By Colby Kultgen

My 10 Favorite Things of 2026 So Far

Read online / Read time: 4 minutes

Hello friends!

I don't mean to shock you, but we're already a third of the way through 2026.

Seems like the perfect time for a list!

So I racked my brain and pulled together 10 things that have genuinely made my life better so far this year.

I hope they make yours better too.

1. This $30 whiteboard for tracking my goals

Early contender for my best investment of 2026.

I cannot stress this enough: write your goals somewhere you'll see them every day.

It's been a game-changer for me.

2. This alarm clock that simulates the sunrise

It took precisely 3 days of using this Phillips SmartSleep alarm to realize how barbaric regular alarm clocks are.

Humans are not meant to wake up to a blaring alarm sound. We’re meant to wake up with the sun.

This one is a bit pricey, but I got a good deal buying secondhand on Facebook Marketplace.

3. This idea that's become my mantra

I'm really embracing this as my mantra for 2026.

I think most of us are walking around with a backlog of unspoken kind words.

This is the year we get them out.

4. This 15-minute exercise for when I'm feeling overwhelmed

I've talked about this exercise ad nauseam, but it's just so good.
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​Closing your "open loops" means dealing with all the tiny things pulling at your attention that you haven't resolved yet.
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Open loops can look like:
- Bills you haven’t paid
- Messages you meant to reply to
- Projects you started and didn’t finish
- That one box still sitting unpacked
- A relationship conversation you’ve been avoiding
​
Here’s how to do it:
​
1. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
2. Dump every single open loop you can think of onto paper or a doc.
3. For each one, decide to Do it, Drop it, or Delegate it.

5. This device for "bricking" my phone

I feel like this is one of the great questions of modern life:

The best answer I've found to that is Brick.

You tap your phone to it once, and it instantly blocks whatever apps you choose. When you want them back, you tap it again.

For me, it's the perfect amount of restriction without sacrificing my phone's utility.

6. This medical drama I'm addicted to

My partner and I started watching The Pitt late last year, and now we're hopelessly addicted.

Like, I literally count down the days to Thursday each week.

I've never been big on medical procedurals (looking at you Grey's Anatomy), but this one is different. The level of realism is insane, and I love how they don't shy away from tackling complex social issues.

7. This tiny e-reader that fits on the back of my phone

One of my goals for 2026 is to read 50 books.

The best way I've found to actually make that happen: always have a book on me.

This little device called the Xteink X4 has made that ridiculously easy. It's about the size of a credit card, fits in my back pocket, and holds thousands of books.

8. This idea of embracing rejection

Not too long ago, I shared this quote which seemed to resonate with a lot of people:

I've since become kind of obsessed with this idea of pursuing rejection.

So much so that I've even created my own "rejection journal" for 2026.

9. These plants in my apartment

This has been the year that I've fully embraced my identity as a plant dad.

Nothing profound to say here.

Just that they make my life better, and I'm proud to say I haven't killed any of them yet.

10. This Kurt Vonnegut quote about envelopes

Pretty sure I actually shared this last year, but I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

Author Kurt Vonnegut on telling his wife he's going out to buy an envelope:

Reply to this and tell me which ones resonated.

Have a great week!

— Colby

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