194: Mike Vardy - The Productivityist

Summary: In Episode #194 Ari interviews Mike Vardy of [The Productivityist](http://productivityist.com/). Listen as Ari and Mike talk about the value the productive space, and how developing a personal methodology for productivity can help individuals harness tools instead of letting productivity tools control them. ## [Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower. Time Stamped Show Notes: - 01:01 – Introduction to today’s show with Mike Vardy - 02:30 – Links - 12:02 – Less Doing Boot Camp - 13:43 – Speaking with Mike Vardy - 14:02 – Mike's background in productivity education - 15:37 – First steps in becoming more productive - 17:34 – [GTD](http://gettingthingsdone.com/) Principals - 19:53 – The people of GTD - 20:54 – Being productive vs. doing productive - 21:47 – The approach is more important than the app or tool. “Men can become the tools of their tools” - 23:14 – What aspects of productivity planning work well - 24:33 – Put personal back in productivity - 25:51 – [Sanebox](http://www.sanebox.com/l/upgrade-your-inbox-today/) and other email organizers - 27:04 – [Unroll Me](https://unroll.me/) - 27:52 – Productivity maintenance vs. growth - 28:41 – Mike's daily routines - 31:21 – Daily themes - 31:53 – Mike's Top 3 Tips to be More Productive - 31:55- Have a simple morning and evening routine - 32:15 – Write journal entries - 32:34 – Work by mode 3 Key Points: 1. There is a psychology to productivity—without the psychology, it can’t work. 2. Don’t let your tools take you over. 3. Develop a routine and stick to it—the benefits will be massive. Resources Mentioned: - [Pavlok Wristband –](http://buy.pavlok.com/) Pavlok Wristband’s safe electronic stimulus helps relieve users of bad habits like smoking, overeating, and more. - [Tap Slash](http://tapslash.com/) – Slash is a free keyboard for iPhone & iPad that makes it easy to share anything, without switching apps. Just tap "/" to unlock Places, GIFs, Music, Stickers, Videos, and much more. - [Instant App](http://instantapp.today/) – Instant tracks all your daily activities automatically so that you will be able to notice how you spend time on your smartphone. - [Easy Swag](http://easyswag.co/) – Easy Swag is powered by Large, a free office admin in Slack that gets your team anything hassle free. - [Synkio Music Library](http://synk.io/library) – Use Synkio’s to access music professionals who will manage your music and licensing needs. - [Startup Threads](https://www.startupthreads.com/) – StartupThreads is the easiest way to automatically send custom shirts and apparel to your loyal customers and fans, without having to hold inventory in your office. - [GTD](http://gettingthingsdone.com/) – ‘Getting Things Done’ is a productivity methodology. - [Sanebox](http://www.sanebox.com/l/upgrade-your-inbox-today/) – SaneBox works on top of your email account. It prioritizes important emails and summarizes the rest. - [Unroll Me](https://unroll.me/) – Unroll Me allows you to unsubscribe from subscriptions or combine your favorite subscriptions into one email. - [194MikeVardyOfProductivistInterview"\>Evernote](https://www.evernote.com/%3Ca%20href=) – vernote keeps all your writing in one place, from notes to lengthy research. - [The Productivityist](http://productivityist.com/) – Mick’s productivity business that provides productivity coaching, events, and podcasts. - Call 1-844-i-do-less – Toll-Free number, Press “0” to speak with a Less Doing Certified Coach - Text DOLESS – Text DOLESS to 33733 Credits: - Audio Engineering provided by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708) - Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/) - Show Notes provided by [Mallard