I’m Mike Vardy, and I help people build a better relationship with time — not by controlling it, but by working with it. Through my writing, courses, and community, I explore how intention and attention shape a more meaningful life — one rooted in the original idea of productiveness over productivity.
650 episodes. But that's not even the whole story.
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Hello Reader, Episode 650 of A Productive Conversation dropped during the last week of March — and while that number means a lot to me, it's actually a little misleading. Because 650 is just this show. Before A Productive Conversation (formerly known as The Productivityist Podcast), there was Mikes on Mics. And WorkAwesome. And more within this space... and some well outside of it. Add it all up and I've hosted well over a thousand podcast episodes across more than a decade — and somewhere along the way, crossed six million downloads. I've never really stopped to say that out loud. So consider this me stopping. Here are three episodes worth your time — starting with the milestone itself: Jon and I got into why the people who care most about their goals are often the ones most likely to stall on them. It's one of those conversations that makes you rethink something you thought you already understood. The most recent episode. Erin makes a distinction between routines and rituals that I keep coming back to — it reframes what "being productive" even means. Ep. 598 — Routine, Creativity, and Paying Attention (with Austin Kleon) One of the most-listened episodes after we renamed the show. Austin has a way of making you feel like slowing down is actually the more ambitious choice. Over the years, the show has featured conversations with James Clear, Seth Godin, David Allen, Cal Newport, Gretchen Rubin, Tiago Forte, Ryder Carroll, Michael Bungay Stanier, James Clear, and dozens of others who've shaped how people think about time, work, and what it means to be productive. And we're not slowing down — I'm starting to do solo episodes with more regularity (and Mark Manson is coming up soon). Thanks for being part of this. It means more than the numbers do. PS. New episodes drop every Wednesday. If you want a heads up when a new one goes live, click here and you'll get an email. Would you rather skip the email and just keep on top of the podcast in your podcast app of choice? Then click here to subscribe. |
The Practice of Productiveness
I’m Mike Vardy, and I help people build a better relationship with time — not by controlling it, but by working with it. Through my writing, courses, and community, I explore how intention and attention shape a more meaningful life — one rooted in the original idea of productiveness over productivity.
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 8 | April 18, 2026 Hello Reader, I've been running workshops that offer up "quick wins" lately — for my TimeCrafting Trust community and for an organization I've been working with. The premise is simple: when time is short and the pressure is on, what do you actually do first? People come in thinking the answer is prioritization. Or focus. Or some system they haven't tried yet. And those things matter. But there's something that comes before all of...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 7 | April 11, 2026 Hello Reader, There's a particular ache that comes with finally becoming yourself. You look around at the work you're doing, the way you're moving through the world, the lines you draw without hesitation — and something in you says yes, this is it. And then, almost immediately, something else says why did it take so long? Both things are true at once. That's the curious cruelty of arrival. Recently, I drew one of those lines....
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 6 | April 4, 2026 Hello Reader, I found it at Dollarama. The World According to Tom Hanks by Gavin Edwards, tucked in among the seasonal decor and reading glasses. For a bit more than a dollar — dollar stores don't exactly live up to their name these days — I walked out with something I didn't expect: a list of ten commandments distilled from the life of America's most decent human being. You can see all ten here. I've been sitting with the ninth one...