The Best Things to Do After 40: Make More of Your Time

Life can become very routine when you wait for plans to happen rather than making them yourself.

Instead of saying, “We should do that sometime,” choose a date and make it happen.

Book the restaurant. Organise the walk. Suggest the weekend away. Try the new bar. Get tickets for the show.

And don't worry if you don't have a huge group of people to invite.

One of the best things about getting older is realising that you don't need a crowd to have a good time.

Sometimes one good friend and a great plan is more than enough.

Social life doesn't have to be saved for Friday and Saturday night.

A midweek dinner, an evening class, a quiz, a walk, a talk or simply meeting someone for a drink can give you something to look forward to during the week.

It can also stop life from feeling like a constant cycle of work, chores and weekends.

You don't need to fill every evening.

Just making room for the occasional plan can make a surprisingly big difference.

There is something quite liberating about taking up a hobby when you're older.

You're not doing it because you have to.

You're doing it because you want to.

Maybe you've always wanted to learn to cook properly, play golf, paint, take photographs, dance, garden or get better at wine.

Or maybe you have absolutely no idea what you'd enjoy yet.

That's fine too.

Try a few things and see what sticks.

A new hobby can give you something to enjoy, something to look forward to and sometimes a whole new group of people to share it with.

It's easy to fall into familiar routines.

The same restaurant. The same weekend plans. The same people. The same places.

There is nothing wrong with having favourites, but occasionally saying yes to something outside your normal routine can open up a whole new side of life.

Go to the event you've never heard of.

Try the restaurant you've been meaning to visit.

Take the day trip.

Join the walk.

Say yes to the invitation.

You never know which experience might become your new favourite.

There is sometimes an assumption that people looking to expand their social life are single or looking for a relationship.

That's simply not the case.

You can be happily married, in a relationship, newly single, divorced, widowed or somewhere in between and still want to get out more, meet interesting people and discover new experiences.

Having a great social life isn't just about dating.

It's about having people to laugh with, places to go, things to look forward to and experiences that make life feel a little more interesting.

One of the easiest things to do is to keep putting things off.

I'll do it when work calms down.

I'll go when I've got someone to go with.

I'll start next month.

I'll have more time later.

The problem is that “later” has a habit of becoming next year.

You don't need to have everything perfectly organised before you start doing more.

Choose one thing.

Make one plan.

Try one new place.

Say yes to one invitation.

Small changes can lead to much bigger ones.

There isn't a rulebook for what life after 40 should look like.

For some people, it's about travelling more.

For others, it's about discovering new restaurants, getting back into old hobbies, meeting new people or simply having more fun.

You might want more adventure.

You might want more culture.

You might want more nights out.

You might want more time outdoors.

Or perhaps you just want to stop saying no to things because they're outside your normal routine.

Whatever your version of “more” looks like, this can be the perfect time to start creating it.

The best things to do after 40 aren't necessarily the biggest or most expensive.

Sometimes they're the simple things.

A new restaurant.

A walk somewhere beautiful.

A spontaneous drink.

A new hobby.

A day out.

A conversation with someone you've never met.

A place you've never visited.

You don't have to change your entire life.

You just have to give yourself permission to experience a little more of it.

At Next Chapter Society, we're passionate about discovering the places, experiences, people and ideas that can make life after 40 even more interesting.

Because your next chapter isn't something that happens to you.

It's something you can create.

Ready to get out, discover something new and make more of your time?

Explore Next Chapter Society and discover what's coming up.