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's Your Procrastination Persona?
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Hello Reader, Did you know that we’re smack dab in the middle of National Procrastination Week as I send you this? Indeed, this week serves as a timely reminder that none of us are immune to the allure of procrastination. Interestingly, the term ‘procrastination’ originates from the Latin ‘procrastinare’, which literally means ‘to defer until tomorrow’. Historically, this wasn’t always seen in a negative light; it was simply part of planning and prudent delay. However, over time, the concept of procrastination changed. Maybe ‘tomorrow’ became too vague, too undefined, leading procrastination to morph into the often negative connotation it holds today? No one really knows how this shift in procrastination’s reputation happened. But it’s crucial to remember, not all procrastination is detrimental. In fact, understanding your unique approach to procrastination can unveil powerful insights into how you work best. This is why I’ve crafted a short quiz to help you discover "Your Procrastination Persona." It’s free, quick, and not only illuminates your procrastination style but also offers a fun peek into your productivity character. As we make our way through a week that explores procrastination further, here’s to embracing and understanding our procrastination – turning what may seem like a flaw into our superpower. See you later, P.S. Listen to Nir Eyal's insights into the misunderstood world of distractions complement our exploration of procrastination on this recent episode of A Productive Conversation. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, my YouTube channel, or visit the episode page 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.
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 30 | September 26, 2026 Hello Reader, Lorne Michaels has a line I can't shake: "Fatigue is your friend." He wasn't talking about deadlines. In the documentary about writing SNL at night, he explains what he actually means. When you're depleted, the conscious mind (the careful one, the one protecting your reputation) clocks out. The unconscious takes over. You take bigger risks. You start to make yourself laugh. Read that again. Fatigue doesn't lower the...
Hello Reader, I’ve done a lot of talking about Productiveness this month. None of it went quite like this. My daughter Grace took over A Productive Conversation and interviewed me about the book. She didn’t ask the questions an author expects. She asked what she wanted to know: why I think productivity got corrupted, what changed in me while I was writing it, and what being productive looks like at home, not just at work. That last one landed. A while back, a therapist helped me flip how I...
Hello Reader, I got back from Podcast Movement this week with a notebook I can barely read. That's how conferences go. Three days of good sessions, better hallway conversations, and a running list of things I absolutely need to try. By the flight home the list has fourteen items on it and every one of them felt urgent when I wrote it down. Here's what I've learned the hard way about that notebook: it is not progress. It feels like progress, which is worse. Capture is the cheapest part of the...