Getting ready to retire is an exciting time. There will be time to do all of the things that you have wanted to do for years. The key thing that you must do before your last day of work is to make a plan. In the days, weeks, months and years leading up to your retirement, you should be thinking about how you can make the most of it.

Here are some of the things that you can do to get ready for the big step out of work and into your fun and relaxing retirement.

1. Take more weeks of vacation

Why not use up some of the banked vacation time and spend more and more time practicing your retirement. You have no doubt paid your dues where you work and you should be getting into the mindset of taking care of yourself. You could use this time to travel more, or maybe pick up a new hobby or two. If you are a workaholic, then you may find that you get very frustrated quite easily once you have nothing to do, so you should definitely practice not working before you are out of the door at work for good.

2. Work less

By gradually slipping into retirement by working less, or working flexible hours the transition to retirement can be a lot easier. If this is an option for you, you should definitely consider it.

3. Planning to relocate?

If you have a favourite vacation spot that you love going to each year and plan to move there for your retirement, then good for you! You should make sure that you are fully aware of what your destination has in store for you all year round. If you have only been there during the summer months then you may be in for a shock in winter. The best thing for you to do is to visit your potential retirement spot in the offseason before moving there for good. You could also research the area and see what the average temperature and climate are throughout the year too.

4. Get in touch with friends who are already retired

It is important that you keep an active social life well into retirement. This can make all of the difference when it comes to your long-term happiness. If you have some old friends who are already retired now might be the best time to reach out and connect to see what they’re doing. If they are in a retirement community you could ask them their thoughts on the transition.

5. Start a new hobby

Working full time can stop you from fully enjoying your hobbies as you never have the time to fully get invested in them. Now that you’re headed towards retirement there is nothing stopping you from picking up a new hobby, or rekindling an interest in an old one. Now that you have time on your hands you should be thinking about what you can do with all of that free time.

6. Start researching retirement communities

Some of the best retirement homes will have waiting lists so even though you may not be ready to move in yet, the earlier you put your name down the better. This can save a lot of time and get you into the retirement community that you want. It is also a great idea to get the ball rolling on this early as there is no real pressure to move yet and you can do it at your own pace.