Fortunately, there’s no need to dread planning for retirement. The earlier you start, the easier it is, and making a plan at any point is better than nothing. You can overcome that stress—stress about the balances of your retirement accounts (or lack thereof), stress about how much you need to save, stress about the uncertainty of your future—with some mindfulness, focus, and action. (If you’ve yet to learn how to meditate, never fear: This exercise is beginner-friendly.)
Step One: Focus on a Single Task
Though the health benefits of mindfulness are many, you won’t get the full benefit of this little exercise without first picking one task to focus on. Think about where you want to start, or refer to our list below and pick one item to focus on. Some of these may not be open to you, depending on where you are in your retirement planning journey, so just pick the one that feels most accessible. If you’re already well on your way to retirement, you may have a more specific task that you’ve been putting off—if that’s the case, focus on that, and skip ahead to our stress-busting exercise.
Research your employer match on your 401(k)Open an IRA or Roth IRAIncrease your 401(k) contributions by 1 percentReach out to a financial advisor to help you outMake a month-by-month plan to max out your Roth IRA
Step Two: Breathe
Now, it’s time to do the task. If even the thought of checking on your 401(k) balance or researching retirement accounts fills you with angst (and the need to procrastinate), slow down, and follow our steps below for a quick check-in and refresh before working on your retirement task of choice. The retirement planning journey is long, and it may require adjustments over the years. Each time you feel overwhelmed, return to this exercise to help fight that retirement stress.
