Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex… Isn’t in this Newsletter

But here’s how embracing constraints can supercharge your creativity

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s Week 4 of using this newsletter to trick myself into writing a book, one short chapter at a time (F*ck It, We’ll Do It Live! This Newsletter is Now a Book-In-Progress).

Thanks for joining me on this journey to help everyone unlock their creativity with a process I call “Write drunk, edit sober.” Now kick back, relax, and pour yourself a drink. And while you’re at it, make me one, too.

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Story Time: When I was in college, I took a class called Buddhist Psychology—probably the most practical course I took at Berkeley (I majored in classes that started after 11 a.m.). After the first lecture, the professor gave us an assignment: write an essay about anything. I thought, “Cool, I’ll write about monkeys.”

But to my surprise, many of the students freaked out. They rushed up to the professor, begging for a more specific topic. She repeated, “Write about anything,” and then stormed off, leaving a trail of panicked students in her wake.

I had no idea what this had to do with Buddhism, but I walked out of class with a spring in my step—because for me, it was monkey time!

It hit me: As much as creativity craves freedom, it thrives on constraint. If I were to say, “Come up with 5 ideas about ANYTHING!!!” you might struggle as much as those poor Berkeley kids. Infinity is too big of a playground. But, if I were to say, “Come up with 5 ideas for an exciting new restaurant to pitch to Snoop Dogg,” now we’re talking!

Which reminds me…

Bonus Story Time: When I was an NBC Page, I was assigned to escort Snoop Dogg to his dressing room at The Tonight Show. Snoop arrived with a big entourage—and an even bigger cloud of smoke. As we walked, I pitched him an all-you-can-eat restaurant called “Fo-Shizzler.” He nodded, smiled, and said, “Fo-Shizzler, fo sho!” We didn’t make any kind of deal, but I did walk away with a story and a contact high.

Fun Fact: Dr. Seuss's publisher bet him he couldn’t write a book using just 50 words. Seuss accepted the challenge and wrote "Green Eggs and Ham," his best-selling children’s book! With rhythmic repetition and clever rhymes, he proved that constraints can spark creativity—and put a whole lot of green in your pockets!

Bonus Fun Fact: I told you that last Fun Fact in 50 words… And I just wasted another 20 words telling you that!

Limits are powerful. They can set your creativity on fire. So, with that in mind…

HomePlay: Challenge yourself by setting limits to a task you have to do—like writing an email. Can you do it in 30 words or less? Finish in under 90 seconds? Slip in the word "salami"? Limits ignite fresh ideas, boost creativity, and even make routine tasks more fun. Give it a try!

Advanced HomePlay: For the ultimate challenge, try imposing a limit that’s truly terrifying—turn off your WiFi!

Cheer to your creativity,
Gil

P.S. Got a question for me? Got an answer for me? Got a job for me? Hit me up at gil@gilrief.com