Mike Vardy, Author at Mike Vardy

An open book with mathematical notation, symbolizing the laws of thought behind human reasoning

The Laws of Thought: Why Logic Can’t Explain the Human Mind

Princeton cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths joins the show to talk about why logic fails most human decisions, David Hume’s riddle of induction, and why AI thinks in “jagged” ways we don’t.

The phrase BE HERE NOW spelled out in wooden blocks and spaced separately on a white background, emphasizing the HERE as the place between BE and NOW. All 3 are are locations more than anything else.

Now Isn’t a Moment. It’s a Location.

Gary John Bishop’s new book, Now What, argues that “now” isn’t a moment moving through time — it’s a location. Here’s why that distinction matters more than it sounds.

Wooden counter blocks on a blue background ticking down toward zero, representing the chase for inbox zero

When “Good Enough” Beats “Empty”: Rethinking What Inbox Zero Actually Measures

Inbox zero was never about the number in your inbox — it was about the space your email takes up in your head. Here’s why the goal should be “Inbox Today,” not zero.

A handwritten to-do list on a soft pink background with a single honest entry — "mainly procrastinate…" — capturing why we procrastinate even with the best intentions to get things done.

Why We Procrastinate: You Can’t Discipline Your Way Out

We treat procrastination like a willpower leak, but Robin J Emdon argues why we procrastinate is emotional — a survival instinct you can’t discipline your way past. Here’s why goals can quietly make it worse, and why a clear sense of who you’re becoming pulls you forward when motivation runs dry.

Wooden blocks with arrows pointing inward at a red bullseye, illustrating that tolerance is a range rather than one fixed target.

Tolerance Is a Range, Not a Target

We treat “tolerance” as a moral word, but it’s also an engineering one — the range of variance you’ll accept before something stops working. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone explore why tolerance is a range, not a target, and how knowing yours changes everything from minimalism to your next trip to Costco.

A white twin-bell alarm clock reads about 3:00 on a nightstand, sharply in focus, while a person lies awake in the blue-lit background, covering their head with a pillow — the frustration of trying too hard to sleep.

The Harder You Try to Sleep, the Worse You Sleep

The harder you try to fall asleep, the more stubbornly awake you stay. Sleep coach Shimin Ooi of Sleep Reset explains why effort backfires — and why permission, not pressure, is what finally lets rest in.

A target-style diagram of four nested rings — noticing on the outer edge, then awareness, then focus, with concentration at the center bullseye — illustrating the four spheres of attention from Mike Vardy's framework.

The Spheres of Attention and the Slide You Never Notice

Distraction was never the real problem. In this solo episode, Mike Vardy maps the four spheres of attention — noticing, awareness, focus, and concentration — and shows why learning to move between them, not living in any one, is the actual skill.

An open door with light streaming through, illustrating the idea that overlooked principles can be the entry point to more meaningful productivity — from the A Productive Conversation episode with Heather Jo Kennedy

What “Getting Things Done” Gets Wrong About Where to Start

Most productivity conversations start with systems. This one starts with what’s underneath them — six principles author Heather Jo Kennedy says we’re all overlooking, and why fixing those changes everything else.

A Newton's cradle with four silver balls hanging at rest and a single red ball pulled back in preparation — a visual metaphor for prudence: the deliberate pause before action that makes everything that follows more effective

Why Prudence Is the Productivity Word We’ve Been Missing

Prudence has almost vanished from our vocabulary — but it hasn’t vanished from our lives. In this PM Talks episode, Patrick Rhone and I dig into what prudence actually means, why speed culture pushed it out, and why it might be the most underrated productivity virtue we have.