Do you prefer taking a weeklong vacation (5+ consecutive days), or would you rather take your days sporadically -- say, five back-to-back Mondays? If I'm going out of town, I suppose the first option is best. However, I strongly prefer the second alternative, and here's why. Everyone knows that five straight days of vacation go by in a flash. As if that weren't enough, the sting that comes from having to go back to work seems more potent when you've been off five or more successive days. On the other hand, the pangs that accompany having to return to the office don't seem nearly as strong when you take days off here and there. After all, you've only had one day off (or as many as three if the day precedes or follows the weekend). Thus, you don't feel like you've been away from the work grind for too long. With the second option, you're basically enjoying your days over a wider stretch of time. It's almost like eating a meal more slowly so...