“As you get older and you start to have some ability to work less and to be more flexible in your work, keep in mind that doing some work is good for most people … How we work is not good for us.” Stanford researcher Laura Carstensen made those comments in my forthcoming book, and several other interviewees made a similar point: Phasing into retirement gradually rather than making it a hard stop makes a ton of sense, especially if you can find an agreeable work/life balance.