Founder of 1% Better™ | Former accountant, future author | Follow me for the best self-development content on LinkedIn

Former accountant.
Future author.

I share actionable, educational, and entertaining self-development content to help my readers live their best lives.

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Colby Kultgen

The scariest part is how normal this feels.

Like we just woke up one day and our entire life existed between three different screens.

If you want to reduce your screen time in 2026, I wrote a step-by-step article on what actually worked for me.

Link in comments.

5 mindset shifts that will change your life in 2026:

1. I can't → I'll learn

Every expert was once a beginner who refused to quit. If you're struggling, it just means you haven't put in enough reps yet.

❌ "I can't do this"
✓ "I'll learn if I stick with it."

———

2. I don't have time → I'm not prioritizing it

Be honest about what matters. If something's truly important, you'll find the time. 

❌ "I don't have time to work out" 
✓ "I'm choosing other things over working out right now."

———

3. I need motivation → I need momentum

Motivation doesn't find you—you create it through action. Motion beats mood every time.


❌ "I just don't feel like it today" 
✓ "If I just start for 5 minutes, I'll probably keep going."

———

4.  I'm quitting → I'm pivoting

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is climb down the wrong mountain so you can start climbing up the right one.

❌ "I've spent 5 years on this, I can't quit now." 
✓ "I've spent 5 years on this, better to cut my losses now and move toward something I enjoy."

———

5.  I failed → I learned

Failure isn't the opposite of success—it's part of the process. Every setback is data for your next attempt.

❌ "I tried and failed, so I guess I'm not cut out for this" 
✓ "I tried and it didn't work. Now I know what not to do next time."

———

♻️ Repost if these resonate.
Send this post to someone who could use it.

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A simple question I use to turn around an “off” day:

What’s the best way I can spend the next 5 minutes?

Yep, that’s usually all it takes.

5 minutes of movement.
5 minutes of writing.
5 minutes of conversation.
5 minutes of something that brings you back to yourself.

When an airplane is off course, a shift of just a few degrees can make the difference between landing in New York or ending up in the middle of the ocean.

Our days work the same way.

Never underestimate the power of 5 good minutes.

♻️ Repost this if it resonated.

Discipline doesn’t need to be difficult.

Here are 5 ways to stay consistent in 2026 (without superhuman willpower):

1️⃣ "Dailyish" Habits
Committing to something “dailyish” keeps you consistent without the guilt of missing a day. It’s flexible, sustainable, and removes the all-or-nothing pressure that leads could lead to burnout.

2️⃣ Shrink the Starting Line
Big goals feel overwhelming. Instead, start with a ridiculously tiny version of the habit: one push-up, one sentence, one minute.

3️⃣ Set "No-Later-Than" Rules
Set buffers instead of rigid deadlines. For example, instead of waking up at exactly 6:00 AM, commit to being up no later than 7:00 AM. Anything earlier is a win.

4️⃣ No "Zero Days"
Even on your worst days, find one small action to move forward. A single page, a quick stretch, or just tidying your workspace keeps the momentum alive.

5️⃣ Design for Bad Days
Don’t build habits for your most motivated self. Build them for the tired, distracted, low-energy version of you. If it only works on “good days,” it won’t last.

How do you plan on staying disciplined in 2026?

———

Shoutout to Oliver Burkeman for tips 1 and 3.
Image credit: No One Cares on Facebook

An exercise everyone should do in 2026:

The Calendar Energy Audit.

We often assume that our biggest limitation is time.

It’s not. 

The real limitation is our energy.

CEO coach Matt Mochary puts it like this:
“We all feel like we have limited time, but that’s not the case. What we really have is LIMITED ENERGY. If we start doing more things that raise our energy, it enables us to do more things in general.”

So where do you start with this?

By removing the activities that drain you.

Here’s how:
1. Review your calendar from a past week, hour by hour.
2. Label each activity GREEN (gave energy) or RED (drained energy).
3. Look for patterns. What consistently shows up as RED?
4. Reschedule, delegate, or eliminate those tasks.

For every RED item, ask yourself three questions:
• Does this need to happen?
• If yes, does it have to be done by me?
• If yes, how can I make it more enjoyable?

You won’t be able to eliminate every RED task (and that’s okay).

But even cutting a few can make a huge difference.

♻️ Repost this if it resonates.

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How to read 50 books in a year (even if you’re busy):

How to read 50 books in a year (even if you’re busy)

7 questions that will define your next decade (a 15-minute exercise you won’t regret):

7 questions that will define your next decade

The goal-setting method used by the best baseball player in the world:

If you don't know who Shohei Ohtani is, he's basically the Michael Jordan of baseball.

The single most dominant two-way player the sport has seen in a century.

When he was a high school freshman in Japan, he created this detailed 64-cell roadmap with one central goal: to be the number 1 draft pick for 8 NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) teams.

And it worked.

If you're wondering, this is called the Harada Method.

Here's a quick breakdown:

1. Choose one clear, meaningful long-term goal and a deadline.
2. Break that main goal into 8 subgoals that cover different areas needed to achieve it.
3. Break each subgoal into 8 specific actions, skills, or habits (filling the 8×8 grid).
4. Turn the most important actions into a small set of daily routines and track them.
5. Review your progress regularly, adjusting subgoals and actions based on what you learn.

This is a pretty intense exercise, which I definitely don't think is for everyone.

But I do think it's an amazing way to break down a big goal into something actually actionable.

I’ve linked a template in the comments if you want to try it.

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade obsessing over productivity.

Not just how to get more done.
But how to get the IMPORTANT things done.

Here's everything I wish I knew 10 years ago summed up in 20 sentences.

Make sure to save them.

♻️ Repost this if it resonated.

I’m 34. 

Last year, I moved to a city where I didn’t know anyone.

I wish I could say that I immediately built a strong social circle, but that’s not true.

The reality is I struggled.

I’m a huge introvert, so socializing doesn’t come naturally to me at all.
And adult friendships don’t “just happen” like they do when we’re young.

The big unlock for me was realizing that building friendships requires the same intentional effort as anything else important in my life.

So that’s what I did.

I got intentional. I put in the reps.
And guess what happened? It worked.

Here’s everything I learned along the way:

How to build (and maintain) friendships as an adult

I love the message here.

It's so easy to get caught in the trap of "I'm too old", or "it's too late".

But here's the reality: Five years from now, you’ll be five years older regardless of what you do with that time.

You may as well spend it becoming the person you want to be.

It reminds me of a story I heard from writer Mark Manson:

"A friend of mine once told me a story about his grandmother. He said that when her husband died, she was 62, and for the first time in her life, she began to take piano lessons. For weeks, she practiced all day, every day. At first, the family thought it was a phase, but months went by and she kept playing.
​
By the time she was in her 90s, she had been playing piano every day for 30 years—longer than most professional musicians have been alive. Everyone who heard her play swore she must have been a concert pianist in her youth. No one believed her when she said she took her first lesson in her sixties."

As we head into 2026, don’t let “too old” or “too late” be the reason you hold yourself back.

 How to get your sh*t together in 2026

12 habits in 12 months to change your life forever.

My friend Justin Wright put together this useful cheat sheet of 12 daily habits with massive ROI.

My challenge to you:
Pick one habit per month for the next year.

Master it before moving to the next.

By December 2026, you'll have 12 life-changing habits on autopilot.

♻️ Repost to share with your network.
➕ Follow me (Colby Kultgen) for daily self-improvement content

I’m 34.

Here are 7 career “cheat codes” I wish I learned sooner:

7 career cheat codes I wish I knew sooner

Don't set SMART goals in 2024.

Set SMARTER goals...

We've all heard it before, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, etc.

But I've always thought something was missing from this framework.

Actually, a couple things:
1. Making goals easy to start immediately(most people get stuck here).
2. Encouraging regular reflection and adjustment of goals.

Thus, SMARTER goals were born:

Specific: Clear and well-defined.
Measurable: Quantifiable or assessable.
Achievable: Realistically attainable.
Relevant: Aligned with broader objectives.
Time-bound: Has a defined timeline.
Easy to start: Simple to initiate or begin.
Reflective: Encourages regular reflection.

Try them out.
Let me know what you think.

———

♻️ If you enjoyed this, repost it to your network and follow me (Colby Kultgen) for more content like this.

7 cheat codes to remember (almost) everything you learn.

Save this and send it to your study/work buddy!

7 cheat codes to remember (almost) everything you learn

In a perfect world, we'd be off our phones completely.

Probably skipping through a meadow somewhere.

Sadly, we don't live in a perfect world.

So I figured if you're going to be on your phone, you might as well be doing something that actually adds to your life.

Save this and repost it if you got some value.

8 Apps to Grow Your Brain Instead of Rotting It:

Avoid these time management mistakes in 2026.

Save this and repost if it resonated!

5 brutal time management mistakes stealing your life

How to improve any relationship in your life in 2026.

Take out your phone and send this text message:

“How can I be a better [friend / partner / son / etc.] to you?”

When I first heard this idea, I knew I had to try it immediately.

To be honest, I was pretty nervous.

Sending a message like this requires a lot of vulnerability.

But the responses I received were amazing.

They gave me specific and practical ways to show up better in the lives of the people I care about most.

This is the kind of question we should feel comfortable asking but rarely do.

Instead, we go through life assuming we know how others feel.

What they need.
What they expect.
How they want us to show up.

But the truth is: most of us don’t have a clue.

Asking is how we learn.

Try this out.

You might be surprised by what they share and how much they appreciate that you cared enough to ask.

January 16th was National Quitter's Day.

Yep, by the second Friday of January, roughly 80% of people will have already given up on their New Year's resolutions.

Which makes today the perfect day to recommit.

Save this and send it to someone who needs it.

How to actually start doing something (and stick with it)

Soft Skill & Corporate Trainer | 41K | I Help Individuals Master Public Speaking with Confidence | Professor-PW | Speaker - G Summit 2023 | 30+ Webinars | Resume Review & Interview Prep Coach | Trained 1000+ | 30+ Brands

Is communicating with confidence holding you back?

I’m Vrinda Gupta, a Leadership Communication Trainer and 2× TEDx Speaker.

I work with corporate professionals, founders, and high-potential students who know their work but struggle to articulate it with confidence, clarity, and authority.

My work sits at the intersection of confidence, communication, and performance.

Over the years, I’ve trained 4,500+ professionals and students, helping them:

- Speak clearly in high-stakes meetings and interviews
- Build executive presence without changing who they are
- Communicate ideas confidently with clients, leadership, and stakeholders
- Overcome the silent fear of speaking that limits growth

Where my work shows up

- Fortune 500 companies & corporate teams, training professionals across roles and seniority
- Top institutions, including IIT Ranchi, Amity University, FORE School of Management, PayPal learning cohorts, and other leading campuses
- Founders and senior professionals navigating leadership communication, presentations, and influence

My work has been featured across platforms focused on leadership, culture, and professional growth, including:
- TEDx & Josh Talks
- Humans of Bombay
- LinkedIn News & ET (Economic Times) features
- Favikon - Top Creators
- LinkedIn Top Voice (2025)

What I train people on

- Executive & workplace communication
- Interview and placement communication
- Leadership presence & stakeholder conversations
- Client communication & professional confidence
- Public speaking and high-pressure communication scenarios

Whether you’re an early-career professional, a people leader, a founder, or an academic institution preparing students for industry, communication is the skill that decides how far capability actually travels.

If you’re exploring structured communication training for yourself, your team, students, or leadership cohort, you can reach out here.

📩 vrindagupta02@gmail.com

Vrinda Gupta

If you've worked in corporate, you'll relate.
Corporate life in theory vs reality:


"We value open communication" 
→ No one speaks in meetings. Ever.

"We have a strong feedback culture" 
→ Feedback goes up. Never comes back down.

"Work-life balance is important to us" 
→ Slack ping at 9:47 pm. "Quick question."

"Feel free to share your ideas" 
→ You share. Silence. Someone else says it 3 weeks later. Applause.

"We're like a family here" 
→ Until budget cuts.

The gap between what companies say and what employees experience?
That's where trust breaks.

What would you add to this list?

2× TEDx Speaker | Corporate Communication Trainer | I Help Teams & Leaders Communicate with Authority | Better Client Conversations, Stronger Leadership Presence, Higher Conversions

Being "dependable" is why some people never get promoted.


Let me tell you the trap no one talks about:

The Dependability Paradox:

The better you are at your job --> The more you absorb --> The more "essential" you become —>The harder you are to move. 

And managers don't promote people they can't replace.

Your manager isn't tracking your consistency. 

-They're tracking who speaks up in meetings. 
-Who sends the recap email. 
-Who takes credit - clearly and unapologetically.

Dependability is a career asset.
Until it becomes a ceiling.

What's one thing you've done that went completely unnoticed?

2× TEDx Speaker | Corporate Communication Trainer | I Help Teams & Leaders Communicate with Authority | Better Client Conversations, Stronger Leadership Presence, Higher Conversions | Top Voice 2025

3 months. 
Same person. 
Completely different confidence.


Before: 
→ Avoided speaking in meetings 
→ Over-explained when she did 
→ Passed over for promotion twice

What we fixed: 
→ Structured her responses: 
one point, clearly made, then stop → Cut the jargon. Added clarity. 
→ Practiced out loud. Again. And again.

After: 
→ Spoke in 4 consecutive leadership meetings
→ Got asked to lead a cross-functional initiative 
→ Her words: "I finally sound like I know what I'm doing"

Nothing about her changed. 
Except how she showed up.

Who's someone you've watched transform their presence?

Delhi, I’m coming 👋

I’ll be in Delhi from 9th–14th and would love to connect and collaborate while I’m there.

Open to:
– Coffee meet-ups 
– 1:1 sessions
– Workshops
– Podcast collaborations 
– Content collabs

If you’re a creator, founder, or professional and feel we can create something meaningful together, let’s chat.

DM me with “Delhi” or drop a comment below.

Looking forward to meeting some amazing people ✨

Can you all guess which movie this is? 🎬


I was honestly just bored and randomly thought of trying this on ChatGPT. Didn’t expect it to turn out this good.

It’s actually crazy how realistic AI is getting. From time-pass experiments to results that look straight out of a movie poster.

AI is booming, no doubt.

And sometimes, it’s just fun to play around and be amazed by what it can do.

PS: Low-key feels like I’m part of Dhurandhar now 😅
Tell me if you guessed it right

Just came back from Delhi after 2 days.


And why does it feel like I’ve returned from a foreign trip every single time?

Not even exaggerating.

It’s not just the cold. it’s the prep.
Masks packed.
Oil for the nose packed.
Constant reminder: don’t step out without a mask.

In Mumbai, you forget your phone and go back.
In Delhi, you forget your mask and reconsider going out at all.

Plus the weather, I took off in 5 degrees within an hour landed in 32 degrees LOL

Delhi for 2 days taught me discipline. Mumbai welcomed me back with humidity 

Same country, very different experiences.

If you struggle with confidence while speaking, save this.

Free resources I recommend to improve communication & presentation skills 

YouTube channels worth your time: 

→ Vinh Giang (storytelling + presence) 
→ Carmine Gallo (presentation structure) 
→ Vanessa Van Edwards (body language science)

Free courses that deliver: 

→ Google's "Improve Your Public Speaking" on Coursera 
→ University of Washington's "Speaking to Inform" (Coursera)

TED Talks to study, not just watch: 

→ Amy Cuddy - for power posture 
→ Julian Treasure - for vocal delivery 
→ Nancy Duarte - for narrative structure

AI tools for practice: 

→ Yoodli - real-time speech feedback 
→ Poised - filler word tracking → ChatGPT - script structuring and prep

Books (only 2, because less is more): 

→ "Talk Like TED" by Carmine Gallo 
→ "The Charisma Myth" by Olivia Fox Cabane

Stop consuming randomly.
Start practicing intentionally.

Which one are you trying first?

I’ve trained enough people to know this secret.



5 workplace soft skills no one trains you for (but everyone judges you on)

The ones who stall aren't missing hard skills. They're missing these:

1. You ramble in meetings - Less is more. Say it once, say it well, stop.

2. Your Slack tone is a problem -  "Just circling back!" is not as friendly as you think.

3. You say yes to everything - And now you're overwhelmed, resentful, and replaceable.

4. You react badly to feedback - Even when you think you're hiding it - you're not.

5. You pitch ideas like you're apologising - Stop asking for permission. Start offering solutions.

No one trains you on these. 
But they're exactly what gets discussed behind closed doors.

PS: I am coming to Delhi next weekend. I’m open to conducting sessions and connecting with like minded founders, creators and entrepreneurs over a coffee.

DM me now if you are from Delhi.

After training 900+ students with a 98% success rate, this is the one pattern I see again and again:


👉 Candidates place the interviewer on a pedestal.
👉 They forget their own value.
👉 Confidence collapses before the first question.

Let me say this clearly: you are NOT below the interviewer.

An interview is not a favour. It’s a 1:1 professional conversation.

They are evaluating:

-your skills
-your energy
-your mindset
-your time

And in return, they pay you.

-You are offering value.
-They are offering an opportunity.
-That makes you equals.

If you get selected. Great, you earned it.
If you don’t, they’ll forget the interaction the moment you walk out.

So stop trying to impress. Stop shrinking yourself. Start showing up as a professional who knows their worth.

Confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s clarity.

I work from home and I forgot what human connection actually feels like. 


Until last week.

I hosted a success event at PW office in Noida. 

Students from my batch over 2.5 years, students who got placed in top leading private banks.

Many had felt aimless before joining.

A lot struggled with confidence.
Most were told their communication wasn't "corporate enough."

But watching them on stage, I noticed something different:

They weren't just speaking well.
They were connecting.

We've romanticized remote work so much that we've forgotten the one communication skill LinkedIn doesn't teach: Showing up in person when it matters.

The students who traveled hours just because they knew I'd be there? That's a real impact you can feel in your bones.

2.5 years of working from home and it took one event to remind me why I do this.

Sometimes the best communication training happens when you close the laptop.

What's one in-person moment that reminded you why your work matters?

taplio

The Battle

Colby Kultgen

Vrinda Gupta

Followers

Posts

Engagements

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Performance ScoreColby Kultgen's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreVrinda Gupta's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Colby Kultgen

Vrinda Gupta

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Colby Kultgen's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreVrinda Gupta's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreColby Kultgen's LinkedIn Performance