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, You know the moment. You sat down to work. The intention was real. The task was clear. And somewhere between opening your laptop and the thing you actually needed to do, your hand moved to your phone. Not because you decided to. Just because it did. That's not a discipline problem. That's not a focus problem. That's an initiation problem — and it happens in the space before the work begins, in the half-second where habit is faster than intention. I've been saying for years that...
Hello Reader, You've probably said it. I've definitely said it. "Time is money." It's so embedded in how we talk about productivity that we barely notice it anymore. But that framing — time as currency, something to spend wisely and not waste — is quietly working against us. Because money is something you can earn back. Time isn't. And yet we've built entire systems around that metaphor. We measure, optimise, audit. We ask "was that worth it?" about things that were never supposed to have a...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 2, Issue 11 | May 9, 2026 Hello Reader, You may have noticed this arrived a little later than usual. That was intentional. At 1:40pm on Friday, I got an email about something called the Mind Over Manuscript Challenge — a free 5-day writing challenge running this week through Pages & Platforms. It resonated immediately. I had something to say about it. So I wrote a broadcast email and sent it Friday evening, sharing three things that TimeCrafting gave me that...