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 pull on your attention
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Hello Reader, October is ADHD Awareness Month. And since attention is such a central part of that conversation, I wanted to take a moment before the month gets into full swing to tap into yours. Firstly, the last week's edition of The Lantern was missing its LOOK, LISTEN, and LEARN section. I’ve fixed that and you can read it in full here. But I also want to share something deeper—because attention is both fragile and powerful. In The Productivity Diet I introduced the Spheres of Attention—Noticing, Awareness, Focus, and Concentration. They give you a way to place intention behind where your attention goes, rather than letting algorithms, headlines, or notifications decide for you. Here’s the truth: news, media, and social platforms aren’t simply informing us—they’re competing for us. And if we’re not deliberate, we slide from meaningful engagement into endless distraction. That’s why it’s helpful to know which sphere you’re in.
If you’d like to explore this further, I’ve unpacked how these spheres apply to news, media, and more in this article. And if you have further (or deeper) challenges with attention – such as ADHD – then I encourage you to check out my latest course in the TimeCrafting Trust community, TimeCrafting and ADHD. The point isn’t to withdraw from the world. It’s to engage with it—without being consumed by it. Take a few minutes this week to notice: Where is my attention right now? — Mike P.S. All month long, A Productive Conversation will feature conversations that connect with ADHD Awareness Month. First up is my discussion with the author of Extra Focus, Jesse J. Anderson. You can listen to it 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. 2, Issue 5 | March 28, 2026 Hello Reader, There are moments when procrastination doesn’t feel like avoidance. It feels… reasonable. A pause. A pivot. A moment to gather thoughts before beginning. In those moments, it’s subtle. Almost supportive. It creates space. And sometimes, that space is useful. It allows for reflection. It introduces just enough tension to sharpen attention. A form of eustress—pressure that prepares rather than overwhelms. But left...
Hello Reader, I released a conversation yesterday with Jon Acuff about procrastination—and one idea kept surfacing: It’s not laziness. It’s friction. Sometimes that friction looks like overwhelm. Sometimes it looks like fear. And sometimes… it’s just not knowing what to do next. If you want to dig into that, you can listen here. But below is something simple you can try right away. Write down six tasks. Roll a die. Do the one it lands on. That's it. It sounds almost too simple—but it works...
Hello Reader, We tend to believe that doing more will get us where we want to go. More effort. More output. More improvement.But that belief rarely gets questioned.What does get overlooked is this: What are we choosing to care about in the first place?That’s what I’ll be exploring in a live conversation with Mark Manson. You likely know Mark from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-ck. His work has reached millions by challenging the idea that we need to fix everything—and instead asking us to...