Mike Vardy

Simply Podtastic: My 2012 Essential Podcast Diet

To celebrate the launch of a podcast that is going to become a part of my essential listening routine, I took the time this morning to rejig my Instacast settings to better reflect what I plan to plug into every week. I haven’t really done this since August 2011, so I figured the landscape (and […]

Goodbye Google: Abandoning Google Apps

In my quest to eliminate as much Google-ness as possible from my life, I’ve taken on Gmail, gone fishing for a new RSS reader, and moved away from some of the less entangled parts of Google. Now it’s time to tackle the realm of Google Apps, which shouldn’t be too tough to walk away from….right?

The Coffee Talks

I’ve been wondering what to do with a certain project for a long time. A really long time. I’ve considered a variety of options, ranging from killing the project altogether to returning to it “as-is” starting next month. But neither of those sat well with me, nor did any of the options I looked at.

The Cost of Choice

Today I spent the day doing some energy upgrades I’ve been putting off because our energy audit is coming up next week. Essentially by doing these upgrades, we stand to not only improve the energy efficiency of our home (thus saving money), but we also stand to recoup some of our costs via a government

Less Review, More Longview

On the heels of reading Patrick Rhone’s excellent new book, I’ve found myself thinking more about what I want and need to be doing with my time rather than just what I think I want and need to be doing with my time. At this point in my life the goals I’m setting are many,

On enough: The Book

My friend Patrick Rhone has unveiled his newest book, enough, to the world today. His last book, Keeping It Straight, was an excellent read and I expected nothing less with this latest work of his. I wasn’t disappointed.

Doing vs. Planning

The latest Mikes on Mics episode went live this morning, and while we’ve got tons of guests lined up for future episodes, it’s just Mr. Schechter and I talking about a real productivity conundrum: The Doing vs. The Planning.

Being Green

Green is my favourite colour. It hasn’t always been that way. I’ve gone through red, then orange…but finally settled on green a few years back because of my fondness for a certain ring-wearing superhero. Of course, I’m speaking of the Green Lantern.

A Very Tough DYSision

“Decisions that are worthwhile are rarely easy to make.” – Something I tweeted Not too long ago, I announced that I was ceasing the production of my barely-driven-off-the-lot podcast ProductiVardy. Yesterday, I made a decision to end my involvement in another one – one that I co-created almost 4 years ago. Episode 180 will be