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 December seems to carry a strange kind of whiplash. One moment we’re rushing — to wrap things up, to get things ready, to tend to the endless little pieces that somehow all become “urgent” at the same time. (If you were paying close attention to my emails yesterday you might've caught a glimpse of me falling prey to that too.) And then, almost abruptly, we’re supposed to pivot into rest. Into stillness. Into presence. It’s a familiar tug of war. And if we’re honest, most...
Hello Reader, Before Monday arrives — and before inboxes start filling up with last-minute reminders from everywhere — I wanted to send a quiet breakdown of the two Black Friday offers I’m sharing this year. This isn’t a pitch. Just clarity, so you can decide what fits where you are right now. The 12 Days OF TimeCrafting Black Friday Bundle What it is: A twelve-day sequence of small, meaningful tools delivered from December 26 through January 6 — audio, video, prompts, short guides, and a few...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. 1, Issue 40 | November 29, 2025 Hello Reader, We like to believe perspective comes with age, but maybe it comes with motion. Not the hurried kind—the tilt. The slow, almost imperceptible shift of looking again. When I watched this 1952 interview with Bertrand Russell, what struck me wasn’t the content of his ideas so much as the steadiness behind them. The man had lived through two world wars, witnessed the dawn of nuclear power, and seen the rise and fall of...