How Strong is Your Work Ethic?

I've been semi-retired for about 2 years and it has taken me almost that long to stop feeling guilty when I take a day or even an afternoon "off". Most weeks days, I do some work in my office. On slow days, I might be "free" by mid-morning. There are tons of things I like to do with "free" time but it is amazing how guilty I feel, especially if I let this time slip away, without actually accomplishing anything.

I think one of the hardest things for some retirees to adjust to when they first retire is actually allowing themselves to just goof around, take it easy, relax. The Protestant work ethic is alive and well in Canada and for many of us, it doesn't disappear once paid work is left behind. If you are someone who thrives on challenges, accomplishments, contributing, etc., then it may be important in the early stages of retirement to make sure that some time is allocated to productive activity. One of the challenges in fact in retirement is figuring out how you are going to define "productive" activity into the future. For some, continuing to work for some kind of income may be the answer. I feel quite good on a day when I have completed some kind of significant work task; then I feel that I've earned the rest of the day off.

The good news is that even someone who is quite driven can, over time, adjust to the notion that it isn't necessary to be productive all the time. It's taken 2 years but I now find that I can take a week day "off" from my work, and guess what, I feel just fine about it. I've given myself permission to do whatever I want on that day. It's a great place to get to.