Did you turn your clock back this past weekend, embracing the opportunity for an extra hour of sleep? If so, you are not alone.

After countless mass downsizings, there are many people who are beyond busy -- and squeezing more hours from the workday by increasing their waking hours. While skipping a full night’s sleep might increase your available hours to, ostensibly, make you more productive in the short term, you might be damaging your productivity - and your health - in the long term.

How do you feel on Sunday evenings? C'mon, be honest.

For about 80% of working people, Sunday evenings usher in an array of mildly negative feelings such as irritability, fatigue, loss of interest in the things you generally enjoy. You may feel as though you have the blahs or the blues -- and you are probably blaming the fact that you need to go to work in the morning.

Not so fast. Needing to work in the morning might be only part of the cause.

While the Sunday slump is more pervasive and more severe among those who dislike their jobs, it is important to know that it is also felt by people who like their work and occurs among people from various income levels and professions.

Do you fall into this category? If so, your Sunday slump is probably caused by the contrast between the freedom you experience over the weekend -- and the lack of control you have during the week.

If I asked you "do you need a vacation?", your answer is probably “seriously, Caligiuri, of course. Who doesn’t?” Vacations can provide many positive benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. In fact, a meta-analysis by Professor Jessica de Bloom and her colleagues found that vacations have positive effects health and well-being (Journal of Occupational Health, 2009, 51:13-25). You probably didn’t need the research to tell you that.

Here is a tougher question: will you take a vacation this year? The answer to this question answers will vary tremendously, along our diverse definitions of what a vacation means (at home on a hammock or a climb up Kilimanjaro).

Isn't it great when science validates something you've thought all along? It's nice when your common sense and life experience get a thumbs up from academia. I've always appreciated the value of exercise as a way, not to become tired out and possibly injured, but just the opposite - a necessary nutrient my body and mind requires to lead a fast-past, vigorous life and to keep me awake and sharp.

For me, it was as plain as looking at some of the most hard working and productive
jobs in the world - the United States Presidency. Here's an ultra-high stress, energy-zapping job if ever there was one. And what U.S. Presidents always seem to make time for? Exercise! They jog, or shoot hoops, or get out on the ranch and clear brush. Politics aside, these top executives know the benefits of getting out into the world and moving their muscles.

Everybody's workin' for the weekend

Everybody wants a new romance

Everybody's goin' off the deep end

Everybody needs a second chance

(Lyrics from the 1981 song by Loverboy)

If you’ve never heard the song, or would like to trip down memory lane in red leather pants check out the YouTube video.

We all need vacations, time off to recharge our mental and physical batteries. I believe we all have a personal meter that tells us when we are over-heating and need to switch off for a while to avoid burnout. Research conducted by Air New Zealand in conjunction with former NASA scientists found that individuals’ post-vacation performance improved nearly 25% compared to performance before vacation.

You really do not need to be a NASA scientist to understand that vacations are good for the body, soul, and career. But, here’s the big question: what is your idea of a “great vacation”?

At the start of the 2010 I wrote a blog post based on your responses to my request for songs to add to my play list for the gym. The result was a blog post which included a list of 35 songs to energize and motivate. Given that this is a career and work-life harmony blog, I was surprised that in four months this post has become one of the most searched posts. Trust me, I am not complaining -- any positive and natural way to increase our energy is a wonderful contribution.

Research has found that listening to music makes endurance exercising more enjoyable and motivates people to achieve their goals (Wijnalda, et al, 2005).

This cannot possibly be surprising to you if you’ve ever in worked-out while listening to the music you find most motivational. (I, for one, didn't realize the extent of the energizing influence my music had on my own performance until the day I went to the gym and accidentally forgot my iPod at home.)

Over the past few months I have asked you, the readers of this blog on Facebook and Twitter, to help me develop my new playlist for the gym.

Here are your suggestions of songs to motivate and energize:

1. I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly
2. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor