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Retirement Wisdom

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Retirement Wisdom

Tiny Habits That Deliver Big Changes

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By Bev Bachel

Save $10,000.

Run a marathon.

Declutter the entire house.

So often we’re encouraged to think big about our goals. But one of the things I’ve found most powerful when it comes to achieving my goals, and helping others achieve theirs, is to begin by thinking small. And one of the best small thinkers I’ve come across is BJ Fogg, PhD, founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University and author of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything.

His simple yet powerful approach centers not on big goals or wide-sweeping behavior changes, but on tiny, positive actions that can be completed in as little as 30 seconds a day.

While such actions may seem inconsequential, when repeated consistently, they become habits. And those habits, even when tiny, can deliver powerful results (e.g., less stress, better relationships, stronger muscles, improved mental well-being, etc.).

What’s more, amping up the positive and developing tiny habits can launch you on the path to success when it comes to achieving much bigger goals.

The Tiny Habits recipe

Why are tiny habits so powerful? One reason is because completing them doesn’t rely on motivation or willpower, two things often in scarce supply in our busy, overscheduled lives. Instead, Fogg’s approach uses a simple, repeatable “recipe” that features three ingredients:

  • An anchor moment, such as an existing routine (e.g., shutting off the alarm) or an event (e.g., a ringing phone) that reminds you to do your tiny behavior.
  • Your tiny behavior, which you perform as soon as you experience your anchor moment.
  • An instant celebration, such as saying “I did a great job!” or pumping your fist, which you do as soon as you complete your tiny behavior.

Here are a three examples, any one or all of which could become part of your morning routine:

Anchor momentTiny behaviorInstant celebration
When I turn off
my alarm clock…		I will get out of bed
—immediately.  		Then I will say,
“It’s going to
be a great day.”
When I finish brushing
my teeth…		I will floss my teeth
(or even just
one tooth).		Then I will look in the mirror and smile.  
When I first walk
into the kitchen…		I will empty
the dishwasher.		Then I will make
a pot of delicious coffee.  

While simple, these actions, when repeated each morning, deliver a life-changing punch: Fogg’s research shows that 70 percent of people who practice tiny habits for five days begin doing other new tiny habits naturally, and about 20 percent go on to use their tiny habits to develop bigger habits.

That’s what I did. I started out with what Fogg, who lives part-time in Maui, calls the Maui Habit:

After I wake up and
put my feet
on the floor…		I will say, “It’s going to be
a great day.”		Then I will
bend
and stretch
5 times.

Then I added two other health-focused tiny habits to my morning routine:

After I enjoy my
first sip of coffee…		I will take my vitamins.Then I will clap
loudly 3 times.
After I turn off
the coffee pot…		 I will do my physical therapy.  Then I will text
my
sister to say
good morning.  

While these habits, which take only a few moments to complete, aren’t life-changing in and of themselves, they do make me feel better about myself, and that, Fogg says, is the key to success as “we change best by feeling good, not bad.” And the better we feel, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.

Here are three additional tips that can help you turn your tiny habits into big change:

  • Set your alarm. A few years ago, I decided to develop the habit of completing a Duolingo Spanish lesson each morning. To make sure I don’t forget, I have set a daily 10 a.m. alarm on my phone.
  • Keep track. In January, I decided to do a better job of reaching out to others. So, I now call one friend or family member every odd day of the month. I put a gold star on my calendar each time I make a call.
  • Enlist a buddy. Enlisting a family member, friend, or colleague who’ll join you or to whom you report can help you stay motivated.

To learn more about Tiny Habits:

  • Schedule a free call with Joe Casey, a Certified Tiny Habits® coach at Retirement Wisdom, about his 4-week one-on-one coaching program to build the habits you want.

Bev Bachel is a Twin Cities freelance writer and a long-time Tiny Habits fan.

Where to Retire? Think Livability.

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By Bev Bachel

For many of us, one of the freedoms that comes with retirement is getting to choose where we live now that we’re no longer tied to the specific city where we work. But how do we decide? 

Matt Pittman and Kris Jennings keep track of the annual “best places to retire” lists put out by various publications.

Katherine and Barry Johnson spend weekend afternoons watching travel shows and visiting “retire here” websites.

Rob Kirby and his partner John, when traveling, play “Could We Retire Here?,” a game they created that uses an Excel spreadsheet to help them “home in” on what they want in their future hometown, including a co-op and proximity to a university.

Now there’s a new online tool that can help: The Livability Index—Great Neighborhoods for All Ages. Developed by AARP, the index makes it easy to compare and contrast neighborhoods across the United States based on different factors of livability.

Why is livability so important? “Because where we live as we age is a good indicator of how well and even how long we’ll live,” says Jay Haapala, AARP Minnesota Associate State Director, Community Engagement. “All places are not equal in this way, and there’s much more to livability than nice weather. Plus, when we plan for older adults, we plan for everyone.”

What makes a community livable?

According to AARP, a livable community is one in which people of all ages, abilities and income levels:

  • Are safe, feel safe and are treated with respect
  • Have access to appropriate and affordable housing, transportation, healthcare and recreation
  • Have opportunities to be active, vital contributors to the economic, civic and social life of the community
  • Receive appropriate support if they can no longer look after themselves

Assess a community’s livability

To use The Livability Index, all you have to do is enter an address, city, state or ZIP code, and you can see how a particular community scores (from 0 to 100) in seven key areas that affect quality of life: 

  1. Housing. We spend more time in our homes than anywhere else, so housing costs, choices and accessibility are critical to livability.
  1. Neighborhood. Livable neighborhoods offer easy access to jobs, grocery stores, libraries, parks, movie theaters and more.
  1. Transportation. How easily and safely we’re able to get from Point A to Point B, on our own or via public transportation, has a major impact on quality of life, especially as we age.
  1. Environment. Clean air and water, plus policies that improve and protect the environment for generations to come, are key to quality of life.
  1. Health. Access to affordable healthcare is important as we age. So is access to healthy food, good jobs and continuing education.
  1. Engagement. Livable communities are connected communities; as such, they make it easy for people to interact both in person and online.
  1. Opportunity. The degree to which a community embraces diversity and offers people of all ages and backgrounds opportunities to both earn a living wage and continue to learn is also key to a livability. 

The Livability Index enables you to compare up to three locations side by side and customize the results according to your preferences. “You can even see how the west side of a town differs from the east side,” says Haapala. “Plus, you can drill down into the specific criteria that are important to you.”

For instance, if you love to read and enjoy author readings, you can see how close the new condo you’re considering is to a public library. Or, if you no longer drive but enjoy outings with your grandkids, you can check out how stroller-friendly your city’s public transportation system is.

So, before you decide where you’re going to live in retirement, do yourself—and your preferred lifestyle—a favor by checking out the Livability Index. It’s a great way to virtually explore other communities, especially now when the pandemic is keeping most of us at home.

Bev Bachel is a freelance writer and AARP member who loves the livability of her Minneapolis neighborhood. She is also the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go for It: A Guide for Teens.

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Some Kind of Heaven – Lance Oppenheim

With the Freedom to Retire, Where Will You Plant Your New Tree? – Don Ezra

Design Your Life and Get Unstuck – Dave Evans

Put the Bounce Back in Your Retirement

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By Bev Bachel

Resilience. That’s the word Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, chose as her Word of the Year last year. And while resilience is often thought of as simply “getting through” challenges, Huffington, in an email announcing her choice, called out what she believes is key: not just bouncing back from life’s challenges, but bouncing forward.

And while we tend to think of needing resilience only during challenging times, it’s actually important all the time, even when we’re experiencing positive change. This is especially true as we move into retirement because “resilience thinking” not only makes it easier for us to manage change, but also to thrive.

Mixed emotions about transitioning

While retirement is something most of us look forward to, often for decades, many of us experience mixed emotions once we’ve actually retired. Those emotions run the gamut and include:

·       Guilt: “I should be doing something important with my time, yet I’m playing FreeCell … again.”

·       Disappointment: “I thought I’d be happy but instead I feel sad.

·       Anxiety: “Rather than enjoying not having so much to do, I’m feeling restless.”

 Many retirees even experience a sense of loss. For instance, a corporate executive or nonprofit founder may mourn the loss of his or her identity, while a frontline healthcare worker may miss the adrenaline rush that comes with responding to medical emergencies. Recovering from such loss and regaining a sense of identity requires both time and the willingness to dig deep.

Resilience is key

So, for advice on how to ramp up our resilience so that we can more quickly recover from life’s challenges, I reached out to Amherst College psychology professor Dr. Catherine Sanderson, author of The Positive Shift: Mastering Mindset to Inspire Happiness, Health and Longevity and presenter of an AARP/One-Day University lecture titled “Resilience When It’s Hard to be Optimistic.”

One thing Dr. Sanderson makes clear is that adverse events—what we’re experiencing now with the pandemic, as well as events such as getting fired, illness or divorce—give us an opportunity to experience positive and life-changing shifts in our thinking and, ultimately, deeply meaningful personal change.

 In fact, according to her research and the research of others, people who experience between two and six adverse life events and then bounce back are, over the long run, happier than those who experience no adverse life events at all. One reason is because of the post-traumatic growth that often occurs in the aftermath of struggle. That growth typically results in:

●      Changing priorities about what is important in life

●      A greater sense of closeness with others

●      More compassion for ourselves and others

●      The courage to choose a different life path

●      A better understanding of spiritual matters

●      The realization that we are often stronger than we give ourselves credit for

Cultivating your retirement resilience

No matter how many adverse events you’ve experienced, or whether you’re already retired or still looking forward to retirement, there’s never been a better time to jumpstart your resilience. To do so, Dr. Sanderson and other experts recommend that you: 

●      Get eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep is a powerful stress reducer that calms the mind and restores the body. Sleep also helps regulate mood, improve concentration, sharpen decision-making and increase energy.

●      Practice mindfulness and meditation. These activities improve both physical and psychological well-being.

●      Look at or, better yet, spend time in nature. Researchers have amassed a body of evidence that shows that nature is good for us. It reduces stress and inflammation, increases happiness and Vitamin D, and improves sleep and short-term memory.

●      Power up your purpose. We all need a purpose, even in retirement. And while cleaning our closets and garages and catching up on back episodes of our favorite shows may suffice for a time, evidence suggests that having a sense of purpose is what gives our lives meaning and enables us to bounce back from life’s inevitable challenges. Goals help, too.

●      Build and maintain connections. Positive relationships with family, friends and colleagues are key to our physical and psychological well-being so make a call, send a text, write a letter or schedule a video chat.

While the transition to retirement isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to our emotions, cultivating our resilience can make it easier to bounce forward into a retirement filled with the three life gifts the subtitle of Dr. Sanderson’s book promises: happiness, health and longevity.

How resilient are you? Take this quiz to find out.

Bev Bachel is a Minneapolis freelance writer who is looking forward to putting the bounce in her own retirement, whenever that may be. She is also the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go for It: A Guide for Teens.

Podcast Episodes You May Be Interested In:

Why Building Resilience is Vital in Midlife and Beyond – Jan Zacharjasz

Is It Time to Break Up with Busy? – Yvonne Tally

Screen Time: How to Make the Most of Yours

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By Bev Bachel

With social distancing limiting our ability to connect in person, most of us—whether working full or part-time or already retired — are spending considerable time in front of our screens, which are increasingly becoming our primary way of engaging with the world. Unfortunately, all that screen time, which even before the pandemic averaged 11 hours per day for adults, is straining our eyes, destroying our posture and stressing our 50-, 60- and 70-year-old spines. 1

So how can we ensure a healthy relationship with our screens as we do our work, enjoy our hobbies, write our memoirs, binge our favorite TV shows, organize our recipes, take classes and stay connected with family, friends and colleagues?


To find out, I asked ergo pro Vivienne Fleischer, president and cofounder of Performance Based Ergonomics, how those of us 50+ can manage screen time safely and productively.

Here’s her advice:


Tip 1: Get serious about your set up. However tempting it may be to use your laptop or tablet on your lap, couch or bed, Fleischer recommends a “tech trio” made up of your screen and an external keyboard and mouse. “That way, your screen can be at eye level, with your body upright and balanced, your arms close to your sides and your eyes looking straight ahead,” says Fleischer. She also advises placing your equipment on a flat surface such as a desk, a kitchen counter or an ironing board.


Tip 2: Use an external monitor. Monitors built into laptops are inherently problematic because they require looking down, which can strain eyes and cause headaches. That’s why Fleischer advises getting an external monitor or placing your laptop on a riser. Either way, center the screen within one arm’s length of your body and slightly below eye level (unless you wear progressive lenses, in which case you’ll want it positioned several inches lower) so that you don’t have to look up, down or to the side.


Tip 3: Be kind to your eyes. “To avoid eye fatigue adopt the 20-20-20 rule,” says Fleischer. “Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen at something that is at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.” Also, be sure you have ample lighting. Last but not least, consider blue-light glasses or screen filters to spare your eyes from the blue light screens emit.


Tip 4: Perfect your posture. Make sure you sit back in your chair and that your chair has good support. Pull your shoulders back and keep them in a relaxed position, neither lifted nor hunched. Put your feet flat on the floor. If necessary, add a footrest or a ream or two of paper to ensure your feet lay flat. 


Tip 5: Break it up. At the top of every hour, even if you don’t have a sit/stand desk, get in the habit of switching it up by alternating from sitting at your desk to standing at a counter for at least 10 minutes.

Also, be sure to take breaks throughout the day. “Whether you participate in Zoom meetings, FaceTime with friends, or spend your afternoons researching places you’d like to retire, give yourself at least 10 minutes every hour to stand, stretch, rest your eyes and drink a glass of water,” says Fleischer.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll not only reduce your pain and increase your enjoyment, but you’ll also find yourself more productive and engaged as well. For more ergo-friendly tips and helpful hacks that help you make the most of your screen time, visit Fleischer’s blog.

______________________________________

Twin Cities freelance writer Bev Bachel has mastered the art of working from home, something she’s been doing for more than three decades. A lifelong goal setter, she’s the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go for It: A Guide for Teens.

1 https://www.scripps.org/news_items/6626-how-much-screen-time-is-too-much

Ready, Set … Connect

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By Bev Bachel

Are you at a point in your life where you’re wondering what’s next? If so, you may want to power up your ability to connect.

According to Richard Lieder, life purpose guru and coauthor of Life Reimagined: Discovering Your New Life Possibilities, connecting is one of six guideposts that can help you navigate your way into what’s next, whether that’s an encore career, part-time employment or retirement.

And while meeting in person isn’t possible right now, there’s never been a better time to connect virtually. Whether it’s via a professional association webinar, a Zoom happy hour with colleagues or an online yoga class with neighbors, each connection offers an opportunity to network.

Get your fun on

According to Susan RoAne, author of How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Socializing in Person and Online, the most effective networkers know how to have fun.

Teresa Thomas agrees. The author of Win/Win Networking: Your Guidebook for Confident and Effective Connections and the founder of 50 Fun Things, Thomas strives to put fun into every networking event, even now as we shelter in place. For instance, she hosts a virtual Happier Hour each Friday afternoon. The price of admission? A fun beverage for yourself and a willingness to share one joy with others.

Fun is the name of the game for Carolyn Herfurth as well. A one-time stand-up comic who readily admits that belly laughs are an occupational hazard of working with her, Herfurth used to host BAMs—Bistros After Midnight—in front of her New York City apartment. “I’d set up a café table and four chairs and invite who ever wandered by to sit down and chat. The stories people shared were amazing. So were the connections people made.”

That’s one reason Herfurth is still bringing people together, though she’s now doing so virtually via Onward, a new podcast she developed to get more women to share the good, the bad and the ugly of their entrepreneurial lifestyle stories.

Be intentional

The purpose of networking isn’t only to meet people and share stories. It’s also to drive results. To do so, author and speaker Sam Horn advises adding a little “POP” to your networking:

  • Purposeful. With just 60 to 90 seconds to prove why you’re worth making time for, make your case by clearly stating who you are and why you want to meet and/or need help.
  • Original. Horn suggests that you “tell ‘n sell” by comparing who you are and what you do to popular books, movies and products. Here’s a fill-in-the-blank formula that can help: “What _____ does for _______, I do for you.”
  • Pithy. Set yourself up for success via brief, yet persuasive statements. Horn suggests using seven or fewer words, which is what many advertisers do when developing memorable slogans such as “Diamonds are forever” (De Beers) and “Just do it” (Nike).

Horn’s POP formula is even more relevant now that the coronavirus has moved so much of our lives online, in part because it’s much tougher to make a good, let alone lasting, impression when you’re doing so virtually.

Making the most of the moment

Regardless of why you’re networking or where you are in your own retirement journey, here are three more tips to help you forge stronger connections:

  • Let others shine. When networking, give others a chance to share their passions and showcase their expertise. They’ll remember you took time to listen, and you’re likely to learn more than you would otherwise.
  • Give yourself permission to boast. While you don’t want to go overboard, sharing accomplishments you’re proud of can go a long way toward making a positive, lasting impression.  
  • Add flare to your thank yous. While first impressions matter, so do last impressions. So how can you make a final impression that is memorable? Send a thank you card, post a LinkedIn recommendation, amplify someone else’s social media posts or write a review of your favorite podcast are just ways of doing so.

Bev Bachel is a Twin Cities freelancer who enjoys networking, especially when Happier Hours are involved. She is the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go for It.

Podcast Episodes You May Like

Why People Make a Career Change with Purpose Top of Mind – Chris Farrell

With the Freedom to Retire, Where Will You Plant Your New Tree? – Don Ezra

Retired, But Not Done Yet – Dr. Cynthia Barnett

How Life Hacks Can Help Make Your Retirement the Best Time of Your Life – Sam Horn

Will You Be an Entrepreneur in Your Second Act Career? – Dorie Clark