When you are an early riser, getting up two hours later seems like you are losing half a day.

My back was cramping yesterday, so I took a muscle relaxer last night. I slept fitfully and didn’t get out of bed till 8:00. That’s at least two hours “late” for me.

By the time I got into the office, it was after 9:00. Already the place was buzzing. No sooner did I open my laptop than Jon Herring was at my door, inviting me to an editorial meeting. After that, he told me, Jason wanted to go over some marketing copy. And so it went.

It’s 11:45, and I’ve just begun writing — something I usually do at 7:00 or 7:30. And because the official workday has begun, it’s likely I won’t write as well as I would have in the quiet of the early morning.

I know that late risers hate it when I get on this soapbox. But as a former “night person,” I’m here to tell you: Early to bed, early to rise…