A recent study highlighted in the Harvard Business Review examined the gap between retirement expectations and real-world applications. By observing how people transition from primary working years into the next life phase, it hoped to explore the keys to achieving a fulfilling retirement. Labeled the search for a “retirement without regrets,” it studied what might lead to a purpose-filled, happy retirement and what might not.
Conducted by researchers affiliated with Harvard Business School and co-authored by Teresa M. Amabile, Lotte Bailyn, Marcy Crary, Douglas T. “Tim” Hall, and Kathy E. Kram, this decade-long research looked at two groups. The first was larger, with 106 pre- and post-retirement participants from across three U.S. industries and regions, and provided a broad view of experiences. The second, smaller group of fourteen gave researchers a window into an intensive, protracted study of individuals transitioning into retirement.
Lawrence And Irene
The investigation’s upshot is crafted from contrasting stories of two specific, albeit pseudonymous, participants: Lawrence and Irene. Both were “knowledge workers,” meaning their job functions centered on developing and using knowledge rather than producing goods or services. The researchers interviewed each as they “prepared for and embarked on their postcareer lives.”
Lawrence retired at 60, looking forward to spending more time with his family over the next few decades. He and his wife went as far as to relocate to be closer to their adult son, daughter-in-law, and toddler grandson. He embraced his new life, or so he thought. But as days turned into months, he struggled to settle in, feeling everything was “still in a state of flux.” Spending time with his grandson was his primary activity, with little else to occupy his time. Rather than construct the kind of diverse life habits it takes to replace a robust work dynamic, “he was primarily a grandpa who babysat the child who was ‘the center of our world.’” And even that one purpose diminished when his son’s unexpected divorce led to childcare conflicts.
Little by little, his casual drinking escalated into a dependence heavy enough to require a long stint in a residential rehab program. It took three years to recover and regroup, but he eventually scratched and clawed his way to the satisfying retirement he’d initially imagined.
Irene, on the other hand, left her job at 64 and moved to live with her husband full-time at their Cape Cod vacation home while he continued working remotely. She had put in the effort to detach from a career identity and supplanted work with meaningful activities, including consistent beach walks with her brother, joining an ocean conversation group, and enrolling in art classes. New friendships emerged and blossomed, giving her such an appreciation for everyday life that she told the researchers, “Even the humdrum stuff can be satisfying.”
Lawrence entered retirement without enough purpose-filled core pursuits and spiraled toward unhappiness before making the necessary corrections. Irene’s forethought and proactive lifestyle opened up a much quicker path for her inspired contentment. While the gravity of Lawrence’s cautionary tale may be extreme, Irene’s success story is not far-fetched. The study’s clear lesson was that “It takes work to stop working. . . The process can be enjoyable, but it cannot be avoided.”
The process has several essential phases, including the decision to stop working, detaching from work, experimenting with new relationships, activities, and social groups, and establishing a new, reasonably stable life structure. Satisfied retirees demonstrated four key behaviors throughout those phases: alignment, awareness, agency, and adaptability.
Alignment
Aligning your self-identity with your life structure is crucial and can mean creating a day-to-day retirement life that fits your current values, interests, relationships, and motivations. The goal is to synthesize who you are (your needs, priorities, and passions) with how you spend your time and energy in retirement.
Alignment can mean reshaping your life structure to fit your evolving self. Irene’s conservation groups and family reconnections helped her feel at ease in retirement, as they resonated with her love for nature and community.
Awareness
Awareness requires an honest understanding of your current life structure and self-identity. Do they mesh well together? Through self-reflection or exercises like life mapping, you can often recognize potential misalignments and adapt accordingly, ensuring you stay connected to what matters most.
Lawrence might have avoided some pitfalls if he had used life mapping to identify his imbalances. By visualizing and listing critical areas—family time, activities, and friendships—he could have added and adjusted accordingly to better balance his time and socialization.
Agency
Exercising agency is about taking control and making proactive decisions to create alignment in your retirement life. For instance, starting new hobbies, forming relationships, or exploring new roles to actively shape your post-career life to fit your ideal vision rather than waiting for things to fall into place.
Irene demonstrated agency by immediately engaging in new pursuits after retiring. This approach energized her and gave her control over shaping day-to-day life. Lawrence had vague plans to teach or volunteer. If he had asserted agency and followed through, it might have improved his situation.
Adaptability
Even the best plans face unexpected hurdles. Adaptability is the flexibility to adjust to life’s challenges while maintaining a fulfilling life structure. A nimble mindset can help you evolve with major life shifts—family changes, health issues, or external factors—and do so with resilience.
When Lawrence’s grandson became less available, adaptability could have helped compensate for the loss. Irene anticipated her husband’s retirement and got a headstart on adjusting routines to keep her life structure balanced.
Teachable Moments
The difference between Irene and Lawrence’s retirement experiences is a masterclass in what to do and what not to do.
Irene’s transition was smooth, and her retirement was a success because she took the time to build a life that genuinely fit her values and interests. She aligned her days around what made her happy. She found a rhythm that kept her engaged and spirited and built a retirement that was even more rewarding than her career.
Lawrence’s path was full of hazards and potholes. Without a clear plan, he drifted into an isolation from which it took years to escape. Ironically, it was helping others in their own recovery that eventually gave him a renewed sense of purpose and structure. Lawrence’s road wasn’t easy, but by taking charge of his life and committing to change, he found the rewarding retirement he’d been searching for all along.
Bottom Line
Any large-scale life change can be a significant shock to the system, and a purpose-filled retirement doesn’t just happen of its own accord. The Harvard study reveals beneficial action items to increase the probability of happiness. It even pairs well with the discoveries made in my book What the Happiest Retirees Know: 10 Habits for a Healthy, Secure, and Joyful Life.
Start by aligning your life around what truly matters to you, then build awareness of your current lifestyle and where you may need more balance or connection. Then, assert agency to shape your days with intention, being willing to adapt when life’s unpredictability demands it. With the right approach, you just might unlock the proactive planning and skills necessary to live a regret-free retirement.