Take the retirement goals challenge

Updated: 13 Jun 2023

Retirement's the perfect time to do more of what you love. Stuck for ideas? Here's 25 retirement goal ideas to get you started! How many can you tick off?

Give something new a try

Whether it's a daily, weekly or monthly challenge, we hope this check list will give you the inspiration to get busy, try new things and to turn your retirement into a time of personal celebration and achievement.

25 ideas to help you get the most out of retirement

• List five new places of interest to visit.
• Learn a new instrument.
• Make a new friend, or open your mind up to the idea.
• Try volunteering. Start with an hour and see how it goes.
• Book a beauty treatment. On a budget? Find out what’s offered at your local beauty college.
• Be kind to yourself, and others. Practice gratitude.
• Enrol on a course, online or local.
• Write something - a letter to a newspaper, a poem, a short-story or a limerick or two.
• Share your skills at a special-interest group, or give a talk.
• Dance to your favourite song, like no one's watching.
• Try a new activity, like Tai Chi or yoga, or something a little different like New Age Kurling or Walking Football.
• Meditate and still your mind.
• Re-read a classic.
• Join a book club.
• Make a retirement mood board featuring all you want to achieve.
• Hunt out cheap theatre tickets, and snap some up.
• Try a lunch club and dine out on new conversation.
• Catch up with old friends.
• Bake something, and better still, share it with a neighbour.
• Give life drawing a go, or bravely offer to model.
• Learn how to tweet, blog or vlog.
• Head to a festival – food, folk, flowers or farming – whatever you fancy.
• Find your new tribe, try a friendship society, church group, games club or walking group in your area.
• Write five positive affirmations and feed your subconscious mind with more uplifting takes on life.
• Make a daily date with nature, enjoy a gentle walk, time sat outside, or a spot of gardening.

Oddfellows friendship groups

If you'd like to meet other retirees in your area or find out about volunteering opportunities with us, we're always ready to welcome new members to our local Oddfellows friendship groups.

You can find your nearest by using our Branch Finder, or use our Events Finder to search for social events and activities happening near to where you live or online.

Contact us to request your free information pack and local events diary.

Read more advice on making friends in later life and building social confidence in our friendship guides section.