I get migraines. Pretty bad ones. Typically, I get them when I get extremely run down. Monday night was one of those occasions. It actually lasted all day Tuesday as well. So, I unplugged for a day and re-visited my keys to maintaining health despite sitting at the computer all day, sometimes all night as well.

1. Unplug - Every once in awhile. Once a week. Once every ten days. Once every two weeks. Have a day where you check your e-mail a couple times real quick, maybe the news, and that’s it. Limit your time to 30 minutes or so max. Give your eyes, head and body a break.

2. Hydrate - Drink 8-10 cups of good water a day. Get a Brita pitcher. They work extremely well and are easy to both use and maintain. Those of us who work from home can piss as much as we want. There is no excuse for poor hydration. This and this alone will make a huge difference in your life.

3. Stretch - Get up from your computer once every hour or so and take a five-minute break and stretch. At the very least, try to stretch once a day and definitely take breaks from sitting at your computer.

4. Vitamins - A good multi-vitamin, not the crap you buy at Wal-Mart, is key. If you really want to overachieve in this department roll with extra Vitamin C and D as well. C will keep you from getting sick and D deficiency has recently been revealed as a major issue. Writers who don’t get a lot of sun could easily be Vitamin D deficient. After all, most of us are fucking vampires.

5. Sleep - If you don’t average at least close to seven hours a night, you will kill yourself. I’ve found that when I sleep better it takes less time for me to do better writing.

6. Decaf - I used to drink 10-plus cups of black coffee a day easy. Now I drink zero. Not saying you have to go to that extreme, but I was a slave to the java and it was bad news. You shouldn’t rely on coffee to keep your eyes open. Give you some pep? Sure. Keep you upright? No.

7. Nutrition - Get enough protein. Eat something green once a day. It’s not rocket science.

8. Exercise - Even if it’s just 3-4 times a week at 20 minutes a pop on the elliptical, or 30-minute walks every day. My sleep is a lot worse when I don’t sweat a little, and my body definitely feels worse at my computer desk when I don’t.

9. Posture - Get a good chair. Make sure your monitor is at eye level. Watch your posture elsewhere. Nothing is worse on a writer than a jacked-up body. Even writer’s block is better.

10. Outside - A quick walk gets you some air and sunshine. I walk a little ways to get my mail everyday. Keeps me from feeling like a hermit, and it is good for me. Plus, gas is too damn expensive for us poor people to drive to get our mail.

I hope my tips help!

I’m pretty sure all screenwriters try and keep up with the latest developments in Hollywood, the trades and such. It’s always good to know what’s coming out so you don’t slave on your reverse-aging spec script for a year only to find out that David Fincher’s upcoming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is going to kill your baby once and for all. Well, while you’re checking out AICN, Coming Soon or Variety, why not have a little fun, too?

What in the hell am I talking about? The Hollywood Stock Exchange, that’s what. HSX is a mock stock exchange where you trade stocks that are based on Hollywood’s players and projects. I actually just cracked the top 4,000 players out of around 2 million. So, yeah, I’ve been playing for five years and I’m hooked. But it’s a great way to stay caught up on the film industry. Because of my involvement in HSX, there is basically never a film that sneaks up on me. I’m always in the know, and I always have fun trying to stay there.

Make sure to head on over there and start playing–you’ll enjoy yourself. That way you also won’t be left in the dark when I post on HSX developments from time to time. My username is absolutebest if you want to add me to your league, or list me as a referral ($50,000 in my digital pocket, baby).