- Some people wake up on their first day of retirement and ask, "Now what?"
- That existential crisis can happen when people don't prepare for retirement outside of health and wealth, according to Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile, who, among other subjects, studies workers on their way to retirement.
- According to Amabile, one of the best ways to prepare for life after work is having a daily schedule filled with social activities - otherwise, retirees are in danger of falling into what some of them call the "void."
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Imagine waking up on your first day of retirement and thinking, "Now what?"
For many people who retire, that's exactly what happens, according to Teresa Amabile, professor at Harvard Business School. Amabile and her colleagues interviewed around 120 professionals to find out their thoughts on retirement and what they're doing to prepare for the transition.
Many retirees wish they had known that planning for retirement goes well beyond saving money and maintaining physical health. Other factors, like having a daily schedule or volunteering, can make retirement fulfilling. Otherwise, retirement can be destabilizing.
Some retiree respondents said that "jumped off the cliff" or "leapt into the void," Amabile said.