DAILY PROMPT RESPONSE
I’m retired now, so technically, no “work” is left on paper. But here’s the joke—retirement doesn’t come with an off-switch. When you’ve spent 40+ years measuring your worth by how much you get done in a day, doing nothing feels like failure.
So, I make up stuff to do. I vacuum a floor that isn’t dirty. I alphabetize the spice rack. I create little “missions” like I’m starring in my own low-budget spy movie: Operation Replace All the Batteries. Because if I don’t stay moving, this little voice kicks in—What are you contributing right now?
But of course, the minute I do too much, someone tells me, “Slow down, enjoy life!” And if I listen—if I let myself rest, enjoy a book, or take a guilt-free nap—that same someone will say, “You should keep active! Don’t let yourself go soft!”
It’s like playing ping pong with your expectations and everyone else’s. Do too much, you’re overdoing it. Do too little, and you’re wasting your golden years.
So, how do I balance it? Honestly? I stopped trying to win. I chase what makes the day feel good. Sometimes that means knocking out a list of things no one asked for. Other times, it means sitting outside with a cold drink and ignoring the itch to be productive. The trick is learning to be okay with both, and shutting up that voice in your head that says you have to earn every moment of rest.
Memoirs of Madness 
Lost my comment!!
Finding balance is key.
Now retired, mornings we do stuff like housework, first walk with the dog, shopping, any appointments. Suddenly it’s afternoon and time speeds up. More walks with the dog, and try to settle down to blog, then suddenly it’s bedtime and I’m not even through my reader!
Makes me wonder how I held down a full time job, then I remember, I didn’t blog then.
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lmbo, I hadn’t retired when I came back this blog. I could never seem to keep up with things. I found myself making posts on breaks, taking pictures in between appointments, It was out of control. Now, that I’m retired you would think I had more than enough time. I was so wrong.
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Ha! Exactly how I feel Mangus. There are never enough hours in the day and I find it hard to believe I held down a full time job, and for a time, another in the evenings!
I retired unofficially in 2007, but didn’t get my state pension until 2022 when I was 66.
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Often, I wonder how I managed to be efficient and productive. I’ve come to the conclusion that if you want a job … retire
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Love your theory.
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