Rob Dyrdek

Rob is the founder of Dyrdek Machine, a venture creation studio based in LA. Since its inception in 2016, Rob has incubated and launched over 14 brands, 5 of which have exited for an aggregate value of over $450M.

On his morning routine.

I’m usually up at around 4:30 AM. 

After I roll out of bed, I practice giving thanks, during which time I think about how lucky I am for my family, my ambition, and my achievements. 

Then, I jump out of bed and pour myself a cup of coffee while I manage my core set of data, including the time, duration, and quality of my sleep. 

Finally, I take note of my core five checkpoints for myself to make sure I’m on track with my wellness goals: meditation, gym time, a clean diet, and hydration. So far, so good!

On execution and offense.

Discipline is a matter of going all in and attacking your projects.

It’s a mindset that you have no choice but to solve them. When my kids complain about a task, I always tell them to tackle what’s right in front of them.

It’s right there, and you just gotta do it. 

Over time, I’ve gotten good at delegating and automating tasks, which helps execute at a high level. What I struggle with is when my deep execution work stalls another project.

Normally, I can take on 1 to 2 heavy projects in between my workflow, but when they stack up, there’s trouble. Even though I track every single hour of my day, I don’t structure my completion of projects since I know the timeline can always change.

If there’s something that’s taking longer than expected, I’ll just cancel meetings to make sure the immediate task gets done. 

By being flexible like this, I’ve actually cleaned out all the big things that used to pull me down, like the institutional stress I got too used to feeling.

On upgrading his habits.

Improving my habits and wellness routine is a never-ending process.

I’m fascinated by the way certain exercises and practices can optimize systems in the body. I’ve re-engineered the biomechanical structure of my entire system and learned how every muscle interacts with the neuromuscular system to affect my day-to-day life. 

I want to be able to understand how every bit of time in the day affects my energy. My goal is to spend every hour of the day on things that give me energy. 

I think I’m still 5 to 6 years away from that level of optimization.

On the source of his ambition.

My life force is about creating, having a vision, and executing successfully.

Creating and optimizing is what I love to do.

I love to dive deep and improve on any subject. Constantly learning, evolving, and becoming better at something keeps my mind and body moving— I just love it.

On advice to his younger self.

When you’re 21, your energy is different than it is as you get older. You’re exploring and adventuring and trying to be healthy.

As Tony Robbins puts it, try to find what you want to master as early as possible, and that will be your greatest gift. Growing towards your passions will develop belief within yourself, which will be a source of endless energy.

On his evening routine.

I only do work at night once a week.

It’s very important to me that I spend my evenings connecting with my wife and family.

I eat dinner at 5:30 so I can go to bed on an empty stomach and let my body do work at night. I’ll also set up my coffee machine so that it’s warm and brewed by 4 AM.

I get 7 hours of sleep every night without fail, and I’m usually in bed with lights out between 9:30 and 10 PM. That about wraps up my whole day.