I AM DONE.

[oliverson]

Take up golf, cycling or get a dog. Will take up 1/2 the day and keep you active. Do some charity work. Few suggestions. Might just find it's cos it feels weird though and will soon get used to it.

I've got the dogs, injury preventing golf and bike hung up in the garage.

I think if it wasn't such terrible weather, I'd give the golf and cycling a try. Dogs go out, regardless of the weather.

Thanks for the support everyone.

[WTFH]

I've got the dogs, injury preventing golf and bike hung up in the garage.

I think if it wasn't such terrible weather, I'd give the golf and cycling a try. Dogs go out, regardless of the weather.

Thanks for the support everyone.

1. Get back to doing things that you enjoy, but didn't have time to do previously. e.g. gardening, tinkering with cars, reorganising your sheds, brewing/making/repairing
2. Join local societies/clubs - maybe initially sign up to their facebook group first of all, and then decide when you want to go. Might be walking groups, gardening, wildlife, etc
3. Learn useful skills
4. Volunteer
5. Teach/assist young people (e.g. DoE)
6. Get a personalised OS map centred on your house, and then work out new walking routes to pubs you might not have been on before.
7. Travel - locally. i.e. go for a 2-3 day trip to somewhere within a couple of hours drive. Lots to do without getting on a plane, just need to do a bit of research. Might also be day trips you can do from home to places you've not been to before (or have avoided because 70 years ago your dad went and it rained, so you've been told it's terrible)

[edison]

Early 50s here and although I had planned to work until 60 or so I'm increasingly getting disillusioned (and I'm in a contract ) - basically firing as much as I can into a pension and investigating downsizing earlier than was my original plan.

I think this is a growing trend. I've got four friends who've all retired recently in their early to mid-50s after contracting at various points, mainly in banking and finance IT.

I can only see this becoming more common.

[fatJock]

I think this is a growing trend. I've got four friends who've all retired recently in their early to mid-50s after contracting at various points, mainly in banking and finance IT.

I can only see this becoming more common.

Yep same here with friends retiring though sadly with SIPP drawdown now being pushed to 57 I've got six more years to go. Confident that'll be it at the latest and maybe earlier putting the war chest to better use.

Ideally I'd like to work six months of the year but rare that I find contracts that short.