My Practice Monday of Retirement

Okay, so I’m a little obsessed with early retirement right now. Like deep dive into Reddit forums, spreadsheet budgeting, FIRE podcasts obsessed. The dream feels within reach: we’re about five years away from paying off our house, and once that’s done, my husband and I should be able to comfortably live on one income until we hit 59.5 and can withdraw from our retirement accounts without the 10% penalty.

But that got me thinking… what the hell would I even do all day if I were retired?

So I ran an experiment. I took a Monday off work and pretended I was already retired. My husband still went to work, so I had the whole day to myself—no work obligations, just me and the life I’ve been dreaming about.

My Retirement Monday

I still did my “working” morning routine—workout, shower, breakfast—just an hour later than usual. Then I dove into what I’m calling my “personal work”: writing for this blog, planning projects, brainstorming ideas. It didn’t feel like work work. It felt fun. Creative. Energizing.

Here’s what the day looked like:

6–7 am: Read and scrolled on my phone in bed. Bliss.
7–8 am: Workout.
8–9:30 am: Breakfast, chores, shower.
9:30–12:15 pm: Blog and project time (plus a 20-minute dog walk).
12:15–12:45 pm: Lunch.
12:45–1:00 pm: Reading in the hammock.
1:00–1:30 pm: Cleaned up and did a chore (filled dog treat bin).
1:30–4:00 pm: Finished 3 blog posts and made a Pinterest image for my garage gym setup.
4:00–4:30 pm: Cleaned windows.
4:30–5:15 pm: More chores—changed the air filter, painted a windowsill, gardened.
5:15–6:30 pm: Dinner, phone time, and decorated for the Fourth of July.
6:30–9:00 pm: Watched The Bear with my husband, walked the dog, and watched more episodes before bed.

Daily Totals:

🧹 Chores: 2 hr 15 min
🧠 Blog/personal work: 5 hr 15 min
🌴 Relaxing: 2 hr 15 min

The Revelation

Then it hit me. Retirement isn’t sipping margaritas by the pool all day long (unless that’s your thing—no judgment). For me, it’s working on the stuff I actually care about. My day flew by. I was fulfilled. I didn’t feel bored. I didn’t feel lazy. I felt aligned with myself.

Honestly, this practice day just proved something big:
I’m not scared of retirement. I’m excited for it.
I think I’m going to be great at being retired.

But Wait, Can My Husband Retire Instead?

Now here’s where things got funny. My husband was like, “Wait… why can’t I retire and you keep working?”

Oh, babe.
I told him, “That’s not retirement. That’s becoming my assistant.” 😂

Could I be his assistant? Sure. Could he be mine? Absolutely not. He’d go mountain biking and watch movies all day. No meal prep, no finances, no house maintenance. I’d be chasing him around asking why he didn’t vacuum.

We both know I’d be the better retiree. 😉

The Comparison

Now compare that dream Monday to a typical Monday through Friday:

6–8:15 am: Workout, shower, breakfast
8:15–8:45 am: Commute
8:45–6:00 pm: Work
6:00–6:30 pm: Commute home
6:30–7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00–8:00 pm: To-do list, chores, or lingering tasks
8:00–9:00 pm: Relax and get ready for bed

Weekday Totals:

🧹 Chores: 1 hour
💼 Work (commute + job): 10 hr 15 min
🌴 Relaxing: 1 hour

Ugh. That’s double the hours working, half the time relaxing, and way less time on things that actually feel meaningful.

The Takeaway

This experiment gave me the boost I needed. Retirement isn’t some abstract someday idea—it’s a very real, very possible future I’m working toward. August 2030 is the goal. Five years. I’m on the clock.

And after this Monday? I’m more motivated than ever.

Let me know—have you ever done a “practice retirement day”? What would your ideal day look like? Drop a comment below 👇

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