[Book Introduction] 100,000 Hours Until 100 After Retirement... How to Spend Without Worrying Even If It's Only a Pension?

New Release <How Manager Kim, Who Said "I Only Have a Pension," Overcame Retirement Worries>
Studying Japanese Cases to Suggest Life Paths for Pre-Retirees

[Asia Economy Reporter Sim Nayoung] "100,000 hours" is the leisure time given to oneself assuming retirement at age 60 and living until 100. This calculation is based on the premise that out of 24 hours a day, after subtracting time for eating, sleeping, and resting, 11 hours remain. How should we live during this long period? How do we secure and maintain the money, work, health, and human relationships needed until 100?

In internet communities and news articles, prospective retirees say they feel like 'refugees' suddenly adrift in a vast ocean. Though it’s called a 'second act of life,' they describe sleepless nights filled with helplessness and anxiety with nowhere to rely on. Even after waking up in the morning, there is nowhere to go, and even if they meet people, they have no business cards to exchange. They no longer have reasons to go near their former workplace where they spent most of their days, and their living area shrinks to around their home. Contacts with former colleagues, with whom they once said "let’s have a meal sometime," gradually fade away.

The new book released on the 6th, "How Manager Kim, Who Only Had a Pension, Got Rid of Retirement Worries," offers life guidance to prospective retirees through the experiences of retired seniors. The author, Kim Woongcheol, is a senior trend researcher and a retirement specialist columnist. He is also known as a 'Japan expert,' having worked as a Tokyo correspondent and international bureau chief for a media company. The author tracked the realities of Japanese baby boomer retirees through newspapers, magazines, surveys, statistics, and real cases, which are all included in this book.

The insight the author found from retired seniors in Japan’s super-aged society can be summed up as "Change your life perspective to a retirement type." Facing the reality after retirement and adjusting one’s viewpoint accordingly is essential to spending a happy old age. The book carefully analyzes heartfelt regrets of retirees, their reversed daily lives, and their unconventional coping methods, organizing them into 42 rules. These are broadly divided into five themes.

Change Your Financial Sense, More Important Than Savings

Upon retirement, the monthly salary disappears, and one must live on limited funds. No matter how much one prepares, anxiety is inevitable. While savings are important, changing one’s ‘sense’ about money is even more crucial. First, it is necessary to accurately understand how much assets one has. The best method is for couples to hold a ‘retirement household budget meeting’ once a year before retirement and reduce family spending levels. Disposing of unnecessary items and furniture, called ‘well-down,’ also helps organize one’s life.

To Get Rehired, Throw Away Your Business Cards and Rank Badges

Some retirees boast of their career, former titles, and impressive connections when applying for reemployment, claiming they will contribute to the company. But did you know that executives of large companies rank high on the reemployment risk list? This means that a brilliant past can be a hindrance in the reemployment market. What the job market demands from older job seekers is differentiated character and an attitude of acceptance.

Form ‘Third Relationships’ Beyond Work and Blood Ties

Even if one worked at a single company for life, workplace relationships called 'jikyeon (職緣)' mostly end upon retirement. Retired seniors recommend establishing third relationships to fill this relational gap. The first recommended method is ‘local debut,’ and the second is ‘hobby groups.’ They advise not to pull out old company business cards, avoid forming relationships based on interests or excessive favors, and maintain shallow but sincere relationships for longevity.

Develop ‘Solitude Power’ to Navigate 100,000 Hours After Retirement

Feeling like ‘left alone on a deserted island,’ retirees face deep ‘solitude’ as relationships gradually disappear over the years. Would forming more relationships and being more active solve this problem? Experts say no. Rather, cultivating the ability to endure loneliness alone, called ‘solitude power,’ allows one to live a more fulfilling life after retirement. Recommended practices to build solitude power include ‘solo travel’ and ‘writing an autobiography.’

Find Your Own ‘Health Method’

Going back and forth only between work and home leads to poor physical condition, and most people over 50 live with at least one chronic illness. Of course, maintaining health through exercise and diet control is important, but retired seniors advise viewing and responding to elderly health from a ‘realistic perspective’ for a long life.

The author introduces research showing that aging is a natural law, and actively accepting aging leads to healthier longevity. He says that engaging in ‘handwork’ and using both ‘mind and body’ more?such as varying the threshold heights in home interiors?can prevent dementia. If there is an incurable disease, it is also essential to learn wise ways to live with it.