If 2026 is the year you're planning to retire, you may be aware that there are certain financial tasks to tackle before ending your career for good. These include:

• Creating a budget to understand your annual income needs.
• Figuring out how much money you'll get from Social Security each month and deciding when to take benefits.
• Assessing your retirement savings account to see how much annual income it can provide.
• Figuring out what you'll do for healthcare, especially if you're retiring before you'll be eligible for Medicare.

But even if you've checked off all these boxes, you may not be ready to retire just yet.

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Make sure you know how you'll keep busy

If you don't know how you'll fill your days once your career comes to an end, you're not ready to retire. Period.

You might think you'll enjoy being able to go about your days without a plan. But many retirees in that situation wind up miserable shortly after leaving their jobs because they feel their days lack structure and meaning.

If you're intent on retiring in 2026, figure out what your lifestyle will look like ahead of time. Maybe you'll volunteer twice a week, get a freelance job that keeps you busy one or two afternoons, and join a gym you'll visit almost daily.

You should feel free to create a game plan that works for you, makes you happy, and aligns with your retirement budget. But it's extremely important to know what you'll do with your newfound free time before retiring. Otherwise, you risk winding up very unhappy, to the point where it hurts both your mental and physical health.