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 passes differently than we think
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Hello Reader, Today her birthday arrived. There’s something about that kind of time that feels different. Not slower, not faster, just… more noticeable. Like you can actually feel it passing instead of trying to manage it. Most days don’t feel like that. Most days feel like something to keep up with. Or get through. Or get back on top of. And when that happens, it’s easy to assume the problem is time itself. That we need more of it. Or better tools. Or a tighter system. But more often than not, it’s something else. It’s friction. I’m hosting a live session on April 15 called: The Friction Problem: Why Your Time Isn’t Working (and What to Do About It) In it, I’ll walk through:
It’s not about productivity hacks or rigid systems. It’s about seeing your time more clearly so you can begin working with it instead of constantly pushing against it. There are only 100 spots available, so once it’s full, that’s it. If it fits, you can join me by clicking on the button below.
If you’ve been feeling busy but not making the kind of progress that actually matters, this will help you understand why – and what to do next. – Mike P.S. In case my mom happens to read this... happy birthday. Thanks for reminding me that time isn’t something to get ahead of. It’s something to be with. |
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.
Hello Reader, Thanks to the TimeCrafting Trust Book Club, I’ve been spending time with Meditations again. Not reading it straight through, but returning to it—letting certain passages meet me where I am, rather than trying to extract something from it all at once. Three ideas have stayed with me. These three ideas don’t feel new. In fact, they feel familiar in a way that’s almost unsettling—like they’ve been quietly shaping how I think and work long before I could name them clearly. You don’t...
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...