Many bosses loathe the idea of having their subordinates work from home for one simple reason: It makes them feel as though they've lost some measure of control. Obviously, this doesn't apply to all supervisors, as many of us would agree our bosses are comfortable with our working from home as long as the work gets done. Those who fall into this camp are primarily: Old school, preferring everyone work from the office all the time Control freaks Slave drivers Micro managers Highly extroverted people who prefer verbal to written communication There's nothing wrong with preferring to work at the office because it affords you more structure, you have fewer distractions to contend with, and so forth. But many power-hungry bosses can't bear the thought of not being able to pop into your cubicle and press you on why the budget forecast isn't yet complete.  There's no physical office with their title slapped proudly to the door, visible...

Many people absolutely loathe those dark, rainy days that, in their view, hold them hostage at home. They gripe that this prevents them from going to the mall, meeting up with friends for lunch at the cafe, hitting the gym, or crossing other things off their To Do Lists that necessitate venturing out. I see it quite differently, perhaps in part because I'm a writer. Inclement weather should be an excuse to stay home, all curled up with a good book and cup of coffee. If you're not a bibliophile, you can always catch a good flick while munching on popcorn. Or how about writing, painting, or napping to the sound of rain streaming down your window? Or, you can use the time to clean, do laundry, organize your drawers/closets, or take care of those other chores you continue to put off. As a proud, self-admitted introvert, I jump at any opportunity to stay holed up reading and writing in my home office, or watching knee-slapping shows with my wife in our cozy living ro...

Where do you go to escape the day-to-day? What do you consider your refuge? Is a quiet park near your house? A bustling neighborhood pub where you meet up with loads of people? One's answer will depend on a bevy of factors, including personality, financial resources, hobbies, and so forth. I'm getting ready to go to the library in a couple of minutes, which I consider my hideaway -- my home away from home, if you will. At the library, I become one with books. I love devouring, smelling, and taking notes on them. In this age of Kindles and other electronic devices, I remain firmly ensconced in the traditional book camp. I have an office at home that includes myriad books, magazines, my computer, filing cabinet, and all the other essentials. As much as I try to do a lot of reading at home, I never seem to get very far. There are simply too many distractions in the vicinity, from my wife watching TV to dogs barking to my comfy bed calling out my name. Beyond that, ...

To all my readers in the United States and around the world, I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Let me start off by saying that I'm grateful for the people for whom I passionately churn out content every day: you . This two-year-old blog -- nearly 1,100 posts and 212,000 views later -- wouldn't be what it is today without your support; I'll forever be indebted to everyone who takes the time to read, comment on, and/or share my posts. I look forward to writing more content in the coming days, months, and years that will continue to stimulate the substantive conversations my readers and I have on Google+, Facebook, and within the comments section of each individual post. It's obvious that many of you share my passion for so many of the topics I cover on this blog -- from psychology and human behavior to politics and history -- which is a real treat for someone like myself who has an insatiable appetite for learning. That sa...

According to a survey discussed on a local radio station this morning, some people would rather schedule dates for the week than the weekend. At first blush, this made little sense to me. But the commentator went on to say that doing so serves as a failsafe in case the date goes awry; you can always bail early by saying you have to get up early for work, have stuff to do at home, etc. While that may be so, what happens if the date goes well? You would have far less time to get to know the other person than if the date were scheduled for the weekend. Personally, I am not a fan of dates taking place in the week. I like to be relaxed and feel like I have ample time to get ready. That's hard to do after you've worked a full day and may have to spend considerable time in traffic to get home and then leave to wherever it is you're meeting up. I understand arranging a meeting in the week if scheduling conflicts prevent one or both of you from doing it on the weekend. B...

I've noticed that every time I request a couple of days off, one of my co-workers immediately asks, "So where are you going?" They assume that if a person plans to be out for three or four days, they must be planning a vacation. While that's always a possibility, what happened to requesting time off just to relax? I've done this on several occasions over the years. Reality check: Some of us actually like using the free time to:  Sleep in  Binge-watch Netflix in our underwear or  pajamas  Catch up on our reading  Watch a movie at the local theater  Hit up a nearby beach  Do things around the house, like clean,  organize, or renovate Traveling can be fun, but it can also be awfully draining. Between planning, packing, walking, and hailing cabs, it can often feel like work in itself. In other words, people sometimes take time off to travel and end up feeling as tired -- if not more so -- when they come back home than if they had go...

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...