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.
If This Season Feels Heavy
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Hello Reader, I’ve been thinking about It’s a Wonderful Life again. Partly because it’s December—and we’re deep enough into it now that the shine has worn off. Partly because I recently listened to an episode of the What Went Wrong? podcast that unpacked how that film almost didn’t survive—and why it still endures. What stayed with me wasn’t the trivia. It was the reminder beneath it all. George Bailey doesn’t get a new life. He gets the same life back—just seen differently. That matters. Because by this point in December, most of us aren’t walking around feeling like our lives are “wonderful.” We feel stretched. A little frayed. Sometimes small. And this season has a way of quietly amplifying all of that. But wonder isn’t the same thing as wonderful. Wonderful is polished. Wonder is practical. It lives in the margins—the small rituals, familiar faces, quiet moments that don’t announce themselves as important. When you notice even one of those, something shifts. Not because everything changes, but because your relationship with time softens. You stop measuring your life and start experiencing it. So if December feels heavy—or rushed, or oddly flat—you could try this: Look for one moment of wonder today. Nothing grand. Just real. A passing kindness. A line you overhear. Light doing something unexpected. It won’t fix everything. But it might remind you that your life—this one—is fuller than it feels. See you later, P.S. If this way of noticing resonates, The 12 Days of TimeCrafting is designed for exactly this moment in the year. One small offering at a time—no pressure to keep up—just simple ideas to help you finish the year with a little more clarity, calm, and wonder than you started it. Click here to learn more and sign up. |
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.
Hello Reader, A week ago, the calendar changed.Not your life—just the number at the top of the page. That distinction matters more than we admit. The first seven days of a year are often loud: intentions declared, plans announced, energy projected forward. But a week later, something quieter shows up. Reality. Habit. Drift. Friction. Familiarity. This is where the year actually begins. Not with resolution, but with recognition.Not with ambition, but with awareness. So here’s a better question...
Hello Reader, We’re less than a week into the year, which means this is usually the moment when people start wondering why things don’t feel clear yet. That’s understandable—but it’s also a misunderstanding. An epiphany isn’t a sudden realization that changes everything. More often, it’s a quiet recognition of something that’s been asking for your attention for a while. Nothing new. Just newly noticed. There’s an important difference here. Realization feels dramatic. It arrives all at once...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 45 | January 3, 2026 Hello Reader, I was listening to an episode of Unspooled where the hosts were unpacking Variety’s Top 100 Comedies list. What stood out wasn’t the rankings—it was the friction. They weren’t arguing to win. They were circling tone, era, memory, and taste. What counts as comedy? What lasts? What lands differently depending on when—or who—you are? That’s when it clicked: Lists don’t reveal truth; they reveal judgment. Every list is...