Mike Vardy, Author at Mike Vardy

Why Starting Your New Year on Groundhog Day Works

In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character lives the same day over and over again. Eventually he gets it right and time begins to move forward again. The movie has become a cult classic and it’s one I watch every year on – you guessed it – Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day is also a great day to start your new year. Why wait until February 2nd to start your new year? There are a 3 reasons why start your new year on Groundhog Day works: Energy, Space, and Focus.

The Productivityist Podcast: Intentions, Time, and Saying No with Patrick Rhone

This week Patrick Rhone makes his third appearances on the podcast. This time around we talk about our disinterest in new year’s resolutions and what we prefer to focus on instead. We also touch on how time and money can be treated in ways that are eerily similar and we finally get around to what we wanted to discuss – the importance of saying ‘no’ even when you’re people pleasers like we are.

Why I’m Passionate About Personal Productivity

Personal productivity may seem like a dry area of interest to most, but I’m truly passionate about what it holds. And I’d like to explain why because it holds more than you think it does. Personal productivity goes beyond getting things done. It can help you shape and craft the life you really want.

Review: Shifts for iOS

If you’ve ever put your work calendar into your Google Calendar (or equivalent) and you are an iPhone user then Shifts is an app that will allow you to “shift” away from that and enter your work schedule into it instead. Seem redundant or solving a problem that doesn’t need solving? Think again.

The Productivityist Podcast: Built Unstoppable with Justin Levy

This week on the podcast, I spend time with Justin Levy. I’ve known Justin for a few years now (although we only first met in person last year), and the story that has unfolded for him in the past few months has been very inspiring. Justin, who works for Citrix as Head of Global Social Media, is a young and active guy. In the late summer of 2014, he suffered a seizure. Then it gets even more unreal.

The Context Conundrum

Most people don’t think of their work in terms of context. Instead, we tend to work by project. And breaking the habit of working by project is difficult. But it can be done…with the right contexts.

Three Uncommon Hacks For Better Team Productivity

Bench was built from the desire to help people outsource and automate a commonly tedious task (bookkeeping), so naturally we’re big fans of productivity. If there’s a way for us to be more productive as a team, we’re all for it.

The Productivityist Podcast: Francis Wade

This episode features a conversation between myself and Francis Wade, author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity. We have a lively discussion about the difference between time management and time demands, the importance of looking inward when trying to improve your productivity, and what to do when you fall off the wagon with your resolutions for the year.

How To Do A Year in Preview In 3 Steps

While the weeks that surround Christmas and New Year’s tend to be the time to take stock of the year gone by, it’s also important review regularly throughout the year. The same goes for looking ahead. Priorities need to adjust, new opportunities can arise, and courses need to be corrected. Plans will change as the months go by, but in order to adjust accordingly you should have a larger scale plan to start off with. That’s why doing a Year in Preview is so important. It helps you craft a plan that you can use as a roadmap for the weeks and months to come.