By Colby Kultgen
Hey friends.
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. Idea: The Anxious Middle
2. Study: Happiness levels in activities
3. Quote: The power of rainy days
4. Story: Edison's fire
5. Funny: The electric bill
Read time: 3 minutes 13 seconds
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The importance of avoiding the "anxious middle"
This is a trap so many of us fall into.
We work with a YouTube video playing in the background—just distracting enough to keep us from deep focus.
We "relax" on the sofa with our phone in hand—checking emails, skimming notifications, never fully unwinding.
It’s this awful in-between.
Always kind of working.
Always kind of resting.
Never fully doing either.
I'm guilty of it too.
My best days are the ones where I work intensely for 4-5 hours—completely disconnected from distractions—and then intentionally shift into slow mode.
My worst days? A blur of half-work, half-distraction—never fully engaged in anything. Bouncing between tabs, barely making progress, then spending a "relaxing" evening stressing about everything I didn’t finish.
And this doesn't just apply to entrepreneurs.
As a 9-5er, it's just as important to build contrast into your day with focused work sprints and real breaks.
Life gets better when we stop lingering in that anxious middle.
A study that everyone should see
The chart above shows the average happiness levels associated with common activities.
A few of my observations:
1. Alcohol ranks pretty high, but probably not because of the alcohol itself. My guess is that alcohol's strong link to socializing gives it a bit boost here. A good reminder that context matters when looking at these activities.
2. Most people don’t love their job. Work ranks near the bottom for happiness, which says a lot. If you’re stuck in a job you don’t enjoy, you’ve got two options: find a new one or make small changes to improve your experience.
3. Nature + movement = happiness. Hiking, birdwatching, gardening. Pretty much anything on the list that involves being active outside scored high. So, who wants to start a birdwatching club with me?
4. Creating > consuming. No big surprise here, but making stuff (singing, performing, crafting) is generally more fulfilling than just consuming it (watching TV, scrolling the internet).
5. Control over our time is key. Waiting in line, commuting, and administrative tasks rank among the worst activities for happiness. Lack of autonomy is a major driver of unhappiness.
6. Happiness comes from engagement, not just leisure. Ultimately, the most fulfilling activities are the ones that involve engagement, social connection, autonomy, and nature. Meanwhile, passive consumption, obligation-heavy tasks, and time spent waiting or commuting offer little in return.
A quote that lives rent-free in my head
Chess prodigy and martial art champion Josh Waitzkin on developing an internal locus of control:
A powerful story about overcoming setbacks
One of my favorite stories of resilience:
In 1914, Thomas Edison stood and watched as his entire factory burned to the ground.
Years of research, prototypes, and equipment—gone. His life's work reduced to flames.
Most people would have been devastated. But Edison? He turned to his son and said:
“Go get your mother and all her friends. They’ll never see a fire like this again.”
Then, as the flames died down, he added:
“It’s all right. We just got rid of a lot of rubbish.”
By morning, Edison had already decided—he would rebuild.
Not someday. Immediately.
Three weeks later, his team was back to work. Within a year, the company had not only recovered, but had launched one of its most profitable inventions.
Most of us won’t watch our life’s work burn down, but we will face setbacks—losing a job, a failed project, or a rough breakup.
What matters isn’t the loss, but how quickly we bounce back.
😂
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Have a wonderful week!
—Colby
