Life Transitions · Retirement
Retirement Identity Worksheet
Design the days, not just the years
Retirement is a bigger identity shift than most people plan for. Work provided structure, purpose, status, and community. All four need re-designing, not just leisure filling.
What work was giving me — beyond income
- Structure (time, routine)
- Purpose (something to do that mattered)
- Identity (who I was to strangers)
- Community (colleagues, clients)
- Cognitive challenge
Replacements for each
What work gave me
How I'll replace it
What I want retirement to be for
Design the days, not just the years
Retirement without daily and weekly structure often becomes low-grade depression. Design the week.