Mike Vardy

Be Nimble

The weather in Victoria is pretty rainy from November through to May. We do, however, occasionally get a couple of bright days here and there. So when Victorians have a chance to go outside and enjoy the sun (whether through yard work or leisure activities), we take it. During one particular March weekend a few

We Got A Zoo

When I saw the Cameron Crowe film We Bought A Zoo, it got me to thinking about how our lives are structured in similar way.1 Enclosures need to be revamped, boundaries need to expanded for a better sense of freedom, and sometimes you just have to let things go…whether you’re ready to out not. And

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.