So, I am usually a runner of this sort. Indeed momentum is important and there’s heaps of scientific evidence that, for example, skipping one class increases the likelihood of skipping the next. Etc.

But sometimes you need to process stuff. Sometimes zoning out on a bit of <insert moderate amounts of substance of choice> and watching all seven seasons of 30 Rock might be what is needed before your brain can function at full capacity.

OK, or spending a few days in nature would probably be healthier… whatever works.

Recently, I was dealt a huge blow in life for which I was totally unprepared. My response to the news was to immediately double down on work because the nature of the news was that I was going to have to do just that.

But when I did, I discovered I couldn’t actually do any work. My brain was not functioning as expected. It needed time to recalibrate—to take it all in and sort through it all in it’s own mysterious way.

Sometimes, when the computer isn’t working, the best thing to do is a reboot. Not a restart, a reboot of the sort that requires a complete shut down and waiting 15–45 seconds before turning back on…

What’s missing, I think, is context.

Maybe you’re talking about a stray bullet whizzing by one day while the other guy is thinking about all-out gang warfare. (Sorry, I’m a Chicagoan, these are our metaphors…). The best next step in these two situations is vastly different.

Maybe context is the bit that was needed to clarify your point here for readers. Maybe that context is coming… since this is a serial project. Or maybe I missed it when I was watching 30 Rock instead of working, which seems to include reading some of your stuff every day or so. If so, I apologize for a bad assumption…

Although I still found the whole thing your usual bundle of awesome so personally, I didn’t care that it was missing in this individual post.