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.
Hello Reader, On Tuesday I wrote about the Spheres of Attention, and I said the deepest one (Concentration) is where the real work happens. What I didn't say is how to get in. The doorway showed up for me in the most ordinary place: email. When I teach people how to handle their inbox, the first shift has nothing to do with folders or filters. It's this. Stop going in with questions. Start going in with missions. A question sounds like "What's in here?" or "Did anything come in?" Ask it and...
Hello Reader, Fair warning: this one runs longer than usual. I'm sending it anyway, because it might be the most pressing and directly actionable thing I can put in your inbox right now. Here's the situation. News is everywhere. On your phone, in your inbox, threaded through every feed you open. The hard part was never finding information. The hard part is deciding what deserves your focus, because everything arriving on your screen was built to feel like it does. Media companies aren't just...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 28 | September 12, 2026 Hello Reader, There's a movie I keep coming back to called About Time. The premise is simple and strange: the men in one family can travel back within their own lives and revisit days they've already lived. Most people remember it as a romance, and it is one. But the heart of the film is a father and a son. The dad's advice to Tim is to live each ordinary day twice. The first pass comes with all the tension and worry that keeps...