When I think about retirement, I feel two things: excitement and panic. The excitement is easy. Who isn’t looking forward to sleeping in, traveling and pursuing new hobbies and interests? I’ve probably spent a few hours a week over the past year daydreaming about what I’ll do when my time is completely my own and I don’t have a schedule to keep. That’s the fun part.

The panic is maybe a little bit harder to explain, but if you’re like me, working now for over 40 years and used to the structure that is provides, maybe not. When I’m not plotting my great escape from the workforce, I’m secretly dreading it. I worry that I’ll grow old more quickly when I’m retired, if that makes sense. I’ll become too comfortable staying at home, watching television, reading books, and I’ll turn into a recluse. I worry that I’ll lose touch with friends, friendships that have been built over years of working together. I worry that the foundation of what I do and who I am and the why of who I am is work.

These are legitimate concerns and it’s normal to feel this way, I suppose. Still, it’s kind of disappointing not to be welcoming this much awaited time of my life with anything but joy. My plan is to retire in early 2016. Originally I thought the end of the year would be a natural time to end my career, but time shows no signs of slowing down, and I still have so much to do to prepare. Are you getting close to your retirement date? Here’s the list of to-do’s that is keeping me relatively sane during this time:

1. Get your finances in order. Sounds simple right? At this point, I’m meeting with my financial advisor every month. I’ve also put together a retirement budget, and I’ve been in the test drive phase for a month or so. I know where I need to be more flexible, and where I need to just work on my spending habits.

2. Figure out where you’re going to live. My husband and I are staying in our home. It will be paid off, but even so, you have to consider upkeep when you’re thinking about housing.

3. Get one-time expenses out of the way. Is there a house repair you’ve been putting off? Need some work done on your vehicle? Getting those done before retirement will give you peace of mind and avoid a big hit to that retirement budget we talked about.

4. It’s time to refocus on your health. Exercise is a great way to work off stress as you’re nearing retirement, and to keep your mind and body feeling younger. You also should be aware of how your health insurance will change once you leave your job and be ready to make any necessary changes.

5. Start counting your reasons to be excited. This works wonders for me. Gardening, reading, spending time with grandkids, and traveling are some of my reasons.

Finally, if you find yourself up late at night, unable to sleep, and thinking about the years and years of time you'll need to fill once you retire, do what I do: plan practical jokes to play on your coworkers during you're last two week. It works every time. I'm Retiring Tina, and I still have some work to do.