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, Every year as we slip toward the holidays, there’s this familiar pressure to get busy. To pack days full, to squeeze in more, to somehow keep pace with a season that seems to accelerate on its own. But lately I’ve been thinking less about busyness… and more about devotion. There’s a moment I wrote about recently that’s been echoing in my mind. It comes from a story Glenn Frey told about living above Jackson Browne during the early Eagles days: listening through the floorboards...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 39| November 22, 2025 Hello Reader, I was born into a moment of contrast. On the day I arrived, Gordon Lightfoot’s Sundown sat at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 — a song about suspicion, jealousy, and shadows. Just a week later, the charts flipped, and the Hues Corporation’s Rock the Boat took over, ushering in one of disco’s first big splashes. From suspicion to celebration. From solitude to togetherness. From brooding to dancing. That cultural...
Hello Reader, I discovered Chris Dalla Riva the same way I discover a surprising number of meaningful things these days: by scrolling through TikTok. Not doom-scrolling, not distraction for distraction’s sake—just wandering through that unpredictable digital bazaar where brilliance and absurdity sit shoulder to shoulder. Depending on the hour, my feed swings between thoughtful essays, clever creators, and Sora-generated fever dreams of cats caterwauling at customers from behind fast-food...