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By Colby Kultgen

Google Maps Has Better Self-Talk Than You, Short-Form Video is Making You Dumb, and The Power of Your "Default State"

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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A self-talk reframe everyone should hear

Entrepreneur Coral Santoro on rethinking failure:

I dealt with negative self-talk for years.

And believe me when I say, It's no fun going through life as your own worst enemy.

That's why I love simple reframes like this.

They’re the tiny course corrections that, over months and years, can completely transform the way you speak to yourself.

P.S. Here's another great self-talk technique to try if you struggle with this.

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A study about the dangers of bingeing TikTok

To absolutely no one's surprise, a recent study found that bingeing short-form video may be bad for us.

Now technically, it's correlation not causation.

They can't say TikTok causes attention problems, just that the two are linked.

But let's be real. You don't need a peer-reviewed study to know that hours of rapid-fire dopamine hits probably aren't doing your brain any favors.

If you're looking for alternatives, check out this (brilliant) resource:

​Where to find media to consume instead of doomscrolling​

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A 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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A tweet about the power of your "default state"

This is genuinely great life advice disguised as a funny tweet.

If you can shift even 20% of your annoyances into amusement, your life will get substantially better.

I did my best to brainstorm a few ways to actually put this into practice.

Here's what I came up with:

1. Catch yourself in the first 2 seconds. That's the window. Annoyed or amused is a choice you make before you even realize you're making it.
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2. Ask: Will I tell this story later? The most annoying moments often make the best stories. If it'll be funny at dinner, it can be funny now.
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3. Give annoying people a backstory That rude guy? Just found out his dog is sick. The slow driver? Bringing home a cake and trying not to ruin it. You'll never know the truth, so you might as well pick a version that doesn't annoy you.
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4. Curate your feeds ruthlessly What you scroll primes what you notice. Fill your feed with outrage, you'll find things to be annoyed at. Fill it with humor, you'll find things to laugh at.
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5. Adopt a “nothing is personal” rule When you stop interpreting everything as an attack or an insult, you stop being annoyed by neutral events.

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A stretching pose I'm working towards

Hands up If you felt pressure in your knees just looking at that photo.

Let me be clear—I can NOT do this pose.

I'm also not a doctor or a stretching expert, so I can't speak to the claims in this tweet.

But I do know that this is a pretty solid benchmark to work toward, especially if you sit at a desk all day.

​Here's the tutorial I'm following.​

P.S. Use your own discretion, and listen to your body if you try this please!

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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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