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 principles you keep walking past
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Hello Reader, Heather Jo Kennedy didn’t hedge the subtitle of her book. Not “principles of productivity you might be overlooking” or “probably overlooking.” Just: principles of productivity you’re overlooking. Full stop. And she’s right. Every principle in the book is almost too simple to take seriously... which is exactly why most of us walk right past them. Gratitude. Identity. Clarity. Finishing. The basics we assume we’ve already handled because they don’t feel sophisticated enough to be the answer. Her definition of productivity stopped me, too. Not maximizing output. Recognizing your unique purpose and acting on it. That’s it. Which means everything you’re doing that isn’t connected to that purpose isn’t productive — no matter how busy it keeps you. We got into all of it in this week’s episode, and it’s one of those conversations that keeps surfacing after you’ve listened. Listen to this APC episode here See you later, P.S. At 9AM Pacific Time today, I'm hosting The READY Return — a FREE 90-minute live working session on YouTube, open to everyone. It's normally exclusive to TimeCrafting Trust members, but this one's public. If you want to recalibrate before the next season takes hold, this is the session. Click here to be part of it (and hit the notification bell so you don't miss out). |
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. 2, Issue I17 | June 20, 2026 Hello Reader, Earlier this month I posted a short video calling World Productivity Day paradoxical. A man named Kevin commented on Facebook, thoughtfully, and with some heat. His argument was economic: that productivity, in a capitalist context, is really just a sophisticated way of asking the poorest people to work harder so the wealthiest can accumulate more. And that the antidote is redistribution: returning more value to the...
Hello Reader, I'm sending this to you from somewhere over the Rockies. I've been in Boise the past week for Kit's Craft + Commerce conference. Fully immersed, mostly present, doing what needed to be done. My themed days kept me focused. My attention to what mattered most kept me grounded. But my horizontal themes? Mostly set aside. That's not failure. That's what a travel week looks like when you're doing it right. The point of TimeCrafting isn't to maintain perfect consistency regardless of...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 16 | June 13, 2026 Hello Reader, I found out recently that Shel Silverstein wrote several songs for Dr. Hook's first two albums. Most people know Silverstein through Where the Sidewalk Ends, or maybe "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash. But "Cover of the Rolling Stone"? "Sylvia's Mother"? That was him too. The first instinct is to say that doesn't fit. Which is exactly the wrong instinct. It fits perfectly — it just requires you to look at the right...