BTW, comedians literally call this "working out"—it's understood that if you don't use it, even for a week, you start to lose it. So along with a need to do it, part of it is that it's more difficult to get back into comedic shape than it is to stay in shape.

It's very similar to programming, right? I guess we can generalize it to any specialized skills/expertise. Use it or you start losing it.

It's fortunate that taking only a week off programming doesn't dull your edge. That sounds nerve wracking!

I bet it does. It's just that most programmers are used to working at 25% or less of their actual capacity due to constant interruptions, so it's less apparent.

He talks about this in the Comedians in cars getting coffee Obama episode (worth a watch!). He basically says he fell in love with the work and that’s what keeps him grounded.

Seinfeld also blames his audience when they don’t like his jokes. He’s a really, really bad example of that (common) practice.

Oh?

Yup.