Because this site is essentially a postmodernist sideshow of my life, things don't always appear here in chronological order. I've made some big changes in my life and career recently that I haven't really discussed at all here. I'm sure I will when I figure out what I want to say about it.

But I did want to mention one very important thing my new schedule has afforded me.

For the last six months or so, I've been spread way too thin across paid and non-paid pursuits. Exercise was just one thing I felt forced to give up to get it all done.

When I'm not regularly exercising, it takes me a lot longer to feel tired at the end of the day. So I stay up later. I feel wired. And I feel like a sloth when I get out of bed in the morning.

Now that I've simplified my life somewhat, I'm running again regularly. And it feels great. I feel naturally tired at the end of the day, and I feel a lot sharper first thing in the morning.

Physical activity and sleep are precious, intertwined things that have become tragically undervalued in our culture of double-digit hour workdays.

There will always be good life reasons that make putting off exercise necessary: special family circumstances, the birth of a child, illness, etc.

But if you're putting off exercise simply because you feel like you can get more done in that 30-45 minutes, that's almost never a good reason. Reminding your body that it wasn't meant to be still all day is one of the single best things you can do to make a better product the rest of the day.