The Systems Guy • Follow me for systems on health, wealth, and free time ⚡ Cornell MBA • 2M+ audience

Hi, I'm Ben Meer.

Tired of non-actionable life advice, I started writing online in February 2022.

Here are the results:

→ Built social audience from 0 to 2M+ (across IG, LinkedIn, and X) 
→ Grew 0 to 690K+ followers on LinkedIn in 21 months
→ Scaled newsletter—System Sunday—from 0 to 270K+ subscribers

There are 2 primary ways I can help you:

1) System Sunday Newsletter

Most people don't know how to build life systems to accelerate personal growth. So I created a weekly newsletter that teaches these systems (it's free). Subscribe to unlock new levels of wealth, health, and freedom.

→ Try it: benmeer.com/ss

2) Archimedes [Coaching]

Access the most exclusive members' club for LinkedIn thought leaders. Get the proven systems, resources, and community to 10x your personal brand. 

→ Check it out: joinarchimedes.com

——

Sponsorships: partnerships@benmeer.com

Ben Meer

An idea I’m implementing in my life:

The 1-6-4 Method.

Popularized by entrepreneur and author Jesse Itzler, it’s a foolproof way to make sure you always have fun planned throughout the year.

1. Plan one big “year-making” event 

This is inspired by the Japanese concept of Misogi (a challenging annual endeavor).

Pick one massive defining challenge or event for the year that pushes you to grow past your limits:

• A long endurance event (like a marathon)
• A big personal project (like finally starting that side business)
• Something transformative (like a multi-day solo backpacking trip)

This’ll act as the anchor for your year.

2. Schedule 6 mini-adventures for every other month 

Lock in one small, exciting experience every other month (6 per year):

• Going camping at a national park
• Traveling on vacation to a place you’ve never been
• Attending a music festival where your favorite artist is performing
• Hosting a group of friends for a dinner party and game night
• Explore a new part of your city that you’ve always wanted to visit

3. Implement a winning habit every quarter

Add one positive, compounding habit every 3 months (4 per year).

It could be drinking more water, walking 10k steps per day, meditating, being on time, or any small routine that improves your life. 

These are your building blocks for long-term growth.

—

We’ve become bad at leisure.

The digital world isn’t bringing as much joy to our lives.

Having alternative choices (using the 1-6-4 Method) to look forward to throughout the year makes life so much more enjoyable.

And remember: 

Put these on your calendar so they actually happen rather than staying as ideas.

Cheers to more joy this year and beyond. 🥂

♻️ Repost to share this with your network.
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How to live life like it’s your second time around.

5 rules to experience more joy and less regret:

1. Remember the Spotlight Effect.

We think people are paying far more attention to us than they are. 

Harsh truth: 

Your freedom begins the day you realize nobody is thinking about you.

—

2. Consider the things you won’t care about in 5 years. 

• Other people’s opinions
• Petty disagreements
• Sensationalized news 

Allow yourself to stop caring now.

—

3. Shift your mindset from ‘I don’t know how’ to ‘I don’t know how yet.’

In the words of Adam Grant:

• Impostor syndrome: ‘I don't know what I'm doing. It's only a matter of time until everyone finds out.’

• Growth mindset: ‘I don't know what I'm doing yet. It's only a matter of time until I figure it out.’

The highest form of self-confidence is believing in your ability to learn.

—

4. Make 'No' your default. 

Whether it's a new work project or social gatherings, saying 'Yes' to non-priorities ruins your priorities. 

As Derek Sivers says, if it's not a 'Hell yeah,' it's a no.

Then pour that time into what actually excites you.


—

5. Normalize being weird.

“Weirdness is what sets us apart, gets us hired. Be your unapologetically weird self. In fact, being weird may even find you the ultimate happiness.” —Chris Sacca

—

We only get one do-over in this beautiful life. 

Make sure to live it intentionally. 🙌

♻️ Repost to help others live life to the fullest.
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If I had to restart my career tomorrow, these are the 9 soft skills I’d learn first:

1. Be the person who gets things done
↳ Organizations reward initiative.
↳ Solve problems proactively (promotions follow naturally).

2. Leverage the 7-38-55 Rule
↳ Other’s impression of you comes primarily from nonverbal cues.
↳ Focus on your tone and body language to elevate your communication.

3. Use the 4-Bullet Update
↳ Remind leaders of the task, your actions, blockers/risks, and follow-ups.
↳ You respect their time and show ownership.

4. Practice the Gratitude Loop regularly
↳ Spot good work, call it out specifically, and reciprocate.
↳ You will build loyalty and strong alliances fast.

5. Treat your speaking like game film
↳ Record calls/meetings and review them often. 
↳ It’ll help eliminate filler words and sharpen your delivery.

6. Send weekly Friday Highlights 
↳ Recap your wins and things you’re looking out for next week. 
↳ You both build trust in the moment and create a stack of evidence for review season. 

7. Apply the Plus One Rule everywhere
↳ Find ways to leave every process 1% better. 
↳ Consistent small upgrades make you indispensable.

8. Give yourself a Personal MBA
↳ 30 minutes of daily business reading sharpens your mind over time. 
↳ You’ll be thinking (and acting) like an executive before you know it. 

9. Eliminate complaining and gossip
↳ Your words about others reflect directly on your integrity.
↳ Replace negative speak with direct, respectful communication.

The AI era is here, and hard skills can be outsourced faster than ever.

What can’t be outsourced?

Your reputation.
Your initiative.
The trust you build with the people around you.

People skills are the real opportunity in 2026 and beyond.

And the best part is, anyone can learn them.

♻️ Repost to share these skills with your team.
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How to subtly upgrade your life in 2026.

Dial in these 5 everyday inputs:

1. Social Inputs

You become the 5 people you spend the most time with.

Choose wisely:

• Find intellectual sparring partners (where you help one another).
• Resist false kindness: Create an inner circle that will give you honest feedback.
• Avoid energy vampires: Spend more time with people who give you energy and less time with those who steal it.

—

2. Information Inputs

Elevate your sources. 

If you want to level up your information diet, here are some immediate upgrades:

TED Talks, documentaries, insightful podcasts, books that challenge and inspire, and unbiased news sources.

See the comments below for a curated list of my favorite resources.

—

3. Mental Inputs

Small shifts in language create big mindset shifts.

Among my favorites:

• Failure → Learning
• Stuck → Exploring new angles
• Nervous → Energized
• Hate → I prefer
• Have to → Get to

—

4. Health Inputs

Your brain influences every thought, feeling, and action you take.
So prioritize your brain health:

• Take long walks.
• Sleep 7+ hrs nightly.
• Have a strong rest ethic to avoid burnout.
• Rebalance your dopamine with less screen time.

—

5. Environmental Inputs

Pare down to essential items.

Then, manage both inbound & outbound possessions.

Inbound:
• Choose quality > quantity
• Purchase less; love every single item more

Outbound:
• Follow the 1 In, 1 Out Rule: If you buy one item, then donate, sell, or toss another

—

Your future results are a lagging measure of your current inputs.

Choose wisely. Everything else is downstream.

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"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." —Peter Drucker

20 simple phrases to build a healthy team culture:

If you want to install a growth mindset:

1. "What did we learn?"
2. "How might we…?"
3. "I need your help…"
4. "What are your thoughts on…?"
5. "Thanks for taking that risk."

If you want to build trust:

6. "I made a mistake."
7. "You've got my full support."
8. "I appreciate when you…"
9. Help me understand…"
10. "I trust your judgement."

If you want to cut out toxic language (avoid these):

11. "That's not my job."
12. "We've always done it this way."
13. "Who's to blame?"
14. "That'll never work."
15. "Just do what I say."

If you want to prevent eroding your culture (avoid these):

16. "They should have…"
17. "You're wrong because…"
18. "That's a stupid idea."
19. "Why didn't you…"
20. "I told you so."

The words you speak become the culture you work in.

The best ones don't just happen overnight.

They're built one word, phrase, and conversation at a time.

♻️ Repost to champion healthy workplace communication.
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Austin Belcak

I Teach People How To Land Amazing Jobs Without Applying Online // Ready To Land A Great Role In Less Time (With A $44K+ Raise)? Head To 👉 CultivatedCulture.com/Coaching

CultivatedCulture.com/Coaching // I teach people how to land jobs they love in today's market without traditional experience and without applying online.

In 2013, I graduated from college with a biology degree, terrible grades, and a job in healthcare that paid me next to nothing.

Two years later, I scored interviews at Google, Microsoft, & Twitter and I accepted an offer from Microsoft with a $70,000 raise

All without “traditional” experience and without applying online.

Today, I teach people (just like you!) how to use the same system to land their dream job without applying online.

That system has helped thousands of job seekers land offers at places like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Uber, Spotify, Deloitte, Accenture, Sequoia Capital, Tesla, SpaceX, ESPN, The NFL, & more.

The people we work with don't just land offers at great companies. They also get:

💰 Average Raise: $44,000+ 
🧭 Average Time To Offer: 3.5 Months
⭐ Satisfaction Rating: 9.52/10
🤝 End-To-End Job Search Support
✅ 3X+ ROI Guarantee

Ready to land your dream job? 

Head to 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 and book a *FREE* 30 minute Career Clarity Call.

These calls are 30 minute, one-on-one sessions with our team where you'll learn:

1. The exact reason why your current job search strategy isn't working

2. Why traditional hiring processes are broken (and what you can do instead)

3. How to overcome the biggest challenge that's preventing you from achieving your job search goals

4. How to pick and choose where you land job interviews (seriously!)

5. Exactly what you need to do to land your dream job and salary

Don't just take my word for it though. Here's what a few of our clients have to say about working with us:

“I recently left a job with nothing else lined up. My visa was tied to that job so I had 60 days to get hired and land visa sponsorship. Austin helped me land a Program Manager role at a leading tech company, a 30% raise, AND H1-B sponsorship.” - Jasleen

"I was unemployed and close to losing my house. Working with Cultivated Culture helped me land multiple interviews and two offers for senior-level roles in less than 70 days." - Karina

"I spent years struggling to take the transition from vendor to full time employee. Austin helped me land a job in Product Marketing at a Fortune 30 tech company with a $40,000+ raise." - Amyr

Learn more and book your free Career Clarity Call here 👉 CultivatedCulture.com/Coaching

Founder

I teach people how to use unconventional strategies to land jobs they love in today's market (without connections, without traditional "experience," and without applying online).

My strategies have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc., Fast Company, and more. My students have landed interviews and offers at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, Deloitte, Accenture, ESPN and more. 

Ready to take your career to the next level? Check out my step-by-step breakdown of the process that has helped hundreds of people like you land amazing jobs at the world's best companies (it's totally free): https://cultivatedculture.com/dreamjob/

Want to chat? Shoot me an email at austin@cultivatedculture.com

Cultivated Culture is a carbon negative business. Our contributions help remove 60+ tons of CO2Es from the atmosphere and plant over 2,000 new trees every year 🌲

You spend 20 minutes uploading your resume, then re-typing everything in.

Many employers only spend a few seconds reading it.

You spend 50+ minutes answering the employer's questions in an interview.

They give you 5 minutes at the very end to ask yours.

You’re asked to share your specific salary expectations. 

But many employers say “that’s confidential” when you ask for their budget. 

You spend weeks going on 4-6 interviews so the company can decide if you're a fit.

Then they give you 24-48 hours to accept their offer.

This isn't a "hiring process."

It's a power trip.

I Teach People How To Land Amazing Jobs Without Applying Online // Ready To Land A Great Role 50% Faster (With A $44K+ Raise)? Head To 👉 CultivatedCulture.com/Coaching

9 to 5s get a lot of hate.

I think we should celebrate them more.

Now I get it:

Corporations offer less loyalty and more layoffs.

Influencers tell you “it’s never been easier to start your own thing.”

That’s true.

It’s also never been easier to take clear pictures of galaxies that are billions of years old.

“Easier” doesn’t always mean easy.

Now don’t get me wrong:

Let’s keep holding companies accountable for morally and ethically questionable choices. 

But let’s also celebrate the *people* using that 9-5 to build for themselves and their families.

That Mom whose 9-5 carries healthcare for her family?

Let’s lift her up.

That Dad whose 9-5 will pay for college and let his family retire comfortably?

Let’s tell him to keep going.

That new grad whose 9-5 lets them learn the ins and outs of the workforce?

That’s huge for our future.

There are plenty of things that are extremely wrong with the current system.

We all need to keep being vocal about fixing it.

I certainly will.

But as I do?

I'm going to celebrate the people busting their butts and using that system to build a life for themselves and their family.

I think you should too.

- AB ✌

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A month into 2026, our team has spoken to hundreds of job seekers.

One common theme?

*Finally* landing interviews, only to get rejected without the offer.

Here are 7 psychology principles we teach them that help turn 5x more interviews into offers:

1. Serial Position Effect

What It Is: People tend to remember the first and last items in a series best.

How To Leverage It: The start of your interview (small talk, intros) and the end (Q&A, closing comments) are your most memorable moments.

Prepare intentional openers and closers that communicate warmth, confidence, and alignment with the role.

2. Confirmation Bias

What It Is: Once someone forms an impression, they look for evidence to support it and tend to ignore conflicting information.

How To Leverage It: Lead with your best story, strength, or trait as early as possible.

If your interviewer thinks “This person is sharp and proactive,” they’ll interpret the rest of the interview through that lens.

3. Reciprocity

What It Is: People are wired to return favors or kind gestures, big and small.

How To Leverage It: Share a helpful insight about the company, compliment about the interview process, or the interviewer’s background / experience.

It creates goodwill and builds rapport that you can build on throughout the interview.

4. Self-Disclosure Effect

What It Is: People tend to like and trust others who share a bit of personal (but appropriate) information.

How To Leverage It: Share a short, personal detail during the interview.

For example, a story about why you care about this field or what inspired your career shift.

It humanizes you and builds connection.

5. Mirroring

What It Is: We subconsciously mirror the body language and tone of those we like, and feel closer to those who mirror us.

How To Leverage It: Subtly match your interviewer’s tone, pace, and energy.

This fosters connection and makes you feel like “one of us” to the interviewer, a key part of being seen as a cultural fit.

6. Liking Principle

What It Is: We’re more likely to say yes to people we like. And we tend to like people who are similar to us, genuine, and warm.

How To Leverage It: Don’t just aim to impress with your experience and background. Aim to connect with your interviewer.

Smile. Show curiosity. Find common ground.

People hire people they like and want to work with.

7. Cognitive Fluency

What It Is: People prefer things that are easy to understand and remember. When something feels fluent, it feels more true and trustworthy.

How To Leverage It: Use simple language and avoid jargon.

Structure your answers using simple frameworks like STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

🧭 Our client Cole was getting interviews but couldn't close the deal.

We taught him these 7 principles and he landed offers from both Google and Walmart.

👉 Book a free 30-min Clarity Call to see how this system applies to your interview prep: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

7 Psychology Principles To 5x Your Interview-To-Offer Rate

10 Hard Career Truths I Wish I Knew At 18:

1. You’re Responsible For The Skills You Need

If the subjects you cover in your job / in school aren't exciting to you, find ways to get involved in things that are.

Take courses, read books on topics you love, find online communities, etc.

Don’t be limited by a curriculum.

Go explore — that’s how you figure out what you want to do!

2. Get In The Habit Of Having A Side Project

Take something that genuinely interests you and find ways to apply it to the real world.

Start an Instagram page for your photography.

Create jewelry and sell it on Etsy.

These look AMAZING on resumes and can generate income!

3. Reach Out To Everyone And Aim Big

CEOs, entrepreneurs, alumni, etc.

Who inspires you?

Make a list and email one person on it every single day.

If they don't reply or say "no?" You're in the same place you are right now.

If they do? The sky is the limit.

4. Know That Failure Is A Part Of The Process

Social media glorifies highlights.

But no successful person nailed it on the first try.

They all failed many, many times before.

The earlier you start testing, failing, & learning?

The faster you’ll accelerate your career.

5. Only Take Advice From People Who Have Already Done It

Parents, friends, and teachers have your best interests at heart.

But they typically won't understand your goals.

If you want to win?

Find people who have already achieved the specific goals you have for yourself.

📺  Ready for my final 5 hard truths that will transform your career? 

Watch the full video on YouTube here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eEuN9_TW

I hate the question “where do you want to be in 5 years?”

I don’t have a 5 year plan.

Or a 10 year vision.

Instead, I have a clear idea of exactly where I want to be and what I accomplish for the next 12 months.

A One Year Plan.

Why?

10 years ago I was a biology major with plans to be a doctor.

7 years ago I was working a job in healthcare that I absolutely hated.

5 years ago, I was stuck in startup life in a job that didn’t pay me what I was worth.

Then I landed my job at Microsoft (with a $70k raise to boot!).

6 months later, I started a website teaching people to accelerate their careers.

5 years later a pandemic upended the world and completely changed the way we live and work.

We are living, breathing, evolving individuals.

Our personalities change, our goals change, and our world changes.

It’s impossible to predict what’s 3, 5, and 10 years down the road.

Instead, focus on what’s in front of you.

Where do you want to be in 12 months?

Aim big.

Then come up with a highly actionable plan to get there.

Don’t focus on goals, focus on systems.

Drill down to the daily actions, because what you do every day is the single biggest indicator of your ability to make your vision of success a reality.

How do you plan for the future?

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