“Life without design is erratic…” Seneca

The stoic Seneca lived two thousand years before the idea of retirement was conceived. His words addressed everyday life and were intended to establish in the mind of his readers just how crucial planning is to obtain the best value from life.

You will be aware of the crucial role planning has played in your life to date, perhaps take a moment and think back to a time when you set out to do something with a plan of action and then compare that to a time when you set out to achieve something without a plan. Of course, there will have been times when an unplanned, spontaneous event, perhaps social, turned out to be one of those nights to remember. But as you reflect I suspect you will also recognise these circumstances are somewhat rare.

Even when plans go awry and you need to adapt to a changing set of circumstances there very fact that you planned ahead of time ensures it is much easier to cope with and manage the disruption.

How often have you found yourself struggling when you have had to fly by the seat of your pants?

Despite experiencing the results of having planned and the difficulties often faced when no plan was created people consistently enter retirement without a cohesive plan for their future lives, a list of things to do maybe, but no plan.

Age does not matter when it comes to making plans, your future self will thank you if you take the time to consider exactly how you wish to spend your life.

Have a good weekend.