Mike Vardy, my friend and mentor, joins me today to talk about scheduling your life. Mike helped me organize my business and projects, and I believe his advice and framework can be life-changing for you too. He’s the founder of Productivityist and the host of the Productivityist podcast, as well as a three-time author and a regular contributor to outlets including Lifehacker and The Huffington Post. Tune in to learn how you can harness time to achieve your fullest potential and make the most of your days, months, and years!
Connect With Mike:
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The Mission Log: [03:55] - Believe it or not, Mike used to struggle with organization and keeping things in perspective, and still finds it challenging. [05:51] - How does Mike go about planning his year? In his answer, he talks about when his year starts and the concept of giving themes to each month. [10:09] - Mike gives a specific example of how his monthly theme applies to the things he decides to do. [15:02] - Orion points out that what Mike has been talking about is the difference between being task-oriented and goal-oriented. [15:58] - Mike explores another way that themed days can be helpful, and explains that people have more control over their time than they think. [20:50] - What are some examples of Mike’s themed months, weeks, and days, and what is the horizontal way of blocking time? [24:58] - Mike gives an example: instead of saying “get fit” in January, your monthly theme might be decluttering, which would involve decluttering your pantry. [26:17] - Weekly sprints override monthly themes, Mike explains, and talks about how this can function. [28:50] - Mike talks about how he decides which day of his week has which theme, and shares a story about a request his wife made. [31:17] - Mike digs into the topic of horizontal themes, which override daily themes. [33:09] - For listeners who aren’t familiar with the framework by
Dr. Michael Breus, Orion explains the context of the four animals that she and Mike have been talking about. [37:05] - A real problem for lots of people is hyper-scheduling, where people put too much specificity (and not enough choice) into their calendars. [38:58] - We hear about some of Mike’s favorite productivity apps and how he uses them, as well as how to “focus on the app within first.” [44:07] - Mike offers a quick example of what
Evernote is good for. [46:04] - What does Mike do on the days when he doesn’t feel like doing anything? [48:57] - Mike takes a moment to recommend
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin, and talks about his own tendencies. [52:55] - To foster desire, planning is part of it, but reflecting is another huge part, Mike points out. [54:52] - What are Mike’s three top tips for living a stellar life? #1. Capture everything and regret nothing. #2. Give your days and time more definition. #3. Journal your life. Links and Resources:
Productivityist Mike Vardy @mikevardy on Twitter @Productivityist on Twitter Mike Vardy on Facebook The Productivityist podcast David Allen (and Getting Things Done) Tony Robbins Alex, Inc. Life in Pieces Lao Tzu How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick The Power of When by Dr. Michael Breus Dr. Michael Breus on Stellar Life Todoist Asana All The Things by Shawn Blanc Evernote The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin The Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change
