"It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for." - retirement lessons from the Doctor

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Born in the U.K. in the late 60s, I became a lifelong Doctor Who fan during my early years there. For many, David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor is a favorite, but for those of us who grew up watching in the 70s and 80s, Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor was the one who captured our imaginations. When his Doctor regenerated in Logopolis, it was a heart-wrenching moment. His final words (the title of this article) resonated then, and they’ve stuck with me ever since.

I retired at the end of December 2024 (and no, that is not the reason why I haven't published any new articles in over six months). But the moment was prepared for.

Having had first-hand experience of what happens when someone retires and doesn't have a plan, I did not want to spend my year or two of retirement hoping to come up with sufficient pastimes to fill a suddenly empty calendar.

My planning started with defining what I wanted to replace paid work with.

Retirement isn’t the end. It’s a means to a more fulfilling end. I knew I wanted to give back - both to my local community and to the project management profession. I also wanted to reconnect with hobbies I’d long neglected during my working years.

So, I ran some experiments.

Some activities resonated with me; others didn’t - and that was an expected outcome of the process.

I wanted to help a local food bank and tried sorting and boxing donations in their warehouse and helping folks address food insecurity needs at the food bank itself. While both activities were enjoyable, I preferred the warehouse work as it took greater advantage of my skills.

What helped with these preparations was that my journey to retirement was over a period of a couple of years during which I progressively replaced paid with volunteer work as well as other pursuits. This is not something which everyone might be able to do so it is important to do this planning as and when you find time as you approach your retirement date.

Planning is an ongoing activity with projects and the same is true for retirement. While I have a sufficiently varied set of activities to occupy me now, I realize that I may need to replace some of them over time, hence it is important to keep exploring what else might be of interest.

One important insight: you don’t need to replicate a 35- or 40-hour work week. In fact, one of the most valuable aspects of retirement has been the white space - the slack time that allows for reflection, rest, and appreciation.

Retirement, like any meaningful journey, requires thoughtful preparation. It’s not about filling time, but enriching it. And in doing so, I’ve discovered that the greatest freedom comes not from a blank calendar—but from one filled with purpose, flexibility, and joy. In the words of my favorite Doctor: the moment was prepared for.