Diary of a self-funded retiree: Entry 10

This is the tenth entry in our retirement diary, where I've been sharing how my wife and I are preparing for life after full-time work. Along the way, I've covered everything from simplifying our finances and setting a retirement budget to managing investment risk and considering time overseas. 

Diary entry 10: How I'm adjusting to part-time work 

In this diary entry, I share what the move to part-time work has been like, and how my wife is coping with spending more time with me than just weekends. 

What does part-time work look like for me? 

For me, part-time work means working three days a week. I am very lucky that two of those days are fixed in the office, while the third is fairly flexible, depending on whether there is work I need to do or I have plans for something else. 

I enjoy the two days in the office as they provide some clear structure for the week, and I get to see the activity in the Sydney CBD. You can tell a lot about how the economy is going by how busy the pubs and restaurants are, and whether our local coffee shop owner is happy. 

What are the other days for? 

My two days not at work (though I do check work emails) are usually spent playing golf or dealing with things at the golf club, where I'm now president. Before taking on that role, I thought most of the work revolved around collecting the subs and cutting the grass, with a bit of fertiliser thrown in occasionally. 

There's a lot more going on than that. As president, there are a number of events where I have to represent the club, and I spend a few hours a week with our general manager dealing with administrative matters. Being new to the position, it has taken me more time than I anticipated to fully understand what's going on, but that pressure has eased in the past few months. 

We're making some major improvements to the golf course and other facilities, and as we offer other sports, there are always members with requests that we have to deal with. It has been great mental stimulation because it is so different from my "day" job. So far, most members think I am doing a good job. 

We hosted a charity fundraising golf event for Lifeline Northern Beaches, and I sat next to the CEO. It was interesting to hear about the skills they need in volunteers answering the many calls they receive from around Australia. With my finance background, he thought I could definitely help the growing number of callers who get into financial difficulty. 

Is my wife enjoying more time with me? 

Jane (it might be her real name!) is slowly getting used to me spending more time with her. During COVID, I spent a lot more time at home, though usually in one of the spare bedrooms, so we still didn't spend much time together during the day. 

Now we have time for an early morning walk and a coffee on a couple of days a week, and we're probably better organised when it comes to planning social activities. 

We also both enjoy spending time with our grandson (now 16 months old and walking) when we are allowed to look after him. 

However, Jane lives by the motto she married me for life, not for lunch - so there is a limit to the quality time we can spend together. She has her own set of friends and activities, so we still need to make sure we set aside time to do things together - like looking after our grandson. 

What we do (and don't do) together 

We're very lucky to have both our children and their partners living in Sydney, so we get to catch up with them on a regular basis. Jane is learning bridge, which I have enjoyed playing since childhood, though I am a bit rusty when it comes to the bidding. We have started having couples over for a few hands of bridge, though it's too early to start entering competitions. 

Jane has been a runner for a long time and has completed many marathons and a few ultra-marathons (more than 42 km). Now she mostly does shorter runs while I play golf. She tried golf but found she didn't have the patience for it, and my knees get sore if I run more than 5 km - the Parkrun limit. 

Most of our retired friends go travelling together, and we are planning to walk one of the Shinto trails in Japan with friends in a few months. Our ideas of a holiday don't always align - I prefer golf courses and Jane wants sightseeing in big cities - but I think we can make it work. 

My top tips 

• If you can work or volunteer part-time, it can provide mental stimulation. 
   
• Having a flexible part-time work arrangement can make it easier to plan social activities.
   
• If you have a partner, make time for your own interests as well as the things you do together.
   
• Don't assume cutting back work will automatically leave you with lots of spare time.   

What's next? 

My next diary entry will look at artificial intelligence and how, as retirees, we can use it to make investing - and other parts of retired life - easier. 

You can read entry 9 here and entry 11 here.