Retire, but don't stop. For Steven McCarthy, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota and lifelong designer, a good day is less about structure and more about staying curious, being aware, and having discipline.

For Steven, a good day starts with sleep you didn't have to set an alarm for. He's shaped a quiet retirement ritual (coffee, sunlight, pancakes, and the morning news) that leads to exercise and creative work. His ritual traces back to his father, who started walking four miles a day in his 40s and didn't stop until he was in his 80s, logging every step and every coin he found on the ground.

As a graphic designer and activist, Steven makes protest posters and marches with them. He thinks in longer time scales about his granddaughters and about trajectories that stretch past this year or this decade. He recognizes that ...