Colby Kultgen

Life is full of beautiful paradoxes.

A mistake provides the lesson that propels you forward.
A stressful situation presents an opportunity to build confidence through action.
An act of self-forgiveness allows you to hold yourself accountable without being paralyzed by past mistakes.

By embracing these dualities, you unlock a deeper understanding of personal growth.

As Bruce Lee famously said: “Be water, my friend.“

Water adjusts to the shape of its container, flows around obstacles, and remains strong under pressure. Embracing the dualities of life allows you to be adaptable, resilient, and continuously evolving.

What other pairs would you add to this image?

Image credit: joinmonument on Instagram

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Want to improve your career in 2024?

This cheat sheet from my friend Chris Donnelly can act as your high-performer trait checklist.

Here's how you can get better at each one:

🎯 Get Sh#t Done
How to improve: Set specific, measurable goals with deadlines to focus your efforts and track progress.

🧠 Self-Awareness
How to improve: Reflect daily on your experiences to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

💪 Ruthless Grit
How to improve: Commit to a small, challenging task daily to build resilience and persistence.

🌱 Wants to Grow
How to improve: Dedicate time each week to learn something new related to your skills or interests.

❤️ Shows Empathy
How to improve: Practice active listening in every conversation to understand others' perspectives better.

🚫 Doesn’t Complain
How to improve: Replace complaints with constructive solutions or a positive outlook.

🗣️ Strong Communicator
How to improve: Seek feedback on your communication style and work on the areas that need improvement.

📐 Great At Simplifying
How to improve: Practice explaining complex ideas in simple terms to a non-expert.

🧘 Control Over Emotions
How to improve: Implement stress-reduction techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing, into your daily routine.

📢 Speaks Up
How to improve: Prepare and practice your points before discussions to confidently express your values.

⏳ Manages Time Well
How to improve: Use a planner or digital tool to organize tasks and prioritize them based on urgency and importance.

🤔 Enjoys Being Wrong
How to improve: Actively seek out feedback and different opinions to challenge your beliefs and learn.

✍️ What do you think is the most important trait in a high performer?

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An idea everyone should try…

“Selective Ignorance” from James Clear (Atomic Habits):

Ignore topics that drain your attention.
Unfollow people that drain your energy.
Abandon projects that drain your time.

Do not keep up with it all.

The more selectively ignorant you become, the more broadly knowledgeable you can be.

———

P.S. I share the 5 best things I find every week in my Monday newsletter.

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Been thinking about this a lot lately.

Don't let a bad 5 minutes ruin a perfectly good 24 hours.

Fit your reaction to the size of the problem.

I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately:

"If you knew you were 100 rejections away from your dream, think how excited you would be every time someone told you no."

Rejection can be terrifying.

So why, when someone frames it like this, does it suddenly not seem so scary anymore?

I think that's because we're not afraid of rejection itself.

We're afraid of the uncertainty.

It's not the number of "nos" we can't handle; it's not knowing whether the next one will finally be the "yes."

That's why I find this idea so interesting.

If you KNEW success was guaranteed after 100 rejections, you'd be hunting them down.

You'd be applying to everything, pitching everyone, and practically begging people to say no because each rejection would bring you one step closer.

The funny part is that, in reality, it often takes far fewer than 100.

Most breakthroughs happen at like rejection #8 or #15. But most people quit at #3 because they can't bear the uncertainty.

So here's the trick:
Pretend you know success is coming.

Treat every rejection like you're counting down to something guaranteed.

Because honestly, if you keep going long enough, you kind of are.

— Colby

Quick reminder:

You’re under no obligation to be the same person you were yesterday.

Update your goals.
Rethink your career path.
Raise your standards.
Rebuild your habits.
Change your environment.
Drop the identity you outgrew.

No permission needed.
No need to wait for the “perfect” time.

The only person who’s going to magically show up and change your life is you.

5 ways to get out of your comfort zone more often:

1️⃣ Use a “go one more” mindset:

When close to your limit, push yourself to go one more.

Meditation—go one more minute
Reading a book—go one more page
At the gym—go one more rep (carefully)

One is perfect because it pushes you slightly without overwhelming.
(h/t Nick Bare)

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2️⃣ Build something in public:

- Start a YouTube channel
- Start a podcast
- Start tweeting

It's uncomfortable at first, but it will change your life if you stick with it (trust me).

———

3️⃣ Spend time with people who do it:

Research shows sitting next to a high-performer at your job can boost your performance up to 15%.

Apply this same principle to your growth.

Want to get out of your comfort zone more?
Hang out with people who do.

———

4️⃣ Break your routines:

- Take a new way home from work
- Eat without using your phone
- Try a new exercise program
- Cook a new recipe

Sometimes the easiest way to get out of your comfort zone is to simply snap out of old habits.

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5️⃣ Reframe your stress response

Research says: anxiety and excitement both create the same response in our bodies—the difference is how we frame it.

Simply thinking to yourself, “I'm excited“ in a stressful situation can be enough to change an event from terrifying to exhilarating.

———

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We’ve all been guilty of this.

Letting one bad moment convince us the whole day is shot.

The best strategy I’ve found for stopping this is The Four-Quarters Method from Gretchen Rubin:

“Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, ‘I’ll get back on track tomorrow,’ try treating each day as a set of four quarters:

Morning
Midday
Afternoon
Evening

If you blow one quarter, you can just get back on track for the next.

Fail small, not big.”

I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

Rejection can be terrifying.

So why, when someone frames it like this, does it suddenly not seem so scary anymore?

Here's what I've realized:

We're not scared of the rejection itself. We're scared of the uncertainty.

It's not the volume of "nos" we can't handle—it's not knowing if the next one will be the "yes".

That's why I find this so interesting.

If you KNEW you were guaranteed success after 100 rejections, you'd be hunting them down.

You'd be applying to everything, pitching everyone, practically begging people to say no because each one gets you closer.

And the funny part is that in reality, it usually takes WAY less than 100.

Most breakthroughs happen at like rejection #8 or #15. But people quit at #3 because they can't bear the uncertainty.

So here's the trick: Just pretend you know it's coming.

Treat every rejection like you're counting down to something guaranteed. Because honestly? If you keep going, you kind of are.

It's basically tricking yourself into success by removing the thing that was going to stop you anyway—the fear that it might not work.

A question I can't get out of my head:

What award are you trying to win that doesn’t exist?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how often I fall into this trap.

🏅 Most hours worked.
🏅 Least rest taken.
🏅 Never said no.
🏅 Didn't ask for help.

If I had a trophy for every time I sacrificed myself to seem strong, dependable, or put-together—I’d need a new IKEA shelf every month to hold them.

But why do we do it?

Here's the harsh truth:​
This pursuit doesn't come from a place of ambition—it comes from a place of lack.

We chase these imaginary awards because we’re afraid.

Afraid that others will see us as unreliable, incapable, or incompetent.

So we swing hard in the opposite direction.

We overwork to look committed.
Say “yes“ to everything to seem reliable.
Avoid asking for help to appear competent.

But in reality, we’re performing for judges who don't even exist.

And the only one holding us to these limiting beliefs is ourselves.

Your challenge this week:​
Name the award you’ve been trying to win that isn’t real.

But don’t stop there.

Ask yourself: What’s driving me to chase it in the first place?

When you stop performing for an invisible panel of judges, you can finally start living from a place of truth instead of defense.

Image credit: themindfriend on Instagram
_____

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I think there's a lot of truth to this.

We've normalized overconsumption.

Listening to podcasts while walking.
Watching YouTube videos while eating. 
Scrolling while on the toilet (you know who you are).

Then wonder why we feel drained and unmotivated all the time.

There's a reason your best thoughts come to you in the shower.

It's the only time you're not inundating yourself with other people’s thoughts, ideas, and opinions!

Let's reintroduce some boredom into our lives.

Here are 5 (simple) ways I'm boredom-maxxing in 2026:

1. Leaving home without my headphones
There was a time when this would feel insane to me. Now I cherish it. I notice the sounds around me. I let my thoughts wander. I occasionally end up talking to someone I would have ignored if I had a podcast playing in my ears.

2. Turning my Wi-Fi off
I have a timer on my router that turns my Wi-Fi off at 8pm every night. It gives my day a clear stopping point and forces me to find something else to do. Read, cook, clean, stretch, or simply sit there for a while without immediately reaching for more stimulation.

3. Starting my day without my phone
I try to give myself at least the first 30 minutes of the day before checking messages, email, or social media. It lets my brain wake up at its own pace instead of immediately filling it with everyone else’s thoughts, problems, and opinions.

4. Eating at least one meal a day without a screen
I really think everyone could benefit from this, especially at lunchtime. After a full morning of work, messages, and information, lunch is the perfect chance to give your brain a much-needed break.

5. Doing chores in silence
Dishes, laundry, tidying up. No podcast, no album, no phone call. Once I get past the first few restless minutes, my mind starts wandering into places it rarely gets the chance to go.

As you can see, these are pretty simple changes.

But my goodness, they make my brain feel a whole lot better.

— Colby

Introverts should act like extroverts more often.

This might surprise you…

Research shows that when introverts intentionally act more extroverted, they often feel happier and even more like themselves.

Not because they suddenly love crowds, and small talk.
But because they feel more connected.

Here are four surprising things the research reveals:

1️⃣ Acting extroverted can boost your mood

Even if it feels uncomfortable at first, studies show introverts often experience more positive emotions when they lean into extroverted behavior.

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2️⃣ You might feel more authentic, not less

In one study, introverts actually felt truer to themselves when they acted outgoing. It turns out, stretching your comfort zone doesn’t always mean losing who you are.

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3️⃣ Authenticity isn’t about comfort, it’s about alignment

Living authentically can mean acting in ways that feel, at first, uncomfortable, as long as those actions draw you closer to your values and goals.

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4️⃣ You can act your way into feeling differently

As psychologist Jerome Bruner put it: “You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.” The idea: don’t wait to feel confident, move first, and let the feeling catch up.

As someone who leans introverted, this challenged my assumptions in the best way.

♻️ Repost this and tag any introverts in your network!

Reminder we all need sometimes.

On the days you have only 40%, and you give 40%. You gave 100%.

Read that again.

9 visuals that will rewire your brain:

Jack Butcher has been a big inspiration for me as a creator.

His visuals always remind me of a few key things:
1. Strip away everything until you're left with what is most essential
2. If you can't explain something in simple terms—you don't understand it
3. The right visual can make an idea stick in someone's mind
4. Clear > clever

This post is a tribute to his great work.

Make sure you check him out on Instagram @ visualizevalue

7 tips to stop procrastinating (right now):

Reminder:
The best project you'll ever work on is yourself.

This weekend, take some time to focus on you.

Whether it's reading that book you've been meaning to start, getting outside for a walk, or just slowing down to reflect, small actions add up.

Invest in becoming the healthiest, happiest, and most present version of yourself.

Life will start to align with your efforts.

♻️ Repost this if it resonates.

9 minimalist habits that will save you 1,000+ hours of your life:

Your habits are the silent architects of your life.

7 that I wish I started sooner:

1. 10,000 steps per day
2. Making “no” my default
3. No phone in bed (fixed 90% of my sleep problems)
4. Writing 1 “story-worthy” moment every day
5. Non-negotiable calls with loved ones
6. Listening to content on 1.5x speed
7. Using the Pomodoro Technique

Which habit has had the biggest impact on your life?

♻️ Share this with your network if you agree.

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A useful question to ask yourself:

“What version of me am I asking to handle this problem?”

The rested version?
The fed version?
The version that moved today?

Or the version that slept 5 hours, skipped lunch, drank too much coffee, and has been staring at a screen since 8am?

Not every day will go perfectly.

You'll have short nights and skipped workouts, and that's ok.

But if you're consistently running on empty, don't be surprised when every problem feels harder than it should.

I try to hit a short list before I judge my mood, focus, or decision-making:

→ 7 hours of sleep
→ One real meal
→ 20 minutes of movement (walking counts)
→ Water before more coffee

Nothing crazy.

Just the basics.

How to fix your attention span in a week (I'm serious):

1️⃣ Train it like a muscle:

1. Set a timer for 5–10 minutes.
2. Focus on one task.
3. When you get distracted, notice it and come back to the task.
4. If you get derailed completely, reset the timer and start over.

Each time you have a successful session, increase the time by 5 minutes.

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2️⃣ Break up with your phone:

You don't need to switch to a flip phone.
But you do need to set some boundaries.

Try:
- Setting limits on distracting apps
- Charging it outside your bedroom
- Putting it in grayscale mode
- Keeping it out of reach while working

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3️⃣. Do intermittent stimulation fasting:

Give your brain moments of boredom.

- Walk without headphones
- Eat a meal without watching anything
- Stand in line without pulling out your phone

Each time you resist the urge to fill space, you're rebuilding your baseline for focus.

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4️⃣ Start a 100-day reading challenge:

Make a deal with yourself.
For the next 100 days, you're going to read one poem, essay, or short story.

Just 10-15 minutes of focused reading.

Good news: I put together a resource for this exact challenge!

👇 I put the link in the comments.

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5️⃣ Close your "open loops":

Once a week, sit down and write out everything that's pulling at your attention.

Unfinished tasks, unanswered messages, random to-dos.

For each one:
a) Do it
b) Schedule it
c) Let it go

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6️⃣ Be "selectively ignorant" (h/t James Clear):

Ignore topics that drain your attention.
Unfollow people that drain your energy.
Abandon projects that drain your time.

The constant pressure to "keep up" with it all will drive you insane if you let it.

———

Save and share if you found this useful.

What’s the best habit you’ve started in 2024?

Procrastination is an emotional issue.

These techniques will help in the short term.

But for long term results, you’ll need to get to the root of the issue.

How to do it?
1. Identify the emotional blocks that are driving you to procrastinate
2. Use an appropriate strategy to overcome each block

EXAMPLE 1:
Emotional block: Fear of failure
Strategy: Focus on inputs rather than results

EXAMPLE 2:
Emotional block: Lack of motivation
Strategy: Adopt an “action first” mindset
(action —> motivation —> more action)

When in doubt, some gold old-fashioned therapy can help too.

♻️ Repost this if you know a procrastinator

A few weeks ago, I caught myself thinking "wow, that was a really good presentation" about someone I work with.

And then I just...didn't say anything.

I've been noticing that this happens pretty often.

I'll think something genuinely kind about someone, yet I just keep it to myself.

Why is that?

I think it's because saying something nice to someone feels a bit exposed. There's this tiny moment of vulnerability between the compliment leaving your mouth and their reaction.

What if it comes off wrong?
What if they don't take it the way I meant it?

So we say nothing.

We let a 0.001% chance of awkwardness win over a near-certainty of making someone's day.

To be honest, I think most of us are walking around with a backlog of unspoken kind words. Compliments we thought but didn't give. Gratitude we felt but didn't express.

So I don't know about you, but I'm embracing the Tell Them Theory.

No more keeping the good stuff to myself.

Hot take:

"Be grateful" is terrible advice.

Not because gratitude isn't powerful (it is).

But because this "advice" almost never comes with practical ways of actually doing it.

We've all heard the “write 3 things down in a journal” advice, but for me it's always felt a bit forced.

And besides, why would we expect one method to work for everyone?

That’s why I gave myself a mission:

Come up with a handful of gratitude practices that don’t involve writing in a journal (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Here's what I came up with:

1. Look for glimmers
Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. They're those tiny moments in your day that make you feel joy, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to spot them, they start appearing everywhere.

2. Snap a joy photo
Take one picture per day of something that brought you joy. A cup of coffee, a funny street sign, the way the sunlight hits your desk. Not for social media, just for you.

3. The "Tell Them" Theory (h/t Vex King)
When someone does something you appreciate, actually tell them. Doesn't have to be profound. Just: "I'm glad you're in my life" or "Thanks for always making me laugh."

4. Practice future nostalgia
Throughout your day, pause and ask: "Will I miss this moment someday?" Your current morning routine, the commute you complain about, even your kid's phase of asking "why?" fifty times a day.

Which of these resonates with you?

Let me know your favorite ways to practice gratitude.

Want to save time and energy in 2024?

Here are 9 of my favorite minimalist systems for doing less, but better.

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Productivity isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing more of what matters.

Ruthlessly pruning the BS from your life, so your energy can be focused on the activities, tasks, and people that truly move the needle towards your goals.

My advice:
Don’t try to do all of these at once.

Pick ONE and do it for a week.

If it works, consider adding it to your routine.

Over time, you’ll build an arsenal of techniques to minimize distraction and get the most out of your short time on this planet.

Happy Monday friends!

—Colby

How to get tasks done even when you don’t feel like it:

_____

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33 years of knowledge distilled into 20 sentences.

I have a confession…

I used to be a productivity junkie.

Obsessed with squeezing every last drop out of each day—every minute scheduled, every task optimized.

If I wasn’t doing something “useful,” I felt like I was a failing.

But over time, my definition of productivity has changed (dramatically).

It’s no longer just about doing more.
It’s about doing what matters most.

Leaving space for deep work, real rest, and things that don't have a checkbox next to them.

These 20 sentences reflect the rules I try to live by today—shaped by trial, error, and experience.

I’d love to hear the ones you live by too.

———

♻️ Repost this so we can all do more of what matters.
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How to get out of the procrastination trap:

An idea I’m carrying into 2026:

There's a big difference between feeling your emotions and being your emotions.

The former is healthy.
The latter, not so much.

Because when you start saying things like “I am lazy” or “I am anxious,” you're not just describing a passing state.

You're telling yourself a story about who you are.

You're turning a temporary feeling into a permanent fixture of your identity.

And the more you repeat this story, the more it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A small shift in language can help break that loop.

♻️ Repost this if it resonated.

How many of these are you guilty of?

I've battled each and every one of them at some point in my life.

Two things are key when it comes to winning this battle:

1. The awareness to recognize that it's happening.
2. The courage to do something about it.

It's not easy, but it's worth it.

———

♻️ Repost this if it resonates.

7 mental models you should download into your brain (right now).

♻️ Repost if you learned something new!
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8 rules for having a productive day (without burning out):

I think about this study at least once per week.

So many valuable lessons to be learned.

Note: This doesn’t just apply to 25-year-olds.

Whether you're 35, 45, or 55—the time will pass anyway.

So the question is:
Who do you want to be when it does?

A perfect example is this story from Mark Manson:

My friend had a grandmother who was 60 when her husband died.

As part of dealing with his death, she started taking piano lessons.

She began practicing every day.

Eventually, she was playing piano so much that her family began to worry about her.

But she was fine.

And she ended up living well into her 90s.

By then, she had been playing piano every day for over 30 years—longer than most professional musicians had been alive.

She played so well that everyone who met her was convinced she had been a concert pianist in her youth.

No one believed it when she said she started in her 60s.

———

So here’s my question for you:
What are you holding yourself back from—just because you believe it’s too late?

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7 addictions you must break to become your best self in 2025:

♻️ Repost this if it resonates.

A lesson that took me way too long to learn…

If you want something you’ve never had, you have to be willing to do something you’ve never done.

Your daily habits are the architects of your life.

The small, repeated actions you take every day are what shape your future.

If you want different results, it’s not enough to just wish for change; you have to act differently.

At some point, you have to ask yourself:
What is the gap between the life I want to live and the life my daily habits are leading me towards?

Because the truth is, what got you here won’t necessarily get you there.

Here are three realistic ways to put this into practice:

1️⃣ Create a ‘Discomfort List’:
Write down activities that make you feel uneasy or nervous. Choose one to tackle each week, whether it’s speaking in public, trying a new cuisine, or networking with someone you admire. Embrace the discomfort as a sign of growth.

2️⃣ Implement a ‘New Habit Swap’:
Identify a habit you want to change, and swap it with a new one for a month. For example, if you usually scroll through social media in the morning, replace that time with reading a few pages of a book.

3️⃣ Join a ‘Learning Challenge’:
Sign up for a unique class or workshop that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s improv, rock climbing, or a cooking class focused, immerse yourself in the experience and learn from others.

Remember:
The path to a different future starts with new choices today.

♻️ Repost this if it resonates.
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A book is an incredible investment.

You give $20.

You get:
• 1000+ hours of someone’s hard work
• potentially life changing information
• a portal to a new way of thinking

✍️ What's the best short book you've ever read?
♻️ Repost this to your network.

P.S. This still applies if you're 35, 45, 55, etc.

I've been trying to go more analog for 2026.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have an internet presence and use Spotify from time to time.

But I am making a conscious effort to live more of my life offline.

That means:

Reading real books.
Writing things down in a journal.
Taking photos on film and getting them developed.
Leaving my phone at home for walks and coffee runs.
Buying albums on vinyl instead of streaming everything.
Meeting friends for coffee instead of catching up over DMs.
Using the internet intentionally, not reflexively.

I'm not trying to go full Luddite here.

Just realizing that most of what I actually want to do: deep conversations, creative thinking, being present—happens when I'm not staring at a screen.

Anyone else feeling the urge to go more analog this year?

How to 10x your focus (without medication):

5 steps to clean up your mental “desktop“:

We are 50% through 2024.

It's the perfect time to take on a new personal challenge.

My friend Ben Meer has put together this amazing list of challenges which I wanted to share with you today.

Here's what I would do:
1. Choose ONE of these challenges
2. Commit to it publicly 
3. Ask a friend to join you

Don’t wait for January.
Don’t wait for next week.
Don’t wait for tomorrow.

Start today.

Six months from now, you’ll look back at your progress and say “damn, I really did it”.

Harsh truth: You’re never going to “find” time

We fall into the trap of believing we're going to wake up one day and suddenly be less busy.

But that’s not how life works.

The reality is, if you really want something, you have to MAKE time in your schedule for it.

That might mean:

Working on a weekend.
Waking up 30 minutes earlier.
Going to bed 30 minutes later.
Replacing TV time with a project.
Using lunch breaks to build a skill.
Reducing screen time (easy target).
Saying no to non-essential commitments.

Treat your priorities like priorities.

— Colby 🫡

7 things I know at 33 that I wish I knew at 23.

If you could send one message back a decade, what would it say?

5 things I had to give up to be successful:

A bunch of habits I wish I started earlier.

What would you add?

P.S. I spent 100+ hours building a habit tracker.
You can grab it with the link in the comments!

I love me a good life hack.

Here are 20 of the best ones I’ve picked up over the last 34 years.

What would you add to this list?