1% Better: Do This Instead of Doomscrolling, A Learning Tool I'm Obsessed With, and 65 Notes From Seth Godin


By Colby Kultgen

Do This Instead of Doomscrolling, A Learning Tool I'm Obsessed With, and 65 Notes From Seth Godin

Read online / Read time: 4 minutes

Today at a Glance:

• Article: Do this instead of doomscrolling
• Tool: A learning tool I'm obsessed with
• List: 65 Life Lessons from Seth Godin
• Article: Why time felt slower as kids
• Funny: This hit too close to home


A list of media to consume instead of doomscrolling

Last week we talked about "unrotting your brain".

Breaking the cycle of constant stimulation and giving your mind space to think, create, and get curious again.

A big part of that is replacing mindless scrolling with more intentional, high-quality information sources.

But here’s the issue:
Where do we actually find these sources?

You could go hunt them down yourself, but personally, I’ve always found it easier to get recommendations from other people.

This article is exactly that.

A hand-curated list of publications, magazines, podcasts and YouTube channels focused on replacing fast-food content with slower, more nourishing learning.

I've already subscribed to a bunch of them myself.


A learning tool I'm obsessed with (full tutorial)

Speaking of getting more out of what you consume.

I’ve recently started using Obsidian.

At its core, Obsidian functions as a note-taking app, but it’s really more of a personal knowledge system.

I'm using it to capture ideas, connect concepts, and turn what I read or watch into something I can actually use later.

The video above is what finally convinced me to try it.

Every Obsidian setup I'd seen in the past was overly complicated, and difficult to stick with.

This one is the opposite.

Simple, elegant, and built to actually help you learn faster and retain more.

Let me know what you think (and if you’re already Obsidian, I’d love to hear about your system)!


A list of Seth Godin's notes to himself

Seth Godin is the author of 20 bestselling books, and has posted to his daily blog for over 7,000 consecutive days.

When someone with his level of success and consistency shares life lessons, I take them seriously.

He recently published this list of 65 notes to himself, and it's full of gems (I've bolded my favorites):

  1. The system can be changed and normal is not permanent
  2. Find the smallest viable audience
  3. Pick your customers, pick your future
  4. Outdated maps might be worth less than no map at all
  5. Reliability is a superpower
  6. There are no side effects, merely effects
  7. There’s usually an opportunity to be of service
  8. Silence is an option, and so is leadership
  9. There is no perfect moment to begin
  10. Shame is a dream killer
  11. Everyone who disagrees with you believes they are correct
  12. Ship the work
  13. Treat different people differently
  14. I am not stuck in traffic, I am traffic
  15. Invest in slow growth
  16. The problem with the race to the bottom is you might win
  17. Uncomfortable facts are often the most helpful ones
  18. A good deal is better than a big deal
  19. When in doubt look for the fear
  20. Avoid arguments, embrace conversations
  21. Easy to measure doesn’t make it important
  22. Find clarity about who the customer is (and isn’t)
  23. Genre is a platform, not a fence
  24. Lowering expectations can increase satisfaction
  25. Improve project hygiene
  26. Ask what the system is for
  27. We might not need more time, we simply need to decide
  28. Consider the cost of keeping a promise before making it
  29. Earn enrollment
  30. Helping someone get what they want is easier than changing what they want
  31. Not all criticism is equally valid
  32. Write down the things you’re sure you’ll never forget
  33. Focus on the hard part
  34. Quitting one thing is the only way to find the focus to do the next thing
  35. Perfectionism is not related to quality
  36. Your competitors are actually your allies
  37. Surfing is better than golf
  38. Criticize ideas, not people
  39. Cannibals rarely get a good night’s sleep
  40. Status roles are the unseen force in almost every system
  41. Embrace necessary discomfort
  42. Gratitude is a more useful fuel than anger
  43. Create tension and relieve stress
  44. Imposter syndrome is real, and it arrives whenever we’re doing important work
  45. Solve interesting problems
  46. Offer dignity
  47. Ignore sunk costs
  48. Don’t try to fill an unfillable hole
  49. This might not work
  50. Consistency is more useful than authenticity
  51. People like us do things like this
  52. Simple hacks rarely fix long-term problems
  53. Trade short-term wins for long-term impact
  54. Today’s world is unpredictable, and this is as stable as it will ever be again
  55. Generous doesn’t mean free
  56. Make assertions
  57. Invest in skills that compound with effort
  58. Culture conceals systems, and systems construct our future
  59. Peeves make lousy pets
  60. Reassurance is futile
  61. Take responsibility, demand freedom, don’t seek authority
  62. Ideas that spread, win
  63. Earn trust through action
  64. Become the person your future thanks you for and forgive the past for the mistakes it made
  65. Attitudes are skills


Reply to this email with your favorite from the list.


An article about why time felt slower when we were kids (and how to get it back)

This brilliant piece tackles the age-old question:

Why does time seem to speed up as we get older?

I've thought about this concept a lot, but I've never seen it articulated this well before:

As kids, the world was new. Our brains were constantly absorbing - cataloging details, imprinting sensations, locking in memories with high fidelity. Every trip to the grocery store, every walk home from school, every sleepover with friends - it all carried weight.
But as we age, life becomes patterned. The brain, in its efficiency, stops recording the mundane. The same commute, the same daily routine, the same predictable rhythms - it all blends into a blur. Novelty fades, and with it, our perception of time expands.

The piece goes on to talk about how tiny acts of novelty: changing your route, trying something new, engaging your senses can trick your brain into recording life in richer detail, stretching your sense of time.

Highly recommend reading the full thing.


This hit too close to home 😂


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

(I read and respond to them all)


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Hi! I'm Colby!

I'm obsessed with living a better life each and every day. I want to share what I learn and discover with you.

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