Beat Procrastination and Start Building a Better Retirement Today
You have good intentions when it comes to planning your retirement. You want a comfortable lifestyle without worrying about running out of money.
You want European holidays, to hook up the caravan and see the sights of Australia, take up a new hobby, spend time with your grandkids and your own kids, work on your fitness, and a whole lot more.
It’s the big dream: escape the stress of the 9–5 and make time for what matters.
It’s also one of the most important—and most stressful—transitions you’ll go through. So many emotions to manage at once.
Retirement is hard to ‘undo’—which is why costly mistakes are worth avoiding.
This is where you can get stuck. You research the ‘perfect’ strategy, maybe try a few tactics, then wait for the “right time” that never comes. Meanwhile, precious years pass by while life distracts you.
Then one day, something changes. Retirement is suddenly at your doorstep. Panic sets in and it becomes a race to make sure you have enough to retire on.
Procrastination may be the most expensive habit harming your chances of living comfortably and confidently in retirement. It consumes the one resource you can’t replenish: time.
If you’re waiting for the perfect time—or for all the information—you’ll stay stuck. It feels like quicksand.
Making Retirement Better Today
On a recent road trip to visit clients in the South East of South Australia, I listened to an audiobook by Jon Acuff titled ‘Procrastination Proof’. It’s a great read and I’d recommend it to anyone.
He outlines a ‘permission’ process across four key systems. It’s similar to how we help clients break free from procrastination, tackle the hard things, and come out the other side confident about retiring—knowing they’re going to be okay and clear on the lifestyle they can fund.
With all the noise out there, planning can feel confusing. A clear, step-by-step framework cuts through and helps you work methodically towards your best version of retirement.
Recently, we started working with a couple who had been on my email list for more than three years. They read every article and watched every video. When we jumped on the first call, he was ready to start planning.
Work had become a grind and it was time to step off the 80‑hour‑a‑week treadmill. What held him back earlier? Life got in the way and ten years slipped by seamlessly.
This is the framework we’re using with him—and with many others—to plan a safe exit from work. It’s about creating more time freedom, which may still include some work, but with the confidence to make the decision and know they’ll be okay financially.
Breaking Free from Procrastination
Step 1: Permission to Dream—get clear on what you’re retiring to, not just from.
For some, this is easy; for others, it’s a challenge. Yes, the future is uncertain. Yes, things will change. Your retirement probably won’t pan out exactly as expected. That’s life.
But you have to start somewhere.
After 30+ years of work, you may have the money—but not the time. In retirement, you finally have the time—and, ideally, the money. The window isn’t endless, which is why clarity now matters.
What are you going to do with that time?
Maybe it’s hooking up the caravan and setting off for six months to explore this great country of ours.
Maybe it’s a dream holiday through Europe—perhaps six months in Tuscany. That would be nice.
Taking up a new hobby. Joining a gym class. Caring for grandchildren. Taking long weekends without worrying about being back for Monday.
If you’re struggling, picture yourself at 90, rocking gently on the porch, reflecting on the life you’ve lived.
What are you proud you did? What would you regret not doing?
Once you have an idea of what you want life to look like, you can start the planning.
Step 2: Permission to Plan
You’ve now got a clear vision of life in retirement. Now comes the hard part: planning for it.
Planning means understanding what your numbers actually mean. Most people think in terms of a capital amount: “I need one million dollars to retire comfortably.” Some will need more—much more. Some will need less.
It depends on the lifestyle you want.
The most important planning tool is understanding what your cash flow will look like over retirement. We’re talking about a 20–30 year timeframe (and more for some).
When we plan for clients, this is where we start. It removes the noise. Just straight numbers.
Are you going to be okay? If yes, can you dream more—build in more experiences, more memories, make life more comfortable?
If not, there’s work to do. Now you can zero in on the changes that matter.
Once you can clearly see how life might pan out, you can make better decisions to protect what you’ve built and ensure your money goes the distance.
It also lets you test different scenarios:
- What if I take less investment risk—will my plan still work?
- What if inflation is higher—what’s the impact?
- What if I spend more in early retirement when I’m healthiest—does it still work?
- If I help the kids out, will my plan still stand up?
This is where the rubber hits the road—pinpointing the areas that need adjustment and improvement, while highlighting where you can maximise and optimise before retirement.
Step 3: Permission to Do
You’ve got the plan—now it’s time to implement.
This can be hard, because you may be doing things you’ve never done before. Maybe it’s completely different to what you’re used to.
That’s normal—you’ve never been retired before. This is where working with a specialist retirement planner matters most: making sure everything is implemented so you can retire safely and with more confidence.
It’s a little like visiting the future and taking notes for when you get to the present. The difference is a retirement planner has walked this journey hundreds of times—riding the ups and downs and, like a sherpa, keeping people on track.
No matter how much money you have, navigating the retirement system is complex. You need the right forms, and you need to implement the right strategies in the right order. It’s a lot to manage if you’ve never done it before.
Step 4: Permission to Review
Your plan will not go according to plan. Yes, you heard me right—it will not go according to plan.
Life has twists and turns. Nobody knows what the future will hold.
Don’t let that hold you back. You can only make decisions with the information at hand. It will change, and you will need to pivot. You just don’t know when.
I’ve worked with people approaching retirement and in retirement for over two decades, and every plan has changed within 12–18 months of implementation.
A couple we’ve worked with for over three years changed their plan several times inside 18 months. First, they wanted a plan to retire. We ran the numbers and set a path to retire in three years.
After a month-long holiday in their caravan, they wanted to explore bringing retirement forward so they could caravan indefinitely. To make it work required several changes they were willing to make—including selling the family home.
They continue to make their way around the country in their caravan. Our check-ins and reviews are largely over Zoom—in their caravan or parked on the side of a road somewhere.
How often you review is personal. Review as often as you need to.
With our clients, for most, this happens every six months. Every aspect of the plan is reviewed, rechecked, tested and adjusted based on new information.
Want to see this in action? Watch “From Uncertainty to a Confident Retirement Income Plan”
Retirement Is Not Just About the Money (and Beating Some Index)
The financial pornography channels—as I call them, the news outlets that publish doom and gloom all day long—are a distraction. There will always be distractions.
You can’t control them. You can control how you live and the decisions you make to put yourself in the best possible position.
Retirement is not just about the numbers. Important, yes. But delaying decisions compounds into fewer choices later on.
The greatest cost as you approach retirement isn’t financial; it’s missed life moments and reduced freedom in later years.
Jane phoned me the other day with devastating news. Harry had passed away—standing in his front yard, about to head to the local footy club. A heart attack on the front lawn.
I was silent for a moment as I let it sink in. He had no major medical issues. A complete shock.
Jane was composed, considering. She spoke about the good life she and Harry had. In particular, a trip to Europe in the last 12 months to visit Harry’s birthplace—somewhere he hadn’t been since childhood.
It was the cruises they took together and with family.
This didn’t happen by chance; it happened through deliberate planning and iterating along the way.
Yes, life passes quickly. And we all procrastinate, yours truly included. But planning your retirement is something you simply can’t put off.
Many think advice is expensive. It’s not when you compare it to how “expensive” procrastination is—because it quietly trades away time, and time is the raw material of life.
Your Next Step Towards More Clarity, Confidence, and Control Over Your Retirement
I hold a few 20-minute Retirement Clarity Calls each week for people 1–7 years from retirement who want to move from “I think I have enough” to “I know I have enough.”
If that sounds like you, let’s talk. Book a free 20-minute Retirement Clarity Call by clicking here . No jargon, no judgment — just an honest conversation about where you are, what worries you, and what’s at stake if you wait.
You can book your Retirement Clarity Call by clicking here or by scanning the QR code below which will take you to my booking page.
Glenn Doherty – CFP – Financial Planner | Retirement Planning Specialist |Retirement Planning Made Simple for over 55’s within 7 years of retirement
We work with people in Adelaide and around Australia virtually via zoom!
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Schedule hereAdvice Disclaimer: Any reference in this publication to the provision of advice refers to advice of a generic nature, and should not be taken as product or investment recommendations. Before any action is taken based on the information provided, independent financial advice from a licensed financial adviser should be sought. Financial Freedom Project Pty Ltd ATF GA & DC Doherty Family Trust Trading as Jigsaw Private Wealth is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Spark Advisors Australia Pty Ltd. The information contained in this publication is of a factual nature only and is not intended to constitute financial product advice. Information is current as at date of publication. This is an online information blog. It does not imply an offering of securities.