For those of us in the U.S. who have to work today -- a federal holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. -- getting out of bed was especially difficult. But don't despair! Rather than dwelling on the start of a new week as a bad thing, think of it as a fresh opportunity to do more of the things you want to do over the next couple of days. Maybe you're dead set on losing weight and welcome the chance to hit the gym early in the week, or look forward to squeezing in time to read your favorite book during your lunch breaks. Although everyone looks forward to the weekend, the bulk of the week is spread over the five days most of us have to go to work. That being said, we might as well do all we can to make Monday through Friday as enjoyable and productive as possible. That "I don't want to go back to work" feeling starts to set in as early as Sunday morning for many people. But rather than focusing on the most onerous aspects of the com...

There's no question that planning is an integral part of lives. We schedule everything from meetings at work to haircuts and dentist appointments. But did you know that scheduling leisure activities like happy hour can actually make them less enjoyable? According to a series of 13 studies from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, leisure, once scheduled, becomes more like work. That causes people to become less excited by and even resentful towards such scheduled leisure. In the end, people enjoy such activities as going to a movie and grabbing a bite to eat much more when they're unscheduled. It makes sense that we would derive less pleasure from activities we've jotted down in our planner or smartphone calendar. Think about it: We've all made plans ahead of time, only to blow them off because we weren't in the mood or just didn't feel like standing up and getting dressed. On the other hand, if a friend proposes that you g...