Focus solely on making the best thing you can as a devotional practice, without thinking about the outcome during the creation process. Outcome-oriented thinking undermines the work and is a waste of energy, as the outcome is largely out of one’s control.
Identify the root cause of creative blocks, which are typically self-judgment (‘I’m not good enough’) or fear of external judgment (‘Nobody’s going to like it’). Addressing these underlying fears and judgments is crucial for unblocking the creative flow.
Approach creative work as a personal diary entry, made for oneself without external expectations or judgment. This mindset fosters freedom, honesty, and eliminates blocks rooted in fear of judgment, allowing for authentic self-expression.
View yourself as a vessel or a data analyst for ideas that come from outside the self, rather than the sole creator. This perspective fosters openness, reduces ego-driven blocks, and allows for tapping into a broader range of information and inspiration.
Protect your inner landscape by curating the amount and type of stimulation in your life, including the people you surround yourself with. Excessive or unwanted stimulation can interfere with one’s ability to maintain a desired internal state and nurture internal life, which is crucial for creativity.
Practice radical honesty in relationships, clearly communicating your perceptions and feelings, even in disagreement. Truthfulness ensures both parties are operating from the same understanding of reality, fostering genuine connection rather than living in separate ‘worlds’ based on untruths.
Strive to create a home and relationship environment that is a safe, stable, and supportive sanctuary. This allows work to be the primary source of stress or challenge, enabling one to be ‘fearless’ in artistic endeavors and take creative risks, while having a secure base to return to.
Start the day by waking up slowly, exposing skin to sunlight, engaging in physical activity (long walk or gym) within 1-1.5 hours, and incorporating stretching, while avoiding work-related tasks until 11 AM or later. This routine promotes a gradual wake-up, physical well-being, and protects the early morning hours from work-related stress, setting a calm tone for the day.
Implement an evening wind-down routine starting at sunset, using only red light (e.g., red glasses, red phone screen), avoiding stimulating work-related activities, and aiming for bed by 10 PM. To suppress cortisol, facilitate natural sleep onset, and avoid the disturbing effects of bright blue light exposure at night, leading to better sleep.
Get sunlight signals to the eyes at least once a day in the morning, and also in the evening, without sunglasses. To properly signal the body for wakefulness and sleep, as the contrast of blues and oranges/reds at low solar angles triggers the body’s understanding of morning and evening, which is critical for circadian rhythm.
Practice coherence breathing at 6 breaths per minute, aiming for 10-20 minutes, once or twice a day, typically with eyes closed. This practice is used to increase heart rate variability (HRV), which Rick Rubin found effective in his own practice.
Practice Metta meditation by repeating phrases like ‘May I be filled with loving kindness, may I be well, may I be peaceful and at ease, may I be happy,’ starting with oneself and gradually extending it to family, community, and the planet over years. This cultivates loving kindness and expands compassion, building an internal ‘charge’ that spreads outwards.
Practice expressive writing by dedicating 15 minutes a day for four days to write about the most challenging, upsetting, or traumatizing experience of your life. This specific journaling technique has been shown to lead to significant positive shifts in psychological well-being, physiological health, and immune function.
Be willing to update and adapt your practices, beliefs, and lifestyle based on new information and personal experience. Approaching life with a ‘I know nothing’ mindset allows for experimentation and continuous improvement, discarding what doesn’t work and adopting what does.
Cultivate open-mindedness, allow yourself to be surprised, and hold all beliefs loosely. A narrow belief system limits the information and data points available for creative work, whereas openness allows for more inspiration.
When writing a book or similar long-form project, prioritize getting a complete draft down before focusing on individual details or refinements. Getting the whole project down first prevents getting bogged down in early details, which can hinder completion and overall progress.
Release creative work that you genuinely like, regardless of whether you think it will appeal to a mainstream audience or what critics say. Personal judgment of what is good is the only reliable guide, as external opinions often predict failure for innovative work.
When faced with a creative problem or a task that doesn’t align with your comfort zone, seek innovative solutions that are true to yourself and elevate the task. This approach can transform a perceived limitation into a unique and enjoyable feature, leading to unexpected creative breakthroughs.
Prioritize the idea and its execution, finding ingenious ways to create with available means rather than letting financial boundaries dictate what can be made. The idea is the primary driver, and ingenuity can overcome financial limitations, often leading to a more authentic and real project.
Adopt a minimalist approach to creation, utilizing the means currently available. This approach can add authenticity and a ‘real’ quality to the project, potentially leading to better outcomes than projects with excessive resources.
Engage in regular journaling (1-8 handwritten pages) to release frustrations, anxieties, or other emotions. This process helps clear one’s system, preventing emotional ‘clogging,’ and allows one to approach the day with a clearer mind.
Approach news and information about world affairs with skepticism, treating it like pro wrestling where you never truly know what’s real. This mindset helps in navigating potentially unreliable information, fostering a more accurate sense of the world by not blindly believing narratives.
Strive to maintain a childlike sense of wonder and openness, seeing things without prior indoctrination. This perspective allows for experiencing magic and discovery, preventing scientific explanations from ‘ruining’ the wonder.
Delegate or avoid involvement in aspects of a project that are not directly related to the creative act itself, such as finances or negotiations. This maintains focus on making the ‘beautiful thing in the moment’ and prevents distractions from the creative process.
Work on multiple projects simultaneously and don’t force a project if it’s not flowing easily; allow ideas to come to fruition in their own time. Fighting against the natural flow of a project can be counterproductive; having multiple projects allows one to shift focus to where the ‘universe is helping.’
Leverage the internet as a vast source of information and creative material, but be mindful of information overload and the effort required for curation. To benefit from the accessibility of information while avoiding the pitfalls of constant decision-making and sorting, sometimes preferring curated experiences.
Consider using wired headphones or air tube headphones instead of Bluetooth headphones. To avoid potential health concerns like lymph swellings and heat effects experienced by Rick Rubin, and to minimize exposure to electromagnetic signals near the head.
Remove your phone from the bedroom and consider turning off Wi-Fi at night. To improve sleep quality and reduce potential disturbances from electromagnetic fields.
Live as naturally as possible, minimizing processed foods, consuming grass-fed animals, and using few products that aren’t naturally derived. To promote overall health and well-being by aligning with natural processes and avoiding artificial substances.
If struggling with weight and health, consider a high-protein, low-calorie, low-carb diet, potentially including healthy red meat, but recognize that different diets work for different people. Rick Rubin successfully lost 135 pounds and improved his health with this approach after finding a vegan diet unhealthy for him.
Practice Transcendental Meditation (TM) as a default meditation setting, allowing it to evolve into other practices like breathing, gratitude, or Metta. It builds a base of benefits over time, with the goal of changing one’s way of being in the world and improving reactions in real-world situations.
Practice treading water regularly. It’s a specific form of exercise that improves with practice and leads to quick acclimation and increased endurance.
Use the Waking Up app for meditation, mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, or NSDR sessions. To learn different types of meditation, place the brain and body into various states, and restore cognitive and physical energy, even with short sessions.
Drink Element electrolytes first thing in the morning (1 packet in 16-32 oz water) and during physical exercise. To ensure adequate hydration and electrolytes for optimal brain and body function, as even slight dehydration diminishes performance.
Configure your smartphone for a ’triple click’ shortcut to switch the screen to red light mode at night. To easily reduce blue light exposure from your phone in the evening, which helps with sleep and overall well-being.
When listening to music, pay attention to the very first sound for the ‘intention in the performance.’ This initial impression can reveal a lot about the piece and its potential impact, guiding critical listening.
Refrain from critically evaluating music or other creative works when you are not feeling well or cannot be fully present and open. To ensure a fair and receptive assessment, as one’s internal state can significantly impact the perception of art.
When podcasting or engaging in similar public conversations, aim for an intimate, personal dialogue driven by genuine curiosity, as if no one else is listening. This approach fosters a unique sense of intimacy and authenticity for the listener, making them feel like they are ‘overhearing a personal conversation.’
When engaging in conversations, especially those being recorded, strive for a natural, unperformed experience by minimizing elements (like cameras) that remind you of being recorded. To facilitate a more comfortable, open, and genuine conversation, allowing for deeper and more authentic interaction.
To create a successful podcast or similar creative endeavor, focus on having conversations and talking about topics you genuinely love and are passionate about. Authenticity and passion resonate with an audience, making the content more engaging and effective.
For aspiring creatives (e.g., comedians), focus on being true to yourself and disregard external opinions or advice. Authenticity is paramount, and listening to others can undermine one’s unique gift.