101 Awesome Things to Do in Retirement — The Ultimate List of Hobbies and Fun

AKA what to look forward to if you’re still grinding 9 to 5…

As much as I enjoy analyzing the financial saving and investment path to retirement so we can earn more time and freedom back — it often begs the question:

What will you DO with all the newly found time and freedom in retirement?

Today I present 101 ridiculously awesome ideas because 101 is kind of my thing. Here are 101 short finance lessons, for example.

I came up with the first 80 ideas on my own in a flurry of inspiration. I found the last 20 ideas via research (they’re even better than mine!). But #101 is the most valuable.

Let me know your favorites from this list and don’t miss the built-in links for resources. You can also download the list as a PDF here.

1. Travel. Need I say more?
2. Watch the top 100 movies of all time according to IMDB.
3. Learn a handful of amazing magic tricks. Magic was my first real obsession as a kid.
4. Cook your way through an entire cookbook. Do the same with a baking cookbook.
5. Start a blog about an interest, even if it’s only private and just for you. Consider sharing it with your kids or family someday…
6. Support local businesses often or start a local business.
7. Build a fort. Because why not.
8. More specifically, build a treehouse. Someday I hope to build this Zelda-inspired-fort-house-thing I saw on a YouTube video recently.
9. Adopt a street with friends. Volunteer and clean it often.
10. In general, volunteer. I recently got my vaccine and I counted nearly 20 volunteers at one site. Amazing.
11. Start a local sports team for kids. Or become a referee or umpire.
12. Spend a week at Disney World. At least go to Disney Land.
13. Go to the local fair. Eat all the damn scones you want.
14. Read a book, cover to cover, in one sitting.
15. Write a book. It’s never been easier to self-publish a book. I’ve self-published 2 (so far) via Kindle Direct Publishing.
16. Watch the sunset as often as you can. Document it, especially while traveling.
17. Teach your dog a new trick or train your companion to compete in a dog competition.
18. Complete an entire coloring book. My partner is working through this one, which is no small feat.
19. Buy and go through this entire science kit to scratch your little kid itch. Then do some more magic…
20. Write letters to friends and family and mail them. People love getting cards and letters in the mail so do that often. Bonus: write your partner love letters.
21. Speaking of, renew your vows with your partner or take a second honeymoon.
22. Reconnect with a childhood friend and/or make new friends.
23. Train and run for a marathon.
24. Brew your own home beer. Master your recipe. Give it a ridiculous name. I’d like to make “Frank’s Red Hop”.
25. Master your sourdough bread recipe.
26. Take an epic road trip and/or learn how to camp “roughing it” style.
27. Start a YouTube channel just for fun. YouTube is a lot of fun for me but I bet it’d be even more fun if you weren’t trying to improve your metrics constantly.
28. Binge the original podcast viral hit Serial. I also suggest the first season of Startup. (Comment me a binge-able podcast if you know one!)
29. Paint a room in your house a totally bold new color.
30. If you’re single, go on a blind date.
31. Drive for Uber or Lyft, just for the interesting conversations with strangers.
32. Help your daughter win the girl scout cookie competition among her troup.
33. Learn how to box or take a self-defense class.
34. Paint your masterpiece. Even if it’s the paint by number variety.
35. Create a positivity board. I recently did this by screenshotting positive YouTube comments and pasting them into a Google Doc.
36. Start a scrapbook or make physical photo albums. Organize family photos while you’re at it.
37. Learn how to scuba dive.
38. Give your famous Ted Talk.
39. Compete in a Moth storytelling competition. Read Storyworthy first. I’m currently reading it and loving it!
40. Try your hand at standup at a local open mic.
41. Learn how to woodwork or blacksmith. I’ve watched a few episodes of Forged in Fire on Netflix and it’s fascinating stuff.
42. Learn glassblowing or try your hand at glass art in general. Watch Blown Away on Netflix for inspiration.
43. Reorganize your storage. Take everything you don’t need to Goodwill.
44. *Moves hand and in puppet voice* Learn ventriloquism.
45. Master your own barbecue or burger sauce. Bottle and sell it.
46. Update your entire wardrobe. Hint: pair back and simplify.
47. Watch all Star Wars and Marvel movies in chronological order. Bonus: rewatch all Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies.
48. Build a cocktail bar and work your way through a cocktail recipe book.
49. Explore a national park. Or 5.
50. Buy a second-hand guitar on Craigslist and learn how to play your favorite song. Substitute any instrument.
51. Run a 5K a day for 30 straight days.
52. Buy a boat. No, buy a used boat. Actually, restore a really run-down old boat.
53. Restore an old car. A classic. Perhaps your childhood favorite.
54. Get your motorcycle license. Take an epic motorcycle trip with a friend and read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Watch my Vespa video if you want to go the scooter route.
55. Study religions that aren’t your own.
56. Learn the rules of a new sport and pick a team to cheer on. I’ve always wanted to learn how cricket and rugby work. Plus, Seattle is getting an NHL team so I need to learn more than the basics of hockey!
57. Sell your own merchandise via print-on-demand via your own free merch store via TeeSpring.
58. Build an exotic fish tank for your house.
59. Learn a new language. Travel to a country that speaks that language as a reward for becoming fluent.
60. Buy a drone. Do epic drone stuff like drone racing.
61. Start your own home garden, especially with vegetables and herbs.
62. Read this book cover to cover that has 14,000 things to be happy about. Put a star next to your favorites.
63. Buy an outdoor portable hammock. Try to use it often.
64. Create a children’s book. Listen to this podcast episode for a little inspiration. Fun fact: 81% of people think they have a book in them. Go for it!
65. Support indie authors and buy and read both of my personal finance books: The Money Resolution and/or Money, You Can Hack It.
66. Learn how to cut your own hair, if you didn’t already in 2020.
67. Get on a podcast and share your story or start your own podcast. Who cares about the metrics. Just have fun doing it.
68. Learn 5 different ways to tie a tie and learn how to tie a bow-tie.
69. Start a vinyl record collection. Or a tie collection. Those can be loud too. Bad dad joke, sorry.
70. Get a polaroid camera and take a photo challenge. You can downloads these via ETSY.
71. Master ALL the coffee-making techniques. If you’re interested in cold brew, I’ve been using this cold brew maker for 3 years and love it!
72. Attend a live taping of Saturday Night Live. This will take a lot of time, energy, and resources to figure out…
73. Join a “beer league” softball team or start your own. Call your team “Over The Mound”. Get it? Over the hill? The pitching mound… moving on.
74. Make your own epic Halloween costume.
75. Go all out for holiday house decorations.
76. Host Thanksgiving for the family. Do ALL the cooking.
77. Get your Somm certificate. Become a sommelier. Spoiler: it’s very difficult.
78. Get an exotic pet. I recommend pet insurance by the way.
79. Become a substitute teacher. It’s a lot easier than you probably think to get in the classroom. You can also teach from home online.
80. Rock-climb, IRL. Not the gym version.
81. Read this book that apparently had the same idea as me that contains 101 more awesome things you can do in retirement.
82. Get inspired by The Queen’s Gambit and get really good at chess. Play in a local park against strangers.
83. Become a mentor for a neighbor, a friend's kid, a godchild, a family friend. Anyone really.
84. Get a part-time job or work as a consultant.
85. Start a Mastermind group.
86. Travel the countryside, any countryside, via train.
87. Give photography a shot, for real.
88. Pet sit or become a foster parent for a pet in need before it’s forever home. Petfinder is a great resource for this.
89. Get really involved with local politics or volunteer for a campaign. Heck, run for local office.
90. Deep dive your family tree.
91. Go back to school. This could even be online. This could even be taking my course, Save Money Resolution. Get 25% off with code TIMEBACK25 at checkout.
92. Relocate seasonally — somewhere nice and sunny. With a pool. And a hot tub. Bring that hammock!
93. Remodel your house or buy a fixer-upper to flip.
94. Get in the best shape of your life. I’ve been supplementing my workout routine with Ring Fit Adventure on the weekends and I’m loving it. It’s great for all ages, seriously.
95. Become a self-taught financial guru.
96. Babysit or housesit for friends.
97. Master your impersonation skills or jokes. Put them on display on Tik Tok.
98. Go to open houses nearby just for fun, because a boy or girl can dream…
99. Become a bird watcher or astronomer.
100. Go make sure you have a clean bill of health from your doctor. While not awesome in and of itself, it’ll help you mentally know you can do anything else on this list.
101. Make your own personal 101 things-to-do dream list. Just don’t call it a bucket list — sounds too “final”. Remember, retirement is just the beginning!

I always try to give bonuses and overdeliver so here are a dozen more ideas:

• Bunji jump, skydive, or paraglide.
• Be an extra in a movie.
• Support local music and artists.
• Go completely green.
• Do random acts of kindness.
• See a show or shows on broadway.
• Join a book club.
• Subscribe to The Money Resolution on YouTube and binge the videos (see: #95 above).
• Learn to sail.
• Learn all about meditation and mindfulness.
• Travel the US and see a game at every MLB ballpark.
• Invent your own game. Tip: start with a card game.

If anything on this list spoke to you or stood out, here’s a secret: You can do that NOW, even if you’re still working a 9 to 5 or have young kids or always feel busy — as long as YOU prioritize it.

You don’t have to wait until you’re retired or have more time to fully live. You can make time for yourself now. Always remember that.

Again, I’d love to know your favorites in the comments OR anything you’d like to add to my list. If you’d like a copy of this list to download you can do so here.

Enjoy your extra time in retirement. Hopefully, I helped make it at least 1% better.

If you’d like to watch the video version of this article, you can do so here.

Frankie Calkins (M. Ed) is a Digital Marketing Manager by day. On nights and weekends, he’s an author, YouTuber, and finance course creator. He lives in Seattle, WA. Contact: [email protected]