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.
When systems work together
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Hello Reader, Over the past little while, something interesting has been happening inside the TimeCrafting Trust community. People have been sharing how they use other productivity methods alongside TimeCrafting—not instead of it. One member mentioned using it in conjunction with the Time Sector System from Carl Pullein. Others have talked about borrowing pieces from systems they’ve trusted for years and letting them live comfortably next to TimeCrafting. That matters to me more than you might think. It brings to mind a quote from Catherine O’Hara that I shared recently: “When we all strive to make each other look good—when we bring out the best in each other—it’s just the best way to be.” (As someone who got their training at Second City, she knew a thing or two about collaboration.) TimeCrafting was never meant to replace everything else you do. It’s meant to work with what already works—to give you a way to relate to time that’s flexible, humane, and durable enough to support whatever tools or methods you choose. That spirit of collaboration is one of the main reasons I built TimeCrafting in the Bullet Journal. The Bullet Journal method doesn’t compete with TimeCrafting—it complements it. One offers a flexible container; the other offers orientation. Together, they create space for intention, attention, and reflection without adding friction or complexity. The course is now live inside the community, and it’s available exclusively to members. Membership starts at $14/month, and that gives you access to the full program (and everything else in the community as well). If you’d like to learn more about TimeCrafting in the Bullet Journal—and join us as a member—you can do that here. See you later, P.S. One of the things I love most about this work is seeing how people adapt it—quietly, thoughtfully—to fit their own lives. If you do join us, you won’t be asked to “do it the right way.” You’ll be encouraged to find your way. |
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. II, Issue 3 | March 14, 2026 Hello Reader, For years we’ve been told the same story about technology: Each new tool promises the same thing: This will save you time. Email was supposed to do it. Smartphones were supposed to do it. Productivity apps were supposed to do it. Now the promise belongs to AI. But a recent study from researchers at UC Berkeley Haas found something curious after observing a technology company for eight months: Generative AI wasn’t...
Hello Reader, When a company like Bending Spoons acquires another platform, something interesting happens. People start asking the same question: Is this still the tool I want to rely on? Sometimes the product improves, the direction shifts, or it slowly becomes something else entirely. That’s the nature of software. Tools change. Owners change. Pricing changes. Priorities change. Which is why it’s worth remembering something simple: The real system isn’t the app. It’s you. Apps are...
The Lantern by Mike Vardy Vol. II, Issue 2 | March 7, 2026 Hello Reader, Have you heard this line before? “Pressure makes diamonds.” It’s a line that can be heard everywhere. Locker rooms, keynote stages, motivational posts meant to remind us that hardship produces greatness. Except there’s one problem: Coal doesn’t become diamonds. Diamonds form deep in the Earth’s mantle, from pure carbon under extraordinary heat and pressure. Coal forms much closer to the surface from compressed plant...