stable adult presence in their life? Who seeks upward mobility but lacks a role model or support system?
• Give. What causes have you previously given only money to that you can now commit your time and talents to?
• Lead. Could you run for a local office or serve on an advisory board?
• Support. What do members of your community or church need help with? Could you volunteer with an understaffed food pantry? Visit homebound church members? Spearhead a fundraiser?

Try: tee-ball coach, Scout leader, Bible study leader, school supply drive organizer, HOA board member, tour guide, festival volunteer, assisted living resident companion, city council member, community garden planner, classroom volunteer, emergency response team member, neighborhood cleanup organizer

When you think about what you would be happy doing in retirement or what goals you hope to achieve, it's important to have a roadmap to your destination, including a plan for saving and investing toward a fulfilling life after retirement. A Thrivent financial advisor can help you create a strategy to help you reach your long-term and post-career goals.