Mike Vardy

The Productivityist Podcast 58: Building Better Teams with Jared Brown

This episode features a discussion with Jared Brown of Hubstaff. Jared and I talk about what you need to do in order to make bringing people on to work with you a more beneficial experience for everyone involved. As someone who is growing a team (slowly, but surely) I wanted to get some solid advice from an expert, and Jared certainly fits the bill.

Why You Need A Clarity Day (And How To Make It Happen)

Over the summer, my to do list grew exponentially. I expected a break but never really got one. I felt frazzled part of the time and completely wiped out the rest of the time. As a result, I was cranky and short with people, which is really out of character for me. My sleep patterns were all over the place and I wasn’t able to move forward with as much drive and focus as I was accustomed to.

The Time We Have

I “see” time almost everywhere.

That means I can tell you how time can be leveraged. I can suggest what systems will help you handle your tasks (and time) in a productive manner. I can even recognize when time takes precedence over all other things – including the tasks on your to do list.

Yet I can’t tell, suggest, or recognize you how much time you have. Not in this moment…and not in this lifetime.

Happy New Year: Why Labour Day Has Become My New Year’s Day

Back when I wrote The Front Nine, I explained that I started my new year in February. Actually, the specific date was February 2nd: Groundhog Day. Why? Because – as a nod to the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day – I didn’t want my new year to be a rehash of the previous year. I took January as a time to reflect and recharge, and then hit the ground running once February 2nd arrived.

But this year, I decided to make a change. Now I’m starting my new year on Labour Day.

How We Use Slack

Slack has not only improved the flow of communication throughout the team, it has also improved our overall productivity as well. Slack allows us to focus on using email for other areas of our work. It has also given us one place to look when we need to locate something for our team. Slack has been a game changer for us.