Project 2023: A Year of Learning in Retirement

My Year of Learning in Retirement

Every year I like to have a “project” such as my 60 until 60 project or my Year of Microadventures. In 2023, my project was all about Learning in Retirement. Each month, I’d pick a new topic that I wanted to learn more about. I’d find online classes and resources, podcasts, and books and set a goal related to the topic. At the end of the month, I’d write about the experience.

Here are the twelve resulting blog posts for my Year of Learning in Retirement:

1. January: Learning about Purpose
2. February: Learning about Blogging
3. March: Learning about Taxes
4. April: Learning about Memory
5. May: AARP Benefits Badass Contest and Videography
6. June: Improving my Poker Skills
7. July: Trying Psilocybin
8. August: AI and ChatGPT
9. September: Improving Improv
10. October: Hacking Exercise
11. November: iPhone Photography
12. December: Lucid Dreaming

What worked well

I love learning in retirement! There are so many resources, most of them free! Unlike university days, there’s no pressure, and any homework or exams are optional (at least in all the classes I took.)

It’s amazing that podcasts, forums, and communities are available for every topic under the sun. The level of engagement is entirely up to you! I feel so lucky to live in an age when we can instantly connect with experts, thought-leaders, and others who are learning any topic whatsoever!

What Could Have Been Better

The biggest thing that could have been better with my project is my own commitment level. It’s important to be self-motivated when no one is holding you accountable. Though I’m typically a disciplined person, I was not as committed or engaged in these classes, knowing there would be no grades or accountability.

I, especially, wish I had taken the time to engage more with the forums and communities of the various online classes. I also think it would have been better for me to take at least one in-person class, where I might have met some new friends. Because I travel so much, online classes are much more convenient, but it’s much harder to feel the connection to others that you can get from in-person classes.

Summary

Retirement is a wonderful time to learn! There’s no pressure and there are so many free (or low cost) resources available to us – YouTube videos, podcasts, online classes, and best of all, people!

In my Year of Learning, it was fun to dig deeper into topics that I hadn’t even known about before the year began: ChatGPT and Psilocybin, for example! The world continues to change and if we want to stay relevant, we need to change, too – using new technologies to access the wide range of information that’s available.

2023 is over, but learning will continue throughout life! What do you want to learn in 2024? The options are endless!