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 LEGO quietly taught me about time
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Hello Reader, A few days ago, I had one of those sideways realizations—the kind that doesn’t arrive with a bang, but settles in and refuses to leave. It happened while I was thinking about LEGO. Not as a toy. Not as nostalgia. But as a system. LEGO works because it does something deceptively simple: it gives you structure without prescribing outcomes. There are pieces. Constraints. A logic to how things connect. But what you build—and how you build it—is up to you. That’s when it clicked: this is exactly what I’ve been trying to do with TimeCrafting. TimeCrafting isn’t about rigid schedules or perfectly optimized days. It’s not a productivity “set” with a finished picture on the box. It’s a collection of well-designed pieces—themes, attention paths, rituals, reflections—that can be assembled and reassembled depending on the season you’re in. LEGO doesn’t demand that you follow the instructions forever. TimeCrafting doesn’t demand that either. You can sort the pieces. You can follow a guide. You can freestyle. You can take it apart and start again tomorrow. That’s not a flaw. That’s the point. Both systems respect something most tools ignore: people change. Your energy shifts. Your responsibilities evolve. Your attention moves. A system that only works when conditions are perfect isn’t a system—it’s a fantasy. LEGO survives dropped pieces, missing bricks, half-built ideas, and sudden interruptions. TimeCrafting is designed the same way. You don’t “fail” because a day went sideways. You don’t throw the whole thing out because one piece didn’t fit. You just reach for a different brick. That’s why TimeCrafting emphasizes durability over precision, rhythm over rigidity, and intention over optimization. It’s meant to be played with, not obeyed. And maybe that’s the quiet lesson here: The most useful systems don’t try to control you. They give you just enough structure to help you create something that actually fits your life. See you later, P.S. If you’ve ever felt like productivity systems ask too much certainty from an uncertain life, that’s exactly the tension TimeCrafting is designed to hold. The pieces are there when you’re ready to build... and The Productivity Diet can help you get started. Get your copy 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, 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...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 48 | January 24, 2026 Hello Reader, There’s a moment in our relationship with time when efficiency stops being the problem. The systems work. The habits hold. The work gets done. And yet something feels thin. The question shifts from “How do I get more done?” to “What am I actually responsible for?” That’s where auteurship enters. An auteur takes responsibility not just for making the work, but for its intent, its shape, and the time it demands. Not...
Hello Reader, If you’re coming out of a busy stretch—or sensing that something has shifted but hasn’t quite settled yet—this is a good moment to pause. Not by doing more. But by retreating simply. Here’s a bare-bones guide you can use anytime. One hour. One afternoon. One day. Or spread across a few days. No worksheets. No pressure. Just presence. Set a container: Decide how long this retreat is. An hour. A morning. A weekend. Name the timeframe and close the door on everything else. Look...