By Colby Kultgen
Read online / Read time: 5 minutes
Hello friends!
Welcome to 1% Better.
The newsletter where I usually share my 5 favorite ideas, lessons, and discoveries from the past week.
Today’s issue is going to be a little different.
I’ve put together a 2025 Personal Year-In-Review exercise for you—something to help you reflect, learn, and plan for a stronger year ahead.
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The 2025 Personal Year-In-Review
Well, it's that time of year again.
Before we rush into 2026 with a fresh set of goals and big plans, there's something important we should do first:
Reflect on the 12 months behind us.
Wins, losses, lessons. The stuff most people skip over in their rush to plan what's next.
I originally created this set of 7 questions for myself, but after seeing how impactful they were, I knew I had to share them with you.
Note: I've put them together into an editable e-book that you can download and fill in as we go.
1. What achievements am I most proud of this year?
Look back on your year. What projects, moments, decisions, or actions stand out as things you’re genuinely proud of?
I tend to be my own biggest critic, so an exercise like this actually makes me a bit uncomfortable (maybe you can relate).
But that's why it's so important.
When you're a pro at diminishing your own accomplishments, sitting and actually writing them out forces you to acknowledge the progress you've made.
It's about measuring the gain, not the gap.
Celebrating how far you've come instead of always obsessing over how far you still have to go.
2. What people/activities added the most energy to my life this year?
Who and what added the most positive energy to your life this year? These are your ‘power sources’. Make a conscious effort to double down on them in 2026.
I have an interesting observation for this one.
Ironically, the things that energize me often require the most 'activation energy'.
Going to the gym.
Calling a good friend.
Sitting down and writing a piece of content.
I sometimes struggle to get started, but once I do, these activities always leave me feeling recharged and fulfilled.
3. What did I outgrow in 2025 (belief, habit, relationship, etc.)
You're not who you were at the start of 2025. What beliefs, habits, relationships, or commitments have you outgrown?
Growth isn't just about adding new things. It's also about letting go of what no longer fits.
But here's the problem: we outgrow things all the time and just...keep holding onto them.
Think about this past year:
- What beliefs about yourself or the world no longer feel true?
- What habits are you maintaining out of momentum rather than intention?
- What relationships feel more like obligation than genuine connection?
- What commitments are you white-knuckling your way through?
4. What risks did I take this year, and where did I hold myself back?
Think about the moments you stepped outside your comfort zone. What did you gain from taking those risks? Now consider the times fear held you back. Was it justified, or just a story your mind told to keep you safe?
This sentence has lived rent-free in my head this year:
Ready isn't a feeling, it's a decision.
The more I've sat with that idea, the more I believe that the most valuable skill in life is your ability to take action despite feeling nervous, unprepared, or uncertain.
The people who get ahead aren't necessarily the most confident or the most prepared. They're simply the ones who decide to act regardless of how ready they feel.
5. What did my best days this year have in common, and how can I create more of them?
Think about the days in 2025 that left you feeling happiest, most fulfilled, or at peace. What were you doing on those days? Who were you with? Use those insights to engineer more days like that in 2026.
One exercise I've found helpful: write out your ideal day in detail.
Not a fantasy—a realistic day that's actually within your control to create. Now compare that to how you actually spent most days this year.
Where's the gap?
What small changes would move your average day closer to your ideal?
6. What got too much of my attention this year, and what didn’t get enough?
Where did your focus go that it shouldn’t have? On the flip side, what priorities, relationships, or goals felt most neglected?
Attention is your most valuable resource.
Not money. Not time. Attention.
What gets your attention determines your direction and, ultimately, your destination.
So where did yours actually go this year?
Write down what consumed too much of your attention. Then write down what deserved more but didn't get it.
The gap between those two lists tells you what needs to change.
7. What ONE goal would create the biggest ripple effect on my life in 2026?
This is your 'keystone' goal for 2026. The kind of goal that doesn't just move one area of your life forward, but cascades into everything else.
Maybe it's reducing your screen time so you have more hours to focus on the things that really matter every day.
Maybe it's fixing your sleep habits so you have more energy to show up as your best self in every area of life.
The point is to find the one goal that, if you achieved it, would make everything else easier or better.
Personally, I plan on using the Harada Method I shared a few weeks ago to break down my big goal for 2026.
That's a wrap!
If you made it this far, I have just one small request.
Share this exercise with someone else.
You never know who it might help.
Happy Monday!
—Colby
