We are all more tired than we know. The corporate timeclock subjugates our unique circadium rhythm. Before feet hit the floor in the morning, we already feel behind. Weekends can’t make up for the workweek’s sleep deficit. Vacations get truncated midway as the internal hard drive starts whirring on looming catch up – any earned rest is quickly forgotten. So, is it any surprise that every recent retiree I’ve connected with says they crave rest?
- Undo – Once retirement is announced, the question most asked is “What are you going to do?” I get it – working full-time, carries a pervasive action imperative of Doing, the dream of escaping. My own plan was to transition straight into executive coaching and carpe diem the heck out of retirement. The first weeks post-work I slept a deep purple sleep nightly. With no deliverables or expectations, that internal hard drive stopped for the first time in my adult memory. But I could not get excited about anything, no clue why. I networked with the awesome Grace Killilea, owner of a very successful leadership development company who had made a similar transition. Her advice: take four months off – longer if I could afford it – and shed the skin from the corporate me to whoever this new me was emerging. She was right.
- Rewire – Corporate athletes are not unlike greyhounds sprinting on a track, competing for a prized goal, judged for performance, and operating at a velocity that can leave others in their lives behind. Retirees have run those laps for thirtysomething years – that action mindset is hardwired – and need to refuel. Non-doing was so foreign that after the initial weeks, I started browsing job postings. Nothing appealed. And then it hit me – I know how to DO that. What I don’t know how to do is to live with the discomfort of NOT DOING..
- Recalibrate – Downshifting requires rest and time to tune into our own biorhythm. Workdays follow a timeclock not of our choosing, for me starting waaay earlier than my circadian rhythm would prefer. Lunchtimes and bathroom breaks fit in between meetings. Finding my own rhythm to my days, choosing how my time is spent and when my belly is fed took a few months. Leaning toward joy in my pursuits refueled my energy reserve. It is my new True North. But no mistake, it’s a journey and took some discomfort to get there.
Three tips for The Working
- Manage that whirring hard drive the best you can. A consistent mindfulness meditation practice, focused breathing, biofeedback…even jotting in a worry journal before bedtime…can help slow it down.
- Prioritize sleep quality; avoid running a sleep deficit
- Set and reinforce reasonable work-life boundaries
It feels like a shame that people with tens of thousands of hours of mastery are at the peak of their talent, but too commonly the pit of their energy and take their earned wisdom into retirement. In a perfect world, sabbaticals and a downshifting path in addition to the retirement path would be commonplace. Harvest that tribal knowledge and reinvest it in folks new to navigating choppy corporate Chutes and Ladders. Several of the retirees I’ve connected with are exploring teaching or coaching as a second act, leveraging the equity of that wisdom toward renewed meaning and purpose. That feels like a great topic for an upcoming post.