This 59-year-old on Reddit just took a 3 month paid leave to get a taste of retirement — and to make sure he’s not ‘bouncing off the walls’ like his dad did. Here’s what you can learn

A test trial can be telling

The Reddit user who did the trial run reported that during the first month, he enjoyed binge-watching TV, living moment to moment and operating without a care in the world.

Of course, you can only watch so much Netflix, so in month two he said he started to feel uneasy.

"As best as I could describe it, it was like there was something urgently important that I needed to be doing and couldn’t put my finger on what it was," the user wrote. "Logically I knew that there was nothing that urgently required my attention but I couldn’t shake the feeling."

Fortunately, he was able to channel this energy into doing deferred maintenance and home improvement projects, going for walks and taking care of other tasks. He tried out these habits during month two, and by month three, he was pleased with all he could accomplish once he didn't have to work.

Most notably, he found that physical work with his hands made him feel great. The experiment made him confident that he’d be content with his new lifestyle shift and that he’d have some idea of how he wanted to spend his time after leaving the workforce.

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How to be sure you're ready for retirement

Not everyone can just take three months off to see how they'll fare in retirement. In fact, even if you have paid leave, you may not want to do this because your company might give you a payout for your unpaid vacation when you retire. That money could, instead, provide extra cash to enjoy in your later years.

The good news is that you don't have to do a three-month trial just to be sure of a successful retirement. You simply need to be mindful and purposeful in making your plans, while taking the time to understand your strengths and weaknesses at this stage in life.

If you have the option of transitioning slowly to retirement by going part-time first before giving up your job for good, this method could be more suitable. It gives you the time to start building a new life without entirely giving up your old one.

In any case, it’s helpful to have a plan for how to structure your days.

The importance of a plan

A plan can help you avoid feeling lost or disappointed with a time in life that should feel rewarding.

One study by senior advocacy group CICOA, covered by WFYI Indianapolis found that 48% of Indiana seniors felt bored, while 42% felt depressed later in life.

Another, more recent study by Mass Mutual found that expectation and reality are fairly different in retirement. For example, 77% of pre-retirees in the U.S. expect to feel happier in retirement, while only 67% of current retirees say they’re happier.

Without work to provide purpose and social connections, it's easy to end up unhappy if you don't have something to replace the role that your job played in your life.

The good news is, you can find this purpose elsewhere by doing things you're passionate about. For the Reddit user, it was working with his hands. For you, it may be volunteering, joining a book club, moving closer to your adult kids, adopting a pet or doing any number of tasks that keep you motivated.

Think carefully about the things you value, identify a clear plan for staying connected to your community and before you bow out from the workforce, make sure your savings are on track to support your vision.