The idea is you get your financial ducks in a row (long) before you retire so then all that's needed is an annual rebalancing of your portfolio, which is largely in funds to avoid having to deal with individual stocks.
Isn't that essentially what I'm doing with a pension fund though? The fact I paid off my house means pretty much whatever happens, I have a roof over my head. I look at it as pretty sensible, low-risk future-proofing.
You don't retire early though, do you? You're "working" dealing with your shares and shit.