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By Colby Kultgen

7 Habits That Actually Changed My Life, How to End Your Extremely Online Era, and The Mexican Fisherman

Read online / Read time: 4 minutes

Hello friends!

Welcome to 1% Better.

The newsletter where I share my 5 favorite ideas, lessons, and discoveries of the week—no fluff, just the good stuff.

Let's get right into it.

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7 small habits that have actually changed my life

This week, a friend asked me an interesting question:

It got me thinking about the last few years, and about which small behavioral changes have had the highest ROI for me.

Honestly, I couldn't narrow it down to just one.

So I ended up putting together this list of the first 7 that came to mind:

1. Not bringing my phone to bed

I honestly can’t think of a faster way for someone to transform their life.

This one simple rule changed:

How I wake up (calm, not anxious).
How I fall asleep (tired, not wired).
How I feel throughout the day.

Buy a $10 alarm clock. Keep your phone out of the bedroom. You won’t regret it.
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2. Using the ‘5-Minute Rule’ for procrastination

Whenever I don’t feel like doing something, I tell myself: just 5 minutes.

Write for 5 minutes.
Clean for 5 minutes.
Move for 5 minutes.

The secret here is to make starting so easy that you can’t talk yourself out of it. And once you get the ball rolling, you won’t want to stop (even after 5 minutes).
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3. Increasing my luck surface area

Luck = randomness × readiness

I try to maximize mine by showing up often and being prepared when it counts.

Try this:

• Start conversations with strangers
• Share your work publicly
• Go to events that interest you
• Take more moonshots
• Keep your tools sharp
• Always have a project in motion
• Ask for what you want
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4. Going for walks without my phone

At least once a day, I try to walk outside without my phone.

No podcast. No music. No checking notifications at red lights.

This is consistently where my best ideas happen.
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5. Meeting with an accountability partner

Every Sunday, I hop on a call with my friend and we review:

1. What we said we’d do last week.
2. What we actually did.

I don’t know about you, but reporting to someone else makes me 100× more likely to follow through.

This one habit has been more effective for helping me stick to my goals than every other app, tracker, and system combined.
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6. Tracking things I want to change

A simple rule I live by: What gets measured gets managed.

Want to fix your finances? Track them.
Want to fix your diet? Track it.
Want to fix your habits? Track those too.

You get the point.

You can’t expect to change something you have no awareness of.
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7. Blocking everything on my calendar

I live and die by my calendar.

Everything gets a time slot: work, exercise, personal projects.
This might sound rigid, but it’s the opposite.

Time blocking helps me:

• Actually see where my time goes
• Stay focused on one thing at a time
• Stop overcommitting to things I don’t have time for
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Your challenge:
​Reply to this email with the habit that has had the biggest impact on your life.

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A reframe about health I can't stop thinking about

This idea came at the perfect time for me.

I spent the last week moving into a new apartment.

The good news is I love it.

The bad news is that in the heat of moving, my healthy habits went completely out the window.

UberEats for every meal.
Hardly any gym.
Sleep schedule trashed.

I'm cutting myself some slack because moving is a nightmare. But there's a pattern here I can't ignore:

Whenever life gets hectic, my health habits are always the first thing to slide.

This reframe was the kick in the ass I needed to get back on track.

And the next time I catch myself slipping into this pattern (because there will be a next time), I'll be coming back to this question.

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My productivity tool I use every day
​Sponsored

Here's the truth about productivity tools: most of them don't stick.

The exception for me? Wispr Flow.

I've used it every single day for months, and it's actually changed how I work.

Flow a voice-powered AI keyboard that turns whatever you say into clean, well-punctuated text. It works in Slack, Gmail, Notes, and anywhere else you write.

Why I love it:

• No filler words or awkward transcriptions
• Learns your go-to phrases, names, acronyms
• Quiet mode = no awkward stares when you’re dictating in public
• Syncs with your computer for easy note-taking

​​​Try it out for free right now.​

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An article that teaches you how to touch grass - How to end your extremely online era​

Ok, I'm joking with that headline, but only slightly.

​This article from Tommy Dixon is a practical guide to breaking free from screens and actually reconnecting with real life. And it's one of the best pieces I've read on the topic.

This section in particular resonated with me:

I highly recommend reading the full thing.

And if you're as passionate about this topic as I am, make sure to follow my Substack chronically offline as I explore it more.

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A parable that might change how you think about success

This is a page from Morgan Housel's new book The Art of Spending Money​

Not much to add here, except that you should check it out if you haven't already.

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😂

Have a great week!

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P.S. Reply telling me what resonated most this week!

(I read and respond to them all)

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