Numerophila: He Focuses More on Numbers Than People

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I tell the life story of a person who preferred numbers to people.

"Will You Marry Me?" A look inward at that moment of truth

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I take a look inward at that moment of truth when someone asks you to marry. 

Should You Aspire to Conventional Success?

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I tell a short-short-story about a conventionally successful person. Its purpose is to encourage readers to look at their lives.

The Collaborator: The pros-and-cons of a group-centered existence.

I worry about the how-to article's pontification and aridity. So in some recent PsychologyToday.com posts, I've genre-bended: I've attempted to embed a psychological issue within a short-short story. Today's offering tells of a person who, all her life, loved being on a team or part of a group. 

Why a Wealthy Person Shoplifts

Yesterday, a client told me she stole an $8 jar of olives from Whole Foods and we discussed it. I posted the paraphrased transcript as my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Should You Give Up on Finding Mr/Ms Right?

I worry about the how-to article's pontification and aridity. So in some of my recent PsychologyToday.com posts, I've genre-bended: I've attempted to embed a psychological issue within a short-short story. For example, Slick WIlliam and Average Jane. 

Today's offering reveals the musings of a midlifer on whether he should give up trying to find Ms Right. 

Choosing a Hobby

Many people are so busy today that the word "hobby" seems almost obsolete.
Yet, most of us should reserve time for something pleasurable that has nothing to do with our career. For many people, that's relationships but a rewarding hobby can also light an otherwise dreary existence and enhance even an otherwise good one.

If you might be interested in a hobby but aren't sure what, as my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer a list of 37 curated from a master list of hundreds.

Be a Creative or Be More Practical?

One of life’s great dilemmas is whether to pursue your creative outlet as a career or to make it a sideline in favor of a career with better prospects of earning a decent, stable living.

Of course, that decision is an individual matter but perhaps you’ll gain some clarity from the internal debate that I posted on PsychologyToday.com.

Making the Most of Counseling, Coaching, and Psychotherapy

A reader wrote to me: "I am currently in therapy. What do you think is the best way to get the most out of it? Perhaps, you could write an article about it?"

Okay. That's my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Alice in America: Everything seems upside down

My op-ed: Alice in America. Everything seems upside down.

Why Many People Prefer Dogs to Humans

A number of people, including some famous ones, have admitted preferring dogs to humans. 

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I quote some of them and explain why that preference may not be so irrational.

My Approach to Public Speaking

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer the model for giving a talk has kept my clients and me in good stead.

The Hypochondriac: A Short-Short Story on the Limits of Honesty and Loyalty in Marriage

I worry about the how-to article's pontification and aridity. So in some recent PsychologyToday.com articles, I've genre-bended: I've attempted to embed a psychological issue within a short-short story, for example, Slick William and Average Jane. 

Today's offering explores the limits of honesty and loyalty in marriage. 

My Favorite New Thoughts About Work and Career

Every time I get what I believe is a fresh thought on living the life well-led, I archive it as a Twitter tweet. I have posted 3,400 tweets.

On PsychologyToday.com, I’ve posted a few sets of my favorites, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Today, I offer 23 of my latest on work.

My Favorite New Thoughts

Every time I get what I believe is a fresh thought on my PsychologyToday.com's blog's theme--How to Do Life--I archive it as a Twitter tweet. I have posted 3,400 tweets.

There, I’ve posted a few sets of my favorites: HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Today, I offer 25 of my latest on communication, education, genes, values, feelings, and pleasure.

The Psychology of Design: An interview with IDEO's Tom Kelley

Whether it’s a watch or a school, design is psychological. And all of us are designing things—whether our work space, kitchen countertop, or a party we’re thinking about throwing.

A world leader in bringing psychology to design is IDEO. A global survey by Boston Consulting Group ranked IDEO among the world’s most innovative companies. It is number 10 on Fast Company’s list of the Top 25 Most Innovative Companies, and has won more IDEA awards than any other design firm. In today’s PsychologyToday.com The Eminents interview, I talk with IDEO principal partner, Tom Kelley.

Difficult People at Work

Much of work’s frustrations come not from the work itself but from coworkers. My PsychologyToday.com article today attempts to help.

How Do You Really Want to Spend Your Birthday and Other Special Events

Many of us spend our birthdays and other events as society expects us to: special dinner, throw a party, etc. 

But if you didn't care what the norm was, what would you do? I ask you questions to help you explore that in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Cries for Help to My Radio Program: A career changer and a procrastinator.

On my KALW-FM (NPR-San Francisco) radio program, listeners call in for help with a career problem. As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer the transcript of two calls from the most recent program

Top Ten Ways to Gain Willpower

So many people can't motivate themselves to do what they know they should. My PsychologyToday.com article today offers my top ten ways to gain willpower. Might one or more help you?

The Peter Pan Syndrome

Many clients come to me thinking they'd be successful if only they had an idea for a more exciting career.

In fact, there usually are other causes for lack of success, many of which boil down to what I call the Peter Pan Syndrome: They won't grow up.

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I describe the Peter Pan Syndrome's most common manifestations.

Adrenaline Addiction

When we hear the word "addiction," we normally think about drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes.  Less discussed but also common is adrenaline addiction: creating stress to get an adrenaline rush. I discuss it in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Nine Keys to Becoming a Great, Even Legendary Manager or Leader

What does it take to become a great, even legendary, manager or leader?
My PsychologyToday.com article today describes nine of their characteristics, drawn from such best-in-class management books as Good to Great and The Elements of Great Managing, which derived from Gallup's interviews with 10 million employees and managers, plus my experience coaching countless managers and leaders.

Searching: The Making of a Recluse

Here's today's installment in my PsychologyToday.com occasional series on reclusivity. It's another of my attempts to address psychological issues in a short-short story.

Being Proactive Amid Life's Overwhelming Challenges

Yesterday on PsychologyToday.com, I told of a psychiatrist who despite having spent all the time and money to become one, is making little money and is overwhelmed by life's challenges. 

In today's article, I wave a magic wand and, in the exact same circumstances, she is proactive in improving her life. While, of course, sometimes, moving forward isn't that simple, but perhaps seeing the two mindsets juxtaposed will be helpful to you. You may derive more benefit from today's article if you read the previous one first.

Silent Scream: The Quiet Alienation Inside Many People

I worry about the how-to article's pontification and aridity. So in some recent PsychologyToday.com articles, I've genre-bended: I've attempted to embed a psychological issue within a short-short story. For example, Slick William and Average Jane.  

Today's offering looks at a burned-out, alienated person.

Driving Amid Road Rage: An interview with Leon James

With ever increasing commute times and seemingly ever ruder drivers, even a calm person may no longer find the car’s sanctuary very peaceful. And then there's road rage.

To help us out, today’s The Eminents interview on PsychologyToday.com is with Leon James. He testified on aggressive driving to the U.S. Congress and is on the National Advisory Panel for the American Institute for Public Safety. He also runs DrDriving.org, where he answers readers’ questions. He has given 1,500 media interviews. This is number 1,501.

Managing Your Perfectionism or Lack Thereof

Many people are excessively perfectionistic. Perhaps an even larger number aren't perfectionistic enough. In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I try to help both groups.

Low-Stress, High-Payoff Multitasking

Multitasking is often criticized, yet done right, the benefits can well outweigh the liabilities. I discuss how in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Should Your Child Take a Gap Year?

Malia Obama is taking a "gap year" before becoming a freshman at Harvard.
Should your child should take one? And, if so, how can s/he make the most of it? 

I address those questions in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Do You Know How to Control Your Weight?

So many people, including me, struggle to control our weight.

I don't often enough follow these tips or I wouldn't be 20 pounds overweight. But as someone who has spent a lifetime battling the problem including vigorous daily exercise, and know I could easily be 50 pounds overweight if I didn't use the following tactics, I thought I'd list them in my PsychologyToday.com article today, so you can do a self-assessment inventory to see if there's anything you want to change.

Do You Know How to Get a Great Education? Advice for preschool through graduate school.

More than ever, we view education s the magic pill.

As individuals, we continue to place faith and lots of dollars into getting that degree, or third degree, in hopes that will levitate us from the stack of applications for a good job.

As parents, we spend heavily on our kids' education. We may move to an expensive area so our kids can get "good" public schools. We may even spring for private school and college, which today costs an inconceivable amount of money. A child paying sticker price at well-regarded private schools K-16 costs--when all is added in--almost a million dollars: $30,000 a year x 12 and $70,000 a year x 4.  And that assumes s/he'll graduate in four years. 45.5% don't, even if given six years. And that's just to get to the bachelor's degree. And that's just for one child. Sure, there may be financial aid, but much of that is loan. That has to be paid back, with interest.

As a society, at least publicly, we tout education as the magic pill, the best hope for closing the achievement gap and for enabling the U.S. to compete in the global economy, notably with China. So the U.S. spends #1 in the world per capita on education even though, year after year, among developed nations, the U.S. scores near the bottom. 

And although colleges' PR machines tout US higher education as the finest in the world, dispassionate research finds remarkably little average student growth in college in, for example, writing, critical thinking, and now, yes in employment. 

It is an unpopular yet ever more evident truth that how we end up may well be more a function of socioeconomic status  and peers than any difference between School A and School B, let alone teaching tactic A vs tactic B. Yet, even if data doesn't support the power of education, we somehow deeply believe that all those years, all that money, all that effort on education has to make an important difference.

So let's assume that education matters and that it's worth our effort to try to optimize it for ourselves and for our children.

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer my best shot on how to do so from preschool through graduate school.