I blame technology. Since I retired twenty years ago, I find myself wondering how I ever found time to work at a full-time job outside the home. Have you ever calculated how many hours you spend in a week sitting in front of your computer or on the phone managing your personal affairs—and I don’t mean the romantic kind?

Between updating my banking information with its myriad verification requirements and compromised credit card fiascos, sorting out internet problems, re-negotiating phone plans, talking to offshore call centres, and trying to solve my computer glitches, it seems I’ve taken on a new full-time job—managing our lives. Inevitably, the phone calls are with someone who speaks English as a second language, and with my hearing issues, they take an inordinate amount of time because I have to keep asking the agent to slow down, speak louder, and repeat themselves. Yet, there are still so many things I don’t even get around to doing. I barely have time these days to pluck my chin hairs.

We’re also in the process of changing communications providers. After years of intermittent internet and television service from Bell, our service died fifteen minutes before the start of the sixth game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the L.A. Dodgers. That was the last straw! We’ve switched to Rogers, but not without confusion about which channels are included in our plan and how to access what is ours, for free. Hours of calls to offshore call centres are looming in my future and my blood pressure and stress levels skyrocket just thinking about the impending problems. At least we’ve had an entire week of uninterrupted service now, which is a miracle itself.

As we age, doctors’ appointments take up an inordinate amount of our time. Between our family doctor for referrals to heart, kidney, cancer, orthopedic, or dermatological specialists, and eye doctors for our cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration, we are constantly making and going to appointments. Of course, dentists can only carry out one procedure at a time, so getting a simple filling can involved multiple visits. Because of the deteriorating state of our health and our health care system, these appointments often involve wait times of six months to a year, only to be given a quick assessment and more follow-up appointments. It’s exhausting. While we still have it much better than our American neighbours, it can be frustrating at times. It’s tempting (but wrong) to avoid going to the doctor at all.

Last year, I ordered a little book from Amazon called When I’m Gone Planner, End Of Life Organizer. It’s a nifty little 100-page notebook aimed at helping our survivors sort out our personal wishes, as well as bits and bobs that are not covered in our formal, legal will. In addition to making written notes about who is to receive hubby’s golf clubs or my favourite tinkets and handbags, the book has sections for further details on insurance policies, investments, special bequests, computer and other passwords, account numbers and many other essential bits of information. The concept is simple and will be a valuable tool for our executor after we’re gone. A year later, I have yet to make a single entry because I seem to be always engaged with other, more urgent tasks associated with managing our lives. It reminds me of those prioritized To Do lists I was constantly creating, rearranging and checking off in my working days. While I seem to be busy all the time, why is nothing getting done?

I admit retirement has its advantages, such as being able to take a nap during the workday while a load of laundry miraculously takes care of itself in a technologically smart machine—until the day that machine invariably breaks down. Not having to spend two to three hours a day commuting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is a definite plus, and I’m no longer prematurely being jarred awake from a lovely dream every morning by an alarm beep beep beeping to get my sleepy ass in gear.

On the other hand, we no longer have an IT Department to resolve our technical problems, or an HR Department to moan to about job skills training and labour problems. I thought I was going to have to summon The Geek Squad to change my electronic clocks back to standard time last weekend, as the semi-annual chore seems to be completely beyond my skill set. Those buttons and arrows on the back of my digital clocks are not user-friendly. And, the media keeps ragging on about how boomers had it easy (I dispute that), and that we should be stripped of the senior benefits we worked so long and so hard for. A curse on their spoiled Gen Z heads.

Despite the ever-increasing workload, I still think these are the best years of our lives. We are now our own bosses, but keeping our boat afloat is not without a growing list of challenges. Work/life balance has become an issue. Am I whining unnecessarily? Maybe a glass of wine would help. Drinking on the job is another perk of being retired, even encouraged, and not to be underestimated. Just thinking about it makes me feel better already.