PM Talks Archives

An open notebook with a dated entry beside a work in progress, illustrating experimentation vs tinkering and the endpoint that separates them

Experimentation vs Tinkering: The Difference Is an Endpoint

Adjusting things feels like progress. An experiment asks a question you intend to answer and then stop. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone on the endpoint that separates the two.

A tablet and notebook side by side on a desk, illustrating the question of what problem does this solve for each tool you own

What Problem Does This Solve? A Question Worth Asking More Often

Asking “what problem does this solve?” cuts through purchases, unused devices, phone habits, and even the defaults nobody ever asked you to agree to. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone on jobs-to-be-done thinking and the open loops hiding in plain sight.

Three wooden blocks spelling AHA to highlight the aha moment verus the post highlighting the difference between an AHA and an epiphany.

Holding Loosely: Why Some Ideas Unfold and Others Unravel

Not every realization is an epiphany. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone break down the difference between a small aha moment and the kind of epiphany that reorganizes everything else.

Wooden blocks with arrows pointing inward at a red bullseye, illustrating that tolerance is a range rather than one fixed target.

Tolerance Is a Range, Not a Target

We treat “tolerance” as a moral word, but it’s also an engineering one — the range of variance you’ll accept before something stops working. Mike Vardy and Patrick Rhone explore why tolerance is a range, not a target, and how knowing yours changes everything from minimalism to your next trip to Costco.

A Newton's cradle with four silver balls hanging at rest and a single red ball pulled back in preparation — a visual metaphor for prudence: the deliberate pause before action that makes everything that follows more effective

Why Prudence Is the Productivity Word We’ve Been Missing

Prudence has almost vanished from our vocabulary — but it hasn’t vanished from our lives. In this PM Talks episode, Patrick Rhone and I dig into what prudence actually means, why speed culture pushed it out, and why it might be the most underrated productivity virtue we have.

A framed 'embrace grace' sign beside a literary Paddywax candle, reflecting the idea that practicing grace is an intentional daily discipline.

Grace Is Not a Soft Skill — It’s a Daily Practice

Grace gets dismissed as soft, but it might be the most load-bearing skill in a productive life. In this post — and in the latest episode of PM Talks — Patrick Rhone and I explore what it really means to practice grace: in travel, in relationships, in the face of change, and most importantly, toward yourself.

Two dice on a neutral surface, one showing a green checkmark and the other a red X, representing right and wrong.

When Neutrality Isn’t an Option

When neutrality fails, clarity matters. A reflection on right versus wrong—and what poise really means in moments like this.

Fingers crossed behind a person’s back, representing the quiet stories we tell ourselves.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves About Time

A short reflection on honesty, time, and the quiet stories we tell ourselves—and how they shape our days.

Nurturing the Now

In this reflection, I explore why nurturing the present moment matters far more than trying to shape a legacy. Legacy is retrospective; the now is where agency actually lives. This piece builds on the latest PM Talks episode while offering a different path: tending thoughtfully to the time we’re living through.