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 Seduction of Hustle
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Hello Reader, We hear it all the time: “I’m just hustling hard right now.” Hustle has become a badge of honour — a signal that you’re making moves, pushing through, getting it done. But at what cost? What if hustle isn’t a measure of progress, but a mask for something else? In past seasons of my work, I’ve explored that question beneath the surface, recognizing how hustle often masks something deeper. Hustle can feel productive because it’s active. It’s motion. It’s doing. But not all motion is progress. Hustling often happens in a hurry — reacting instead of reflecting, rushing instead of recalibrating. It’s no surprise that more people are starting to question whether hustle culture is actually helping us — or quietly failing us. It’s like sprinting in a fog. You’re moving fast, but you’re not seeing clearly. And even if you do make it through, you might not end up where you wanted to go. Or worse, you might get hurt along the way. The problem isn’t just that hustle is unsustainable — it’s that it’s often unfocused. And focus is where intention lives. So... can you even hustle with intention? Maybe. But it’s rare. Because intention asks for awareness. It invites discernment. It slows you down just enough to ask, “Why this? Why now?” Hustle doesn’t always leave room for that kind of reflection. That’s why intentional progress might feel slower… but it’s steadier. And more likely to be sustained. That’s the best way forward. – Mike P.S. Module 2 of TimeCrafting & ADHD was released today, featuring a lesson called “How TimeCrafting Aligns with ADHD Thinking.” It explores how systems built for focus can still honour flexibility — especially when your brain thrives on novelty. If that sounds like something you need, you can start this TimeCrafting Trust Premium members-only course 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...