The Quiet Power of Doing Nothing in Retirement

Markets take a breather as Wall Street pauses for Thanksgiving

The quick scan: With U.S. markets closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, there were no price movements to report. Instead, investors took a collective pause after several days of steady gains and shifting expectations around December’s potential rate cut. The mood is calm, with attention turning to how markets may reopen once trading resumes.

What’s driving it: A market holiday doesn’t erase the narrative that has been shaping sentiment this week. Investors are still digesting stronger performances in tech, easing bond yields and increased confidence that the Federal Reserve may cut rates sooner rather than later. At the same time, the break gives everyone space to reassess after a volatile month. This pause often works like a reset button, especially during holiday periods when trading volume thins and news flow slows.

Bottom line: For L-Plate Retirees this is a gentle reminder that breaks are healthy, for both markets and people. Use today’s quiet to check in on your long-term plan and enjoy the small reprieve – knowing the market will be back to its usual chatter soon enough.

The Unexpected Joy of Doing Nothing

The scoop: Today’s article is a beautifully reflective piece about something many of us struggle with, especially as we step into or approach retirement: the art of doing nothing. Not idleness, not laziness, not procrastination – but a genuine moment of being unoccupied, unhurried and unproductive in the best possible way.

The author describes how this sensation crept up unexpectedly during quiet mornings at a family cabin. No plans, no deep-breathing exercises, no “productive relaxation”. Just sitting, listening to the river, and having time feel as if it were standing still.

It is the kind of stillness you cannot schedule. “Just like you can’t plan for fog,” she writes, “you can’t plan for doing nothing. But you can go to a place where not much happens and feel it slip silently in.”

For many retirees – and for many of us in the L-Plate Retiree community – this idea is surprisingly uncomfortable. After decades of deadlines, responsibilities, expectations and the constant need to be “doing something”, the shift into retirement often comes with a self-imposed rulebook: stay busy, stay productive, stay relevant.

But the author names something many feel but rarely say out loud: that constant busyness can become its own form of pressure. And ironically, the opportunity to “do nothing” can feel almost guilty at first, like we’re breaking an unwritten rule of adulthood.

Yet through her reflections, she reframes nothingness as an opportunity, not an absence. A certain kind of inner permission – a “time in” rather than a timeout. A moment to let go of control, notice life more deeply, and listen quietly for what has changed within us.

The piece ends with a simple, powerful acknowledgement: that in those quiet moments of stillness, she realised, “This is happiness.”

For those of us navigating middle age, transitions, reinvention and the occasional identity wobble, it’s a comforting thought. Doing nothing is not a waste of time. It might be the very thing that helps us see who we’re becoming next.

Actionable takeaways for L-Plate Retirees:

• Create gentle spaces for nothingness. Find a spot – a chair, a sunny window, a favourite corner – where you can sit without purpose and let stillness arrive on its own.

• Unlearn the guilt of rest. Years of productivity conditioning make us uncomfortable with quiet. Notice the guilt, but don’t obey it.

• Let go of control for a moment. Release the need to plan, fix or optimise. Allow “time in” rather than treating rest as another chore.

• Notice the small shifts. Stillness heightens your senses. Pay attention to what feels different, softer or clearer.

• Allow happiness to be simple. You don’t need big achievements or elaborate routines. Sometimes peace appears in the quietest, most unplanned moments.

Your Turn:
When was the last time you let yourself simply sit, without a plan or purpose?
Where in your daily routine could you invite a pocket of quiet – a spot where “nothing” is allowed to slip in?
If you experienced a moment of stillness today, what might it reveal about what matters to you now?

👉 Hit reply and share your thoughts – your answers could inspire fellow readers in future issues.

If today’s issue offered a gentle exhale or a reminder to slow down, you can shout me a coffee on Ko-fi. It keeps this little community thoughtful and well-fuelled.