If there's anything this pandemic has taught us, it's that going forward the perk most requested by job applicants may not be a robust salary and benefits package (which remains crucial, of course), but the flexibility to telecommute. Gone are the days where employees were perfectly content sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic to make it to a pointless 9 a.m. meeting that could have just as easily been handled via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.  If there's anyone who can attest to the misery of an agonizingly long commute, it's yours truly.  I work a mere 8.2 miles away from home, but my morning and evening commute during the school year runs anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour! (And if there's an accident, I flirt with an hour and a half.) Blame it on antiquated infrastructure and a city population bursting at the seams.  You can imagine what a wonderful respite working from home has been for people like myself who have to contend with clogged streets and jam-packed highw...

Many of us can't help but grumble about our jobs, whether it's the low pay, obnoxious coworkers, or lousy commute. But what we fail to realize is that we can make our jobs much more tolerable if we only made a couple of mental adjustments. Below are two things you can do that will most definitely make your job easier to stomach. 1. Don't depend on the job to fulfill you. While we should like our work enough not to feel miserable doing it day in and day out, we should never think of our jobs as the be-all and end-all. A job will never fulfill you completely; that's what hobbies are for. I know certain jobs can certainly be fulfilling (e.g., charity work), but let's face it: the vast majority of jobs have an ugly side to them. Politics, red tape, layoffs, and other negatives are part and parcel of virtually all organizations. The less pressure you put on a job to fulfill you, the happier you'll be. You can always leave for another opportunity if your current...

It's a topic I broached in an earlier post this week regarding kids returning to school: TRAFFIC. The time spent stuck in traffic is time you'll never get back -- ever. Whether you drive through a school zone on the way to work or are delayed by an accident or two, traffic congestion can be anathema to even the most patient drivers. Once our commute approaches or exceeds an hour, it really starts to grate on us, especially if it's something we grapple with several times a week. It makes us more irritable and tired, often leaving us feeling awfully achy. For example, many people who spend inordinate amounts of time behind the wheel complain of chronic back pain, headaches, and other health issues. Worst of all is the fact that long commutes cut into the time we can be spending doing other things -- hanging out with friends or family, putting in a workout at the gym, sleeping, watching TV, etc. As I noted in my post on back-to-school traffic, I read while waiting ...

Rainy days seem to be one of those things that people either love or hate. I've asked around, and opinion is increasingly polarized on this topic. Those who love rain say it creates a sense of calm and tranquility, is good for the environment (e.g., grass and trees), and serves as a useful cleaning agent for things like cars. They also say it makes for great sleeping or reading weather. Then there are those who loathe rainy days, saying that too much rain makes them depressed and keeps them holed up at home. I think it all depends on one's personality and how often they like to be in doors. If you're an outdoorsy person who enjoys sunbathing on the beach or jogging at the park, rainy weather is sure to be an inconvenience. If you like staying at home reading or watching Netflix, the rain is less likely to bother you. The only time that I can't stand the rain is when I have to be somewhere at a certain time -- say, at work for a meeting, church for a wedding, o...

Some of us live in small towns. Others reside in big cities. I live in Florida, where traffic seems to be getting worse by the day. Last year, my wife and I bought our condo in an area known for being highly congested. We knew this ahead of time, but proceeded nonetheless because we got a great deal on the condo. Life is all about tradeoffs, right? Thankfully, we catch a bit of a break when kids go on summer vacation. Over that two month span, the drive to and from work is roughly 35 minutes. During the school year, though, I have a considerably longer commute: 45-60 minutes both ways, and that's assuming there are no accidents. We've been living in the condo for over 6 months now, and already the commute is starting to wear on me. It's gotten so bad that I decided to go to a Starbucks after work today (instead of driving straight home like I normally do) to wait out the traffic. I think I would rather have a shorter drive at the expense of getting home a bit la...