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.
Tomorrow: a live session for the return
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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 circumstance. It's to know what to hold onto, what to set down intentionally, and how to return when you're ready. Tomorrow I'm ready to return. (And I mean that literally.) The READY Return is a 90-minute live guided working session I'm opening to the public for the first time FREE on YouTube, on Wednesday June 17th. It's normally exclusive to TimeCrafting Trust members. But this one is for everyone. It's not a second chance. It's a course correction. Whether you're a member who did The READY Retreat, caught pieces of it, or this is your first time hearing about any of this — you're welcome to join us. We'll revisit themes, honestly assess what's working and what's drifted, and recalibrate your cadence before the next season takes hold. The session is live. Which means if you want to be there, subscribe and hit the notification bell now so you don't miss it. I'll see you there... fresh off the plane and ready. See you later, P.S. The $1 offer for the TimeCrafting Trust — where The READY Return lives year-round — closes June 20th. If tomorrow resonates, that's your next step. |
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 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...
Hello Reader, There's a word I've been sitting with lately: Prudence. It sounds old-fashioned, maybe even a little prim. But the original definition — mid-14th century — has nothing soft about it. Prudence means intelligence, discretion, foresight, and the practical wisdom to see what's suitable before you commit to action. It's one of the four classical cardinal virtues. And it's something most of us are already practicing — we've just never called it that. Laying out your clothes the night...
Hello Reader, Eight years ago today, we lost Anthony Bourdain. I've been thinking about him a lot lately. Not just because of the anniversary, but because of a piece I came across that's stayed with me. It was written just two days after his death by J.D. Roth, someone who, like me, admired Bourdain deeply and found himself unsettled in ways he couldn't quite shake. In it, Roth shares something Bourdain said in a Wall Street Journal interview not long before he died. When asked whether he...