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.
That in-between stretch of days...
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Hello Reader, We're in that strange little pocket of time that shows up every year. Somewhere between December 25 and January 1, the usual markers blur. You check the calendar and still aren’t quite sure what day it is. Monday feels like Saturday. Saturday feels like… nothing in particular. It’s easy to rush past this stretch—to treat it as filler before the “real” year begins. But this in-between space has a quiet gift. When the usual cadence loosens, so does our grip on certainty. And in that looseness, there’s room to notice things we’ve set aside: ideas that never quite fit before, questions we didn’t have time to ask, curiosities we postponed because everything felt too full. Ambiguity gets a bad rap. But here, it can be gentle. Hospitable, even. A place where reflection doesn’t have to turn into resolution just yet. If the days feel a little unmoored right now, you’re not behind. You might actually be exactly where you need to be. Let yourself wander a bit. This stretch doesn’t need to be optimized. It just needs to be noticed. See you later, P.S. On December 31, I’ll be hosting a 12 Tips of TimeCrafting livestream—an end-of-year gathering focused on clarity, not correction. You can visit this link now and click the bell to get notified when it goes live (or watch the replay later if that suits you better). |
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, Every year on January 18, I resurface an old SNL sketch that’s very much not safe for work. The punchline? Everyone has already abandoned their New Year’s resolutions by that date. Darkly funny. Uncomfortably familiar. Yesterday also happened to be Blue Monday—that so-called low point of January where motivation dips and optimism wobbles. You can debate the science (and you probably should), but the feeling? That part’s real enough. So if the year hasn’t gone the way you...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 47 | January 17, 2026 Hello Reader, There’s an unlikely lesson hiding in The Room. By most standards, it’s a failure. The performances are awkward. The dialogue is strange. The story barely holds together. And yet, people keep showing up. Years later. Together. On purpose. The reason isn’t quality. It’s completion. Tommy Wiseau made the movie. He didn’t wait until it was perfect. He didn’t stop because it might be misunderstood. He finished it and...
Hello Reader, Most of us remember what a physical growth spurt felt like. Awkward. Uncomfortable. A little disorienting. Your clothes didn’t fit. Your coordination was off. You needed more rest than usual. And crucially—you didn’t cause it. You didn’t hustle your way into it. Your body just grew, and you had to adapt. A personal growth spurt works the same way—but we often treat it very differently. Instead of accommodating it, we try to capitalize on it. We add goals. Announce intentions....