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.
In Praise of a Boring Breakfast
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Hello Reader, Every weekday morning, I eat oatmeal. Steel-cut oats, cooked in the Instant Pot ahead of time. Nothing fancy. Nothing Instagram-worthy. On a recent call with my mom, I mentioned this in passing. Her response was immediate and unfiltered: “That’s gross.” I laughed. Because... that's fair. Oatmeal isn’t exactly thrilling. And no, it’s not my favourite breakfast either. But that’s kind of the point. Here’s the thing: oatmeal is foundational. It’s the default I don’t have to think about. I know it’ll be there. I know it’ll do its job. And I know it’ll get me through the morning without requiring a decision before I’ve even fully woken up. What does change is what I add to it. Different berries. Sometimes nuts. Occasionally something unexpected. The base stays the same, but the experience shifts just enough to keep it from feeling monotonous. That’s the balance I’m after: consistency without boredom. Working from a default removes friction. No scanning the fridge. No debating options. No “what do I feel like today?” first thing in the morning. The decision has already been made. And here’s the quiet truth: once you remove friction, you make room for variation where it actually matters. Oatmeal may not be my favorite—but it tastes better than a lot of alternatives. (Soylent, anyone?) More importantly, it respects my energy, my attention, and my time. It does what it’s supposed to do. That’s how I think about a lot of things now—not just breakfast. Defaults aren’t about settling. They’re about supporting. You build something reliable, then layer novelty on top by choice, not by necessity. And that’s how small, unremarkable decisions stop draining you... and start carrying you instead. See you later, P.S. Tomorrow I'm facilitating a workshop titled The Strategic Journal: How Reflection Becomes a System for The Grand Connection's Grand Productivity Group and it'd be great if you would join us. Click here to make that happen. |
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. 1, Issue 50 | February 7, 2026 Hello Reader, I rewatched tick, tick… BOOM! on January 26—the day Jonathan Larson’s story begins—and it hit differently this time. Not because of the ambition. Not because of the urgency. But because of how devotion shows up when it’s left unquestioned. Jonathan isn’t lacking focus. He’s drowning in it. His attention is fiercely committed to the work, to the clock, to the idea that this must happen now or it won’t happen at all....
Hello Reader, Over the past little while, something interesting has been happening inside the TimeCrafting Trust community. People have been sharing how they use other productivity methods alongside TimeCrafting—not instead of it. One member mentioned using it in conjunction with the Time Sector System from Carl Pullein. Others have talked about borrowing pieces from systems they’ve trusted for years and letting them live comfortably next to TimeCrafting. That matters to me more than you...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 49 | January 31, 2026 Hello Reader, I was talking with a friend recently when they said, “I just need to get better at managing my time.” I didn’t interrupt, but I did eventually offer this: You can’t manage time. But you can manage your calendar. Time moves whether we engage with it or not. It doesn’t respond to effort or intention. What does respond is our relationship with it—and the calendar is where that relationship shows up. If time is on one...