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.
What if you could "pop" the days?
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Hello Reader, Years ago—eons ago, it feels like now—I had a calendar made of bubble wrap. Every day was a bubble. At the end of the day, you popped it. Sometimes I’d pop it with satisfaction. Sometimes with relief. Sometimes with a little frustration that the day didn’t quite become what I hoped. But here’s the thing: once it was popped, it was done. No saving it. No hoarding it. No pretending it could be reused. Time... made tactile. Later on, that idea evolved into something more structured—more durable—when we created The TimeCrafting Calendar in partnership with NeuYear (you can see it here). Same spirit, different form. Less pop, more presence. Still, I find myself thinking about that bubble wrap calendar from time to time. Because there’s something honest about it. You can’t stack days. You can’t bank them. You can only meet them—then let them go. I remember reading that some people would pop the bubble at the end of the day, like a quiet closing ritual. Others would pop it at the start, as if to say, this one’s mine—let’s see what happens. Both approaches work. What matters is noticing the moment when the day becomes real. Maybe that’s the invitation here—not to rush through time, or try to optimize it—but to acknowledge it. To mark it. To feel it pass. One day at a time, one bubble at a time. See you later, PS: If the idea of a literal bubble wrap calendar speaks to you more than ours ever could, you can find one 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.
Hello Reader, Every weekday morning, I eat oatmeal. Steel-cut oats, cooked in the Instant Pot ahead of time. Nothing fancy. Nothing Instagram-worthy. On a recent call with my mom, I mentioned this in passing. Her response was immediate and unfiltered: “That’s gross.” I laughed. Because... that's fair. Oatmeal isn’t exactly thrilling. And no, it’s not my favourite breakfast either. But that’s kind of the point. Here’s the thing: oatmeal is foundational. It’s the default I don’t have to think...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 50 | February 7, 2026 Hello Reader, I rewatched tick, tick… BOOM! on January 26—the day Jonathan Larson’s story begins—and it hit differently this time. Not because of the ambition. Not because of the urgency. But because of how devotion shows up when it’s left unquestioned. Jonathan isn’t lacking focus. He’s drowning in it. His attention is fiercely committed to the work, to the clock, to the idea that this must happen now or it won’t happen at all....
Hello Reader, Over the past little while, something interesting has been happening inside the TimeCrafting Trust community. People have been sharing how they use other productivity methods alongside TimeCrafting—not instead of it. One member mentioned using it in conjunction with the Time Sector System from Carl Pullein. Others have talked about borrowing pieces from systems they’ve trusted for years and letting them live comfortably next to TimeCrafting. That matters to me more than you...