iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

I’ve not titled this poem yet, but it came to me after starting to dig into Anne Carson’s work. (How have I not read anything by her before?!)

Between the feasts
the weeks are numbered,
not named.

Ordinary,
from ordinal:
counted.

Take it too literally
and it binds you
to minutes
instead of moments.

You count the days.
You forget to live them.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Trust Is Broken, and Optimization Won't Fix It (with Nick Richtsmeier). Have a listen:

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Trust Is Broken, and Optimization Won't Fix It (with Nick Richtsmeier)

We're at a forty-year low for trust across nearly every institution, and...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Unboxing the first Productiveness paperbacks. Find your copy at your local independent bookstore, wherever books are sold, or at mikevardy.com/productiveness.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Two weeks ago my daughter interviewed me and asked what I still haven't figured out. I talked for a minute… and never really answered. So I left her a voicemail. Four minutes. It's on YouTube. youtu.be/h1IfyLaBs5c?...

youtu.be

A Voicemail to My Daughter: The Answer I Didn't Give Her on Camera

YouTube video by Mike Vardy: The Art of TimeCrafting

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: My Daughter Interviews Me About Productiveness (with Grace Vardy). Have a listen:

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My Daughter Interviews Me About Productiveness (with Grace Vardy)

Normally I'm the one asking the questions. This time I wasn't. I was in...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: You Didn't Fall Behind This Summer. You Just Stopped.. Have a listen:

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You Didn't Fall Behind This Summer. You Just Stopped.

I missed two Wednesday livestreams this month, and I spent more time...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why One Challenge Beats Ten (with Zakhar Azatian). Have a listen:

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Why One Challenge Beats Ten (with Zakhar Azatian)

The appeal of a hard challenge is that nobody's pretending it's easy....

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: PM Talks S3E9: What Problem Does This Actually Solve?. Have a listen:

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PM Talks S3E9: What Problem Does This Actually Solve?

Patrick's wife has an iPad mini she uses for exactly one thing: reading....

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Live in or around NYC? I'm visiting and will be doing this in Port Washington. I'd love to see you there! bookreportny.com/events/62331...

bookreportny.com

Author Event: Productiveness with Mike Vardy | Book Report

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

HOW TO SAVE TIME You can only serve it You can't conserve it But you can help it That help is all that saves you

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Yesterday marked the birth of my new book, Productiveness. I'm celebrating with a launch party at 9 AM PT and you're invited: www.youtube.com/live/OQYA2Hy...

The author swaddling his new book as if it was a baby.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Five Kinds of Work Stress (with Amy Leneker). Have a listen:

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The Five Kinds of Work Stress (with Amy Leneker)

Most people describe work stress as one undifferentiated thing: I'm...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why a Retreat Is Part of the Work, Not a Reward for It. Have a listen:

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Why a Retreat Is Part of the Work, Not a Reward for It

We treat retreats as something you earn — a reward that shows up once...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Jolts That Make Us Quit — and the Ones Worth Ignoring (with Anthony Klotz). Have a listen:

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The Jolts That Make Us Quit — and the Ones Worth Ignoring (with Anthony Klotz)

Most of us don't drift into quitting a job. Something happens — a...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Difference Between an Aha Moment and a Full-Blown Epiphany (PM Talks S3E8). Have a listen:

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The Difference Between an Aha Moment and a Full-Blown Epiphany (PM Talks S3E8)

This month's PM Talks starts with a confession: I've had an epiphany,...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The thing is the title of the video will probably put off some people, but there is so much worth watching in it.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

“I think we overrate intellect and we underrate wisdom.” — Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

What if we devoted our attention to the things we liked or appreciated with as much intensity as the things we don’t like or appreciate? I think acknowledging the things we don’t like or appreciate is important but that’s about the level of attention I’m trying to give to those things.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why Logic Alone Can't Explain the Human Mind (with Tom Griffiths). Have a listen:

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Why Logic Alone Can't Explain the Human Mind (with Tom Griffiths)

Logic is beautiful and it's also almost never enough. That's the tension...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Bending Spoons is buying Airtable for $1.285B. If you work there: the deal doesn’t close for months. Use the time. Update the portfolio, tell your network you’re findable. If you use it: know how to get your data out. The software always survives. The humans get treated like a line item.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

There’s a quiet negative impact in ranking things. The act quantifies quality, which diminishes quality’s own beauty.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why "Life Is" Might Be the Only Sentence You Need (with Gary John Bishop). Have a listen:

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Why "Life Is" Might Be the Only Sentence You Need (with Gary John Bishop)

There's a two-word sentence that's been sitting with me since I finished...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I just levelled up the most basic of Ramen noodles that came in a package and I just wanted to share that on the Internet like the good old days.

A bowl of boxed Ramen noodles that have been levelled up with a fried egg and chilli oil and sliced green onions and crispy onion strips

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Goal Was Never Inbox Zero (It Was a Quiet Mind). Have a listen:

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The Goal Was Never Inbox Zero (It Was a Quiet Mind)

Inbox zero was never about the number. That's the part almost everybody...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why Procrastination Is Emotional, Not a Discipline Problem (with Robin J Emdon). Have a listen:

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Why Procrastination Is Emotional, Not a Discipline Problem (with Robin J Emdon)

We tend to treat procrastination like a willpower leak — something we...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Within Tolerance (PM Talks S3E7). Have a listen:

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Within Tolerance (PM Talks S3E7)

Patrick Rhone joins me again for the latest installment of our monthly...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The birthday deal: as many lessons as years. Turn 52, owe 52. I turned 52. I’ve got one — your relationship with time is the one that holds up all the others. Nurture it.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why You Can't Outwork Bad Sleep (with Shimin Ooi). Have a listen:

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Why You Can't Outwork Bad Sleep (with Shimin Ooi)

We tend to treat sleep like the thing we'll get to once everything else...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

My Gather 1.0 has found a new lease on life today. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

The Gather 1.0 from Ugmonk acting as a workplace desk organizer

The organizer now in its new home, organizing the morning coffee station

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: What You're Not Measuring Is Costing You (with Dr. Henry Cloud). Have a listen:

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What You're Not Measuring Is Costing You (with Dr. Henry Cloud)

Most of us have convinced ourselves that the problem is effort. We're...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

So after today’s news, I’m glad I bought my MacBook Air a couple of weeks ago.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Paying Attention to Your Attention. Have a listen:

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Paying Attention to Your Attention

Most of the conversation around focus starts in the wrong place. We talk...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Art of Pacing: Why Slowing Down Is a Long Game Strategy (with Elizabeth Svoboda). Have a listen:

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The Art of Pacing: Why Slowing Down Is a Long Game Strategy (with Elizabeth Svoboda)

We spend a lot of time talking about how to do more. What we talk about...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Principles You're Already Overlooking (with Heather Jo Kennedy). Have a listen:

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The Principles You're Already Overlooking (with Heather Jo Kennedy)

Most productivity conversations start with systems, tools, and tactics....

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Letting Go of "Normal" to Finally Try Again (with Steve Kamb). Have a listen:

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Letting Go of "Normal" to Finally Try Again (with Steve Kamb)

There's a loop most of us know well, even if we've never named it: feel...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

The simple analog stack: Colour-coded pens. A Traveller’s Notebook. The Now Year® Weekly Worksheet. No notifications. Just the right tool for the right moment. Sometimes the simplest system wins.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: The Wisdom in Waiting: Rediscovering Prudence (PM Talks S3E6). Have a listen:

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The Wisdom in Waiting: Rediscovering Prudence (PM Talks S3E6)

This episode marks the latest installment in PM Talks, the monthly...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Basketball has changed so much since I started watching it back in the 80s. Travelling calls today are… liberal at best.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Sometimes Wrong, Never in Doubt: The Confidence That Comes From Doing the Work (with George Barrios). Have a listen:

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Sometimes Wrong, Never in Doubt: The Confidence That Comes From Doing the Work (with George Barrios)

There is a difference between confidence and bravado, and most people...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

The 51 year-old version of me AND the 10-year-old version of me loved Masters of the Universe. So much fun. I hope Travis Knight does ThunderCats next!

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Why Playing the Odds Beats Beating the Odds (with Kyle Austin Young). Have a listen:

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Why Playing the Odds Beats Beating the Odds (with Kyle Austin Young)

Most of us have been told that success is about mindset — stay positive,...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

This seafood lasagna tasted as good as it sounded.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of A Productive Conversation: Intention or Inertia: What Intentional Living Actually Looks Like in Practice. Have a listen:

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Intention or Inertia: What Intentional Living Actually Looks Like in Practice

The word "intentional" has been hollowed out. It's on coffee mugs, in...

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The current president of the United States signs off almost all of his social media posts with it.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

I’m pretty upset that the phrase “thank you for your attention to this matter“ has been ruined for me going forward.

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Mike Vardy @mikevardy.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

One of my favourite things to do is make an espresso drink for my wife that she liked… and I got to do that this morning. It’s already a good day.

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