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.
Time isn't money. (Tomorrow, live.)
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Hello Reader, You've probably said it. I've definitely said it. "Time is money." It's so embedded in how we talk about productivity that we barely notice it anymore. But that framing — time as currency, something to spend wisely and not waste — is quietly working against us. Because money is something you can earn back. Time isn't. And yet we've built entire systems around that metaphor. We measure, optimise, audit. We ask "was that worth it?" about things that were never supposed to have a return. Tomorrow I'm going live for the second Lantern Lyceum, and that's exactly what we're getting into. Stop Treating Time Like a Currency. Start Treating It Like a Relationship.
We'll look at why the transactional approach to time quietly costs us — and what changes when we shift from asking "what's this worth?" to "what does this need to grow?" It's not a lecture. It's a conversation. Bring your questions. If you can't make it live, the replay will be there. But live is better. See you tomorrow. — Mike |
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 11 | May 9, 2026 Hello Reader, You may have noticed this arrived a little later than usual. That was intentional. At 1:40pm on Friday, I got an email about something called the Mind Over Manuscript Challenge — a free 5-day writing challenge running this week through Pages & Platforms. It resonated immediately. I had something to say about it. So I wrote a broadcast email and sent it Friday evening, sharing three things that TimeCrafting gave me that...
Hello Reader,This morning my head was full. Not overwhelmed. Just... swirling. So I went for a walk. No headphones. No agenda. Just outside. I wasn't treading water out there — I was treading ground. There's a difference. Treading water keeps you from sinking. Walking actually moves you somewhere. When you're swirling or when you're stagnant, the steps you take by walking can help you recognize the next steps you must take — the ones that don't involve walking at all. You don't need long. You...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 10 | May 2, 2026 Hello Reader, I've had "The Circle Game" stuck in my head for three days now. Which is fine — it's a great song. But it's been bothering me in a specific way that I can't leave alone. It's not a circle. Joni Mitchell wrote about seasons coming and going, about children becoming adults, about time spinning us around and around. The imagery is a carousel. A circle. You leave, you come back, you're where you started. Except you're not....