As your children leave the nest, you may find yourself with more free time on your hands than you know what to do with. Relationships Australia notes that it can be a big adjustment, going from having your kids at home all the time to suddenly having the house to yourself. But it can also be an exciting time, full of new opportunities. Here at Thrive50plus we’ve looked into some ideas for how to fill your days as a new empty nester.
Launching a Company Together and Setting Up a Productive Home Office
One great way to spend your time as a new empty nester is by starting a company. If you and your spouse have always dreamed of going into business together, now is the perfect time to make that dream a reality.
You can use your extra time and energy to research business ideas, create a business plan, and get everything up and running. Not only will you be able to work together toward a common goal, but you’ll also have something to keep you busy and fulfilled during this new stage in your life.
First things first: If you don’t have one yet, it’s time to plan out your home office. Choose an area in the house that’s most conducive to minimal distractions, has plenty of natural light, and enough room for equipment and furniture. Planning the office’s layout also plays a big role in how productive you are, so take the time to think everything through.
Picking Up a New Hobby
Perhaps launching a business together isn’t really your thing and picking up a new hobby is more up your alley. Now that you have some extra time on your hands, why not take up a new activity that you’ve always wanted to try?
Whether it’s learning how to play an instrument, exploring various quilting techniques, or getting involved in competitive cooking or gardening, you have endless possibilities in front of you. And who knows? You may even find that you have a hidden talent for something you never would have tried if you hadn’t become an empty nester!
Traveling the World (or Country)
Traveling is another excellent way to spend your time as an empty nester. If you’ve always wanted to see the world but never had the time or opportunity to do so, now is your chance.
With no children at home tying you down, you and your spouse can pick up and go anywhere you want—for as long or short a period as you want. So start researching those dream destinations and book those tickets; empty nest life is all about the adventure!
Exploring Home Renovations
If traveling isn’t really your thing either, don’t worry, you might fall in love with planning home renovations. Perhaps there’s a room in your house that you’ve always wanted to update but never had the time (or money) to do so. Or maybe, there’s an addition you’ve wanted to make for years but never had the chance to until now.
Whatever it is, using this extra time in your life to finally turn your house into the home of your dreams can be extremely fulfilling. Plus, it’s a great way to stay busy, and you might even increase the value of your home in the process!
Organising Your Essential Documents
Tech Daily points out that it’s always a good idea to take advantage of opportunities to digitise and organise your important documents—and what better time than now that you have an empty nest? Digitising your essential documents and records will make it much easier to access and manage them in the future. And using a top-rated PDF extract tool can make the process even simpler and more efficient.
Conclusion
Just because your children are grown and out of the house doesn’t mean that life has to be boring or mundane. From starting a business to renovating your house, there are endless possibilities for how you can spend this next phase of life!
Whether you’re looking for ways to fill your days or ways to foster your marriage, we hope these ideas have inspired you to start brainstorming what the empty-nest life will look like for you and yours.