Rick Rubinsun to start the day, only red light after sunset
Asked to walk through his day, Rubin describes one bookended by light — out into the sun the moment he wakes, then red glasses and a house lit only in red from sunset on — and says he's in bed by ten and asleep within fifteen minutes.Rubin describes a daily routine bookended by light — sun the moment he wakes, red after dark.
Key takeaways
- Rubin says his day starts by going out into the sun as soon as he wakes, followed by as long a beach walk as he can manage; nothing work-related happens until those are out of the way, usually not before 11.
- From the moment the sun sets, he says, it's only red light: red glasses on, and the room he's in lit in red alone.
- He says the evening is for winding down out of work mode with his family.
- He says his phone turns red at night, and once you've adjusted, someone else's normal screen lighting up is blinding.
- He says he is usually in bed by 10, and asleep within 15 minutes.
In their words
“[on this daily routine] typically it involves waking up going out into the Sun as naked as possible to start the day.”
“Well it's only red light. I'm usually wearing. From the time the sun sets I'm in a space with only red light."”
“If someone comes to visit and their phone lights up at night it's blinding and it's so disturbing. And for them that's normal. They're in this heightened blown out place all the time. I'm staying at neutral. I'm staying at the more natural how the world would be if man didn't create all these loud things"”
Context
Rick Rubin — producer of Johnny Cash's American Recordings, the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele and Slayer, and author of The Creative Act — returned to Huberman Lab to answer listeners' questions about the creative process. Andrew Huberman said the most-asked question was Rubin's daily routine. Rubin's answer starts with the sun and ends with red light. He wore red-tinted glasses throughout the recording, against the studio lights.
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Updated Sep 28, 2026