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.
My daughter interviewed me
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Hello Reader, I’ve done a lot of talking about Productiveness this month. None of it went quite like this. My daughter Grace took over A Productive Conversation and interviewed me about the book. She didn’t ask the questions an author expects. She asked what she wanted to know: why I think productivity got corrupted, what changed in me while I was writing it, and what being productive looks like at home, not just at work. That last one landed. A while back, a therapist helped me flip how I saw myself. I’d been a guy who runs a business who happens to be a stay-at-home parent. Now I’m a stay-at-home parent who happens to have a business. Grace grew up on the other side of that shift, so hearing her ask about it meant something. We also get into why productiveness is a state and not a rate, the nine principles (yes, one of them shares her name), my ongoing wrestle with cadence as a night owl, and why enjoying the ride matters more than the result. Somewhere in there I said you are not the sum of how many boxes you check off. I believe that more now than when I wrote the book. The video of the episode premieres on YouTube tomorrow, Saturday, September 26, at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC). Grace and I will both be in the live chat. Come say hello.
One question before you go. Of the nine principles (Humanness, Grace, Prudence, Cadence, Nuance, Tolerance, Efficacy, Trust, and Will), which one are you most curious about? Hit reply and tell me. See you later, P.S. If you haven’t picked up the book yet, it’s right here. If you’ve read it and want to keep going, go beyond the book here. |
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.
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