I've started a routing of daily excersize. I know, it's revolutionary isn't it? I've often done daily excersize before but it's not until now that I'm realizing that excersize is fundamentally necessary for me to write the highest quality code.

My biggest roadblocks in development come when I don't have a clear list of tasks in front of me. I'm facing some big ugly monster of a legacy script that I've inherited and I don't know where to stop. The difference between my good days and my bad hinge on my ability to persevere and find some entry point into accomplishing the mammoth task at hand. And that all hinges on whether I've got the endorphins running and giving me the edge.

I've found I don't have to do that much in the way of excersize, I just need to exhaust myself somehow. I typically run every other day (to spare my knees) and do little workout stuff on my livingroom floor on alternate days. It's become my most rewarding habit because it only takes 20 minutes a day and it improves all the work I do on both work and hobby projects.

So that's my best practice. I'm sure lots of people do it but I never ran across it in all the books I read on "how to code awesomely" - so here it is.

• Vinnie said: I've also noticed my productivity and general mood increasing as a result of exercising. I do 30-45 minutes for 4-5 days a week (2 days on, 1 day off). It's a good way to spend part of my lunch hour.
• James said: Excellent post. I completely agree and am the same way. I also find that running is something that can be hard to make yourself do, so try a race. I've only run one so far, but it was a great event and gave a lot of meaning to all that running!

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