Before retiring, I tried practicing for life after retirement

Many personal accounts written by retirees mention that they have too much free time when they are not working. So, before I retired, I practiced what life after retirement might be like.

What is boredom?
What is time where you do nothing and have nothing to do?
I figured that after I retired and stopped working, I would end up in that kind of state.
I should try it once.

【Objective】
To experience how to spend free time after retirement.

【Method】
Conduct it overseas, not in Japan.
Choose a place where I have no friends or familiar shops, and spend time alone.
Spend several days with absolutely no plans scheduled.

【Verification】
Verify what kind of influence or emotions this creates within me.

The results are as follows:

【How to spend time alone in a hotel】
Being in a foreign country, with no friends, and shutting off the internet, I can truly have time to myself. Even if I splurge and stay at a resort hotel, the excitement only lasts for about an hour.

With no plans other than the gym and massages, I looked for comfortable places to read books or write mind maps. I spent most of my time facing my Morning Pages and reflecting. I enjoyed my time alone.

【Insights and Learnings】
I did this practice three times, and the first time provided a major learning experience. However, by the third time, a community had started to form, so I wasn't completely alone.

The first time, I learned that spending time with nothing to do allows for deeper reflection in my Morning Pages, and that it is very comfortable. It became a great hint for the future.

The purpose was to practice thinking about how to spend time alone, but because I kept choosing Cebu Island, by the third time, a community had begun to form, and that purpose was not fully achieved.

However, thinking about life after retirement, I felt much more at ease, realizing that even if the community of my company fades away, new companions will likely emerge.

In fact, my second life has begun, and three months have passed. Just as in my practice, contact from former colleagues has steadily decreased, and conversely, a new community has begun to form.

This was my practice before retirement.
It was a time to seriously face my inner self.

Without worrying about the eyes of others,
without pretending to be busy,
without thinking about not wasting precious time,
and without preparing for work,

Free time, or perhaps, boring time.
Yes, time to face myself.

I used to travel with a poverty mindset.
I would tend to visit every famous spot in a limited amount of time or eat at famous restaurants. I used to think it was a waste to just relax at the hotel.

Trying it out is interesting, and I remember gaining significant insights.

Currently, my second life has started. I now realize that this practice was useful in reducing my anxiety about a life shift before it began.