Mike Vardy

Begin Before Bed

This isn’t new advice, but it definitely needs reinforcing from time to time. Not only do you need to close off your day before going to bed, you need to begin the next one. The key to doing that without having tomorrow weigh on your mind as you try to sleep is to begin the […]

Revisiting My OS X Email App of Choice

Remember when I switched to Postbox? I really enjoyed using it at first, but eventually found it was taking up more resources than I’d like — and decided I wanted an email app that was more “minimal” in its appearance. So I began to look at OS X email apps once again, with the hopes

Review: OmniFocus Premium Posts by Asian Efficiency

Full disclosure: I am an affiliate for OmniFocus Premium Posts but ā€” as with all of the other products I align myself with ā€“ I would not endorse a product I did not benefit from in ways other than financial ones (let alone write a post dedicated to it). OmniFocus can be overwhelming the first

The Friday Five: 5 Apps Worth Checking Out

The arrival of iOS 7 hasn’t slowed down my app testing. Both Schechter and I touch on the idea of making changes (such as upgrading an operating system) on this week’s Mikes on Mics, along with the idea of taking on new — or newer versions of — apps only when the need arises. With

A Look at Evernote Essentials 4.0

I didn’t really use Evernote all that much until this year. Sure, I used it for some things, but not nearly to its potential. And while I definitely don’t use it for task management1, I do use it as a means to store a lot of information. Wheter I’m using it to write down ideas

Review: The Authentic Swing by Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield has hit another home run with this short — yet incredibly impactful — read. Or rather, he’s hit a hole in one. Let me explain. The Authentic Swing is one of the few books I’ve read that uses golf as a means of relaying important life lessons and strategies. The other one that

The Perils of “Binge Productivity”

I’ve noticed lately that due to my propensity to schedule “heavy lifting” days and “light lifting” days that the heavy ones seemed to be getting heavier and the light ones not all that much lighter. When that happens, there’s the danger of burnout — and I’ve felt on the edge of it for the past

Saying Things Done: A Quick Look at Capturing Tasks Through Voice

I’m a bit of a talker. If you’ve ever listened to Mikes on Mics or seen me speak, then you probably know that already. So it should come as no surprise that there are occasions where I capture my thoughts and tasks in audio form. There are numerous tools out there that you can use

Taking Journaling to Another Level

I’ve always journaled in some form or another. I did it to either chronicle my day, get thoughts out of my head that needed to be captured elsewhere (but not publicly), or — more recently — to leave something behind for my children to read after I’m gone. I’ve generally journaled at night, prior to