I have never been a long-term life planner, especially in my professional life. In college I studied topics that interested me; mindful of post-schooling employment but not overly focused on getting a job after college. My first adventures in graduate school were to study mathematics because I liked the subject. My second round of graduate school after teaching math for a few years was to study statistics, which admittedly was mostly so I could get a job outside of teaching (I have since grown to like the subject).
But I have never planned more than a year or two ahead. I guess I’ve not been that career focused.
Now, at 53 I’ve been thinking about retirement, which necessitates planning. The earliest I can retire is probably 62, which is almost ten years into the future. Planning this far out is hard: I am not the same person I was at 43, and I assume I will not be the same person at 62. Will I want to travel the world (read, need lots of money), or will I be continue to run, hike and do low budget activities? Will I physically still be able to do those things?
How do the five-year and ten-year plan people do it?