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 Power of Gratitude, Canadian Thanksgiving Edition
|
Hello Reader, Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada, a holiday that reminds us of the importance of gratitude. Not just in thought, but in practice. That’s why I wanted to share a book with you: Gratitude Tiger by Joel Zuckerman. It’s a book about a simple but profound idea—writing Letters of Gratitude. These aren’t your typical thank-you notes. They’re deeper, more personal acknowledgments of the people who’ve made an impact on your life. One of my favourite lines from the book is: “A Letter of Gratitude is thanking someone just for being themselves. Not for any specific deed or action.” It’s a beautiful reminder that gratitude isn’t about transactions—it’s about recognition. I’ll be sharing an episode of A Productive Conversation with Joel in early 2026 (yes – our episode queue is that far ahead!) but in the meantime, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book. It’s the kind of read that not only makes you want to write a letter—it makes you want to write dozens. Whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving today or not, it’s always the right time to give thanks. And as Joel points out, writing these letters is as much a gift to yourself as it is to others. Wishing you gratitude and grace this holiday, P.S. On this day of thanks, I want to express my gratitude to those of you who’ve already picked up my latest book, The Productivity Diet. Your support means the world to me. If you haven’t had the chance yet, you can get your copy 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.
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 37| November 8, 2025 Hello Reader, There’s a kind of wealth in caring — not in the Hallmark sense, but in the sheer fact of having the bandwidth to care about something deeply. I was talking with a friend this week about energy, attention, and effort — those things we protect in the name of focus. But the conversation took a turn toward care. We don’t often think of care as something that needs guarding, but it does. There’s only so much of it to go...
Hello Reader, The latest monthly essay I write for Medium — The Sound of Time — started as a small reflection on why vinyl feels better than streaming. But beneath the surface, it became something else: a meditation on how time behaves when we stop trying to control it. Then there’s this week’s episode of A Productive Conversation with James Kimmel Jr. — an episode we recorded months ago that finally drops in audio format today. (Want to watch the full, unedited video interview? Here you go.)...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 36| November 1, 2025 Hello Reader, October always feels like a month in motion. The days quicken, the light shortens, and the world seems to collide with itself — baseball finishing, basketball and hockey beginning, football and soccer in full stride. It’s a season of noise and momentum. And then November arrives. A quieter month. A slower breath. It starts with no — but I like to add a W. For me, that turns it into NOWvember — a reminder to shift from...