Encore career planner — free printable next chapter planning sheet

An 'encore career' (sometimes called a 'portfolio retirement' or simply staying purposefully active) describes the growing trend of people choosing not to stop working entirely at retirement, but instead moving into a different, often more flexible or meaningful form of work or activity — part-time consultancy in their old field, volunteering, mentoring younger people, pursuing a long-held passion project, or even starting something entirely new that was never practical alongside a full career. This isn't about needing to keep working financially (though for some it is part of the picture); for many people it reflects a genuine desire to stay purposefully engaged, use skills and experience they've built over decades, maintain a sense of identity and structure, and contribute in ways that feel meaningful, while having far more control over how much, when and on what terms they work compared to their previous career. Thinking it through deliberately, rather than just seeing what happens, tends to lead to a more satisfying transition: reflecting on what you genuinely loved about your career and skills you'd like to keep using, what you definitely won't miss, and things you've always wanted to try but never had the time for, gives you a clearer sense of direction. It's also worth being honest about what matters to you in this next stage — how much flexibility you want, whether income matters, what kind of purpose or impact appeals, and how much you want to protect time for family, hobbies and genuine rest, since an 'encore career' that becomes just as consuming as the original one can defeat the point for some people. There's no obligation to have it all figured out immediately — many people take time to explore a few small things before committing to a direction, and that's a perfectly reasonable, even wise, way to approach it. This chapter is genuinely yours to shape however suits you best.

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