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 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...
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...