The Lantern is a thoughtfully curated weekly email from Mike Vardy designed to help you craft a better relationship with time. Each edition brings you insights, inspiration, and practical tools through a simple yet powerful framework: Look (a thought-provoking video or visual), Listen (a compelling podcast or audio insight), and Learn (a deep dive into a key concept, article, or book). Designed to inform, inspire, and illuminate, The Lantern helps you navigate time with clarity and intention—without the overwhelm.
How I’ve started listening differently
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Hello Reader, For most of my adult life, I convinced myself that music had to take a back seat. Podcasts, audiobooks, silence. Those became my companions for focus, for learning, for “productive” listening. But something shifted recently. I found myself craving sound again—not just any sound, but music. Not noise to fill the air, but intentional listening that stirred something deeper. And right around that same time, I started using a tool that didn’t just play audio, but helped me shape it. That return to music made me realize something: I wasn’t just enjoying songs. I was remembering moments. A summer road trip. My childhood living room. The emotions, the atmosphere, the version of me that existed back then. Music wasn’t background anymore—it was a bridge. And I started crossing it more often. Eventually, I began building playlists not just to listen to… but to remember with. Seasonal soundtracks. Milestone moments. Songs that marked transitions in my life. The result? A deeper connection to the past... and a surprising clarity in the present. I wrote more about this journey, the science behind music and memory, and how to create your own memory-based playlists in a recent post. Click on the link below to give it a read. Rediscovering My Musical Memory: A Journey Through Time and Sound There you’ll also find the playlist I’ve been building. It's filled with songs that take me back and help me feel more grounded in who I am. Give it a listen. And maybe start building your own. — Mike |
The Lantern: A Weekly Guide to Navigating Time with Intention
The Lantern is a thoughtfully curated weekly email from Mike Vardy designed to help you craft a better relationship with time. Each edition brings you insights, inspiration, and practical tools through a simple yet powerful framework: Look (a thought-provoking video or visual), Listen (a compelling podcast or audio insight), and Learn (a deep dive into a key concept, article, or book). Designed to inform, inspire, and illuminate, The Lantern helps you navigate time with clarity and intention—without the overwhelm.
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 27 | August 30, 2025 Hello Reader, This is my last email for the year—my year. Two days from now, on September 1, I’ll step into a new one. It’s not because the calendar says so, but because I’ve decided that’s when my year begins. I’m not alone in that. People like Gretchen Rubin and Martin Short also start their year in September, aligning it with the rhythm of schooling—their own in the past, their kids’ in the present. I’ve still got a few more...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 26 | August 23, 2025 Hello Reader, Yesterday, our TimeCrafting Trust Premium community spent the day in immersive focus. No endless notifications. No juggling five tasks at once. Just deep, uninterrupted time devoted to what mattered most. For some, that could have meant committing to a Daily Theme and letting it guide every decision. Others might've leaned on a Monthly Theme that allowed them to weave focus into the day’s natural flow. Some may have...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 25 | August 16, 2025 Hello Reader, As summer begins its slow fade, it’s tempting to do the same. We coast. We keep the heat on low. We simmer. But simmering is passive. It’s a waiting game—letting time slip while ideas, ambitions, and opportunities just bubble quietly beneath the surface. Seeking, though… seeking is intentional. It’s looking ahead, moving toward what matters, and taking deliberate steps—even small ones—toward a future we want to forge,...