By Colby Kultgen
Hey friends.
Welcome to 1% Better!
If you're new here, this is the newsletter where I share the 5 best things I find each week to help you get a little better each day.
Let's dive in!
Today at a Glance:
1. Resource: 1,000 Useful Things to Make
2. Tweet: Reset your life in 90 days
3. Idea: 19 words to unlock potential
4. Poem: The dash between the years
5. Funny: It's all about balance
Read time: 4 minutes
1% Better is brought to you by Shortform:
How to (actually) build a reading habit:
Set the bar so ridiculously low, it's impossible to fail.
Can’t read 20 pages? Read 1.
Can’t finish a whole chapter? Read for 2 minutes.
Can’t read an entire book? Read a Shortform summary.
Shortform has made it easy for me to stick with my reading habit by giving me the key insights from books in a fraction of the time.
My must-read book summary for November is Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. A thoughtful approach to working with intention, reducing overwhelm, and maximizing meaningful output.
P.S. Sign up with my link today, and you'll get a 5-day trial + 20% off the annual plan.
This is SO cool.
An anonymous creator has compiled a book of 1,000 do-it-yourself projects, ranging from furniture and kitchen gadgets to clever storage solutions and handmade gifts. Each one includes a link to a detailed guide to help you get started.
There’s something special about making things with your hands.
It’s such a grounding experience, especially when so much of modern life feels like it’s about scrolling, watching, or buying.
Lately, I’ve been building a lot of LEGO (yes, really). It’s obviously not on the same level as the projects in this book, but it’s got me itching to start creating more things with my hands.
Here’s my challenge to you:
Choose one project from this book and make it your 2025 DIY goal. It doesn’t have to be perfect—just something you can call your own.
How to do a hard reset on your life in 90 days - Tweet from Dan Go
I'll be honest—this is completely unrealistic for most people.
It's hard enough to build one healthy habit, let alone overhaul your entire routine in three months.
So why am I sharing it?
Because I still think this is a fantastic long-term resource with a lot of clear benchmarks worth aiming for.
My advice would be to treat it like an 12-week program.
Choose one category to focus on at a time. Spend 1-2 weeks building momentum in that area before moving on to the next.
The key here is to not be too hard on yourself.
Taking on something this ambitious is no small feat, and even nailing just 2 or 3 categories in 90 days would be a huge accomplishment.
19 words that can unlock someone's potential
Adam Grant on unlocking someone's potential:
My favorite experiment shows that you can say 19 words and people become dramatically more receptive to what you're about to deliver:
"I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations, and I'm confident you can reach them."
It changes the equation. Now I'm not attacking you. I'm not judging you. I'm here to coach you, and I'm here to help.
Giving feedback isn't always easy.
It can feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even confrontational.
This simple phrase shifts the dynamic completely—reframing feedback as an act of support rather than criticism.
I think this is a phrase we should all have in our toolbox—especially if you coach, mentor, or work in a role where giving feedback is a regular part of your job.
A poem I can't stop thinking about
The Dash by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years.
For that dash represents all the time that they spent life on Earth.
And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand the way other people feel.
Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?
I've thought about this poem a lot in the last week.
I try not to obsess about mortality and our limited time on this planet, but sometimes we need a reminder like this to pull us back to what really matters.
As my friend Sahil Bloom would say—make the dash count.
😂 It's all about balance
Have a great week!
—Colby
