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 limits of “ignoring negativity”
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Hello Reader, I have this bright orange coffee mug that says ignore negativity in black script. It holds just enough coffee to get me through the first stretch of writing, but lately, it’s been holding more meaning than caffeine. Because here’s the thing: ignoring negativity only works for so long. Whether it comes from others—or from inside your own head—sooner or later, that voice you’re trying to tune out starts humming in the background, asking to be heard. When I chose The Productivity Diet as the October pick for the TimeCrafting Trust Book Club, that hum got loud. It’s one thing to share a book you admire. It’s another to share your own—to sit with readers you respect and hear what they see in it. There were gentle criticisms—some people noticed the repetition. Fair point. Others said the repetition worked, that it made the book feel like a coach in print. That contrast fascinated me. The same pattern that felt redundant to one person felt reassuring to another. Maybe that’s what happens when you try to write a book that sits somewhere between philosophy and practice—you circle the ideas that matter most until they take root. What really moved me, though, were the reflections that followed. Brad talked about how the book’s reflective questions reminded him to slow down and actually think. Christina shared how the word efficacy caught her off guard in a good way—how it carried an old-fashioned sense of quality. Amy said the book felt like a lifestyle, not a quick fix. And me? I sat there realizing that every one of those reactions—positive, critical, and in-between—was a mirror. Each one showed me something about how the work lands, and where it’s still stretching. So no, I don’t think we should ignore negativity—not entirely. Sometimes it’s feedback in disguise. Sometimes it’s a nudge toward presence, or precision, or humility. The trick is to listen just long enough to learn without letting it take the wheel. The mug still sits on my desk as I write this, but now it feels like a reminder, not a rule. Ignore negativity when it’s noise. Invite it in when it’s a note worth hearing. See you later, P.S. If you’d like to read the book that started this conversation, you can find The Productivity Diet 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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