We all know that retirement is a time when you can relax. You can sleep in without hitting the snooze button ten times. You can enjoy a cup (or pot) of coffee without that rush to head out the door. Most importantly, you don’t have to fill your calendar with a schedule that shifts based on when you have to show up to work. 

However, with all that free time, it can get a bit lonely and, admittedly, boring. Sitting around all day with nothing to fill the eight hours (or more) you used to dedicate to work can be agonizing after the first couple of weeks. 

So, if you’re newly retired and wondering what you’re supposed to do with yourself now that work isn’t breathing down your neck, we’ve got some great ideas to help you out. If you don’t already have any established hobbies or activities you enjoy, check out some of our favorites to add to your “to-do” list now that you have some free time. 

1. Gardening

Whether you plant flowers or vegetables, gardening can be both a relaxing and rewarding hobby to undertake once you reach retirement. If you’re at all a “green thumb guru,” gardening can offer you hours of relaxing fun. 

As a side hustle, it’s also a great way to produce a product you can sell. Fresh flowers and produce make for excellent incentives, as people love fresh vegetables. Who doesn’t like a nice bouquet every now and then?

2. Painting

I am certainly no Picasso or Van Gogh, but painting (even if you’re bad at it) can be a fun, creative outlet to fill up some of your newly available time slots. You don’t even need to take lessons. Just purchase some good paints, a few canvas sizes, a sturdy easel (or build one), and get down to the business of painting. 

If you want to take some lessons, YouTube is an excellent resource for finding lessons on all sorts of ways to paint. From abstract art to watercolor magic, you can learn literally hundreds of ways to put paint on a canvas that will be completely unique. 

3. Hiking

In high school, I was a very active teen. That continued until my early twenties when I married my husband and settled down into “married life.” If you miss your “good ol’ days” and want to renew getting out and moving, hiking can offer a great workout and scenic adventure. 

Also, you don’t have to climb the likes of Mount Everest to call yourself a hiker. Your local trailheads can be plenty challenging (especially at first) and will offer all the outdoor time you’ll likely need for a good while. 

4. Reading

Admittedly, this is my favorite on the list, mainly because I can get lost in a book for hours and go through four or five books a week if I have the time to just read. Even if you’re not a reader, learning to enjoy the written word can offer hours of unfettered bliss if you’re desperate for something to fill the time. 

My recommendation is to read several books in the genre you prefer and then pick up a book that will teach you something. For me, that means lots of romance tropes and at least one non-fiction book on writing, money management, investing, marketing, etc. 

5. Mentoring

If you like to interact with people, offering to mentor someone is a fantastic way to burn off some otherwise free time. You can join a mentoring program at a school, teach an online course, or find a neighborhood kid who needs help with subjects in school. 

Mentoring is a great use of all the information you’ve gained throughout your life, whether from personal experience or through your working career. No matter where you pull the information from, someone out there can always put it to good use. 

6. Working Freelance

Freelance work is another good way to burn some time. Writing, marketing, art, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), web design, and a whole host of options are open to you if you want to offer your services online. 

Find platforms that support your style of work, create accounts, and apply to jobs. Before you know it, you’ll be freelancing and earning a bit for your time. It’s a win-win to burn time and earn some money for your “fun” stash.

7. Volunteering

This is another excellent way to spend some time. If you like animals, shelters can always use the extra help and will gladly put you to work. Working with charities around your town, like sorting food at a food bank or helping the Salvation Army, are ways you can help people in your local community as well. 

When I was a teen, I used to spend two Saturdays a month helping food banks sort massive pallets of food to create boxes for the needy. It’s still one of the most easily memorable times of my growing up years and is a great way to spend time with children in your life. 

8. Camping and Fishing

I’ll admit that I am much more of an outdoor girl than an indoor one. I love being outside, enjoying the fresh air. I get a bit finicky about putting fresh shrimp on a hook (mainly because I don’t want to get popped by their barbed tails), but I love to fish, and camping goes hand in hand with tossing a line in the water. 

If you like being outdoors, do some research to see where you can camp for free (state parks are often a good start) and spend some weekdays enjoying the stars and a warm campfire. Also, you’re never too old for smores, just saying. 

9. Collecting

When I was little, my dad took us to a place I found very strange. I later found out it was a coin-collecting store. I don’t know where he’d gotten them or who’d left him with them, but we had coins in collecting sleeves and velvet boxes. 

He turned them in, and afterward, we went to get pizza. Being little, I have no idea the value of the coins he sold that day, but if you’re into collecting, coins are an area where you can’t really go wrong. Do your research, of course, and purchase coins that will appreciate in value. But as a whole, collecting is a great way to spend your time. 

10. Traveling

Traveling is fun if you don’t mind all the strings that it takes to get from point A to point B. Traveling isn’t quite as fun now that I’m a mother as it was when I was much younger and child-free. However, as a hobby in retirement, I imagine it can be fun, educational, and a great time to see places you’ve never been before. 

I traveled to Reynosa, Mexico, when I was 16, and that week is still a time I remember very fondly. I imagine that traveling to new places, meeting new people, and trying new cuisines and cultures never gets old. And it stacks up incredible memories that you can carry with you. 

11. Geocaching

If you’re not fond of flying and prefer to travel on your feet, geocaching is a fun, “treasure-hunt” sort of way to spend your time. You can find geocaching coordinates for all sorts of “treasures,” some of which may even lead to actual treasure. 

Most geocaching sites are reusable, meaning you can’t take the items you find at the coordinate locations. However, on occasion, real treasure hunts have been initiated in the U.S. and can be quite intense. Be sure to research the locations of each geocache and how best to reach them, depending on where you live. Either way, it’s fun and frugal (for the most part) and an easy afternoon activity if you need to while away a few hours.