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.
I’m sick and tired of this…
I’m writing this at 12:26 in the morning. I’ve just finished writing several other pieces, spent time working on my Daily Theme tasks already, and I’m about to head off to bed after a really productive day.
That’s why I’m sick and tired of people saying that night owls aren’t productive.
Whether it’s imperative to align your body clock with the magic hours of sleep or night owls simply not existing, there is a stigma against night owls and their ability to not just be productive but to sustain productiveness throughout the day.
I’m a productive night owl. Have been for nearly all of my life. And I want to break that stigma and help night owls be just as productive as their early bird counterparts.
If you’re a night owl then reply to this email and let me know. I’d love to hear from you because I know I’m not the only one that’s sick and tired of this.
See you later,
Mike
P.S. I’ve already developed a short email series for night owls, so if you’d like to receive that just click here and you’ll be good to go.
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. II, Issue 1 | February 28, 2026 Hello Reader, This week, my body made a decision before I could. I got sick. Not mildly under the weather, either. I'm talking flat-on-my-back, fever-that-won’t-break sick. I don’t get sick often, so when I do, it feels intrusive. Ill-timed. Tonight was supposed to be opening night of my son’s musical. He’s playing a major supporting role. I’ve heard the songs drifting through the house for weeks. We’ve been counting down. And I’m...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 52 | February 21, 2026 Hello Reader, Haruki Murakami wrote a memoir called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which is about running. Except it isn’t. It’s about rhythm. Repetition. Solitude. The quiet insistence of will. Murakami wakes early. He runs long distances. He writes with a discipline that borders on monastic. I do none of those things. I am not a runner. I am not an early riser in the romanticized sense. But I do walk. And when I...
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