Hear It, Do It, Let It Go
Capture the idea you hear before overthinking or approval-seeking reshapes it
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 90%
Hear It, Do It, Let It Go is a fast creative-execution loop Labrinth says he learned partly through working with Sia and through the freer environment around Euphoria. Begin with the melody, sound, image, or direction you already hear internally. Make it before extended analysis gives people-pleasing and imagined judgment time to reshape the idea. Keep what you genuinely enjoy, then stop rather than endlessly polishing for a predicted reaction. The method separates generating a truthful first version from later reflection; it does not forbid revision, and Labrinth acknowledges that he thought more about the album later. Its immediate output is a captured creative statement that can be assessed after it exists instead of being suppressed before it is made.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO, where Labrinth says working with Sia helped him let go and describes making an album by doing what he heard, keeping the melodies he enjoyed, and leaving them there.
Core principles
- 01The first clear idea is useful creative information
- 02Overthinking gives approval-seeking time to alter the work
- 03Completion can require stopping before certainty arrives
- 04Enjoyment is a valid signal during exploratory creation
How to run it
- 1
Hear the Core
Name the melody, image, sound, or direction already present in your mind. Separate it from ideas copied to trigger a known audience reaction.
Pro tip Describe the core in one sentence before making it.
- 2
Make It Immediately
Create a rough version while the internal signal is clear. Prioritize capturing the idea over proving its value.
Pro tip Use the quickest medium that preserves the central feeling.
Watch out Speed does not excuse unsafe or irreversible execution.
- 3
Keep What You Enjoy
Listen for the melodies, phrases, or choices that feel alive to you. Preserve them before optimizing for another person's expected response.
Watch out Enjoyment is a creative signal, not proof that every detail is finished.
- 4
Stop the Approval Edit
Notice when changes are being made only to avoid judgment or manufacture a reaction. End the first pass before those changes erase the original idea.
Pro tip Label speculative audience edits separately so they do not silently replace the draft.
- 5
Release the Draft
Leave the version alone and return later if reflection is useful. Letting go means ending compulsive shaping, not banning all later revision.
Watch out Do not confuse a first creative version with a fact-checked or production-ready release.
In the wild
After a long second-album process, Labrinth says he approached the next record with a faster attitude: make something, keep the melodies he enjoyed, and leave them there. He notes that he later did think about the album more, so the method captured the work rather than eliminating reflection.
→ He completed a body of work he describes as a step toward expressing himself more openly.
Illustrative example: a designer can already see a simple landing-page concept but keeps imagining stakeholder reactions. She builds the core layout in one session, preserves the visual relationship she likes, and records speculative revisions separately for later review.
→ A concrete first version exists before imagined approval requirements dilute the idea.
Common mistakes
Using Speed to Skip Necessary Review
The method concerns capturing creative work. It does not replace accuracy, safety, legal, or production checks.
Mistaking Imitation for Inner Direction
Labrinth distinguishes what an artist hears internally from combining whatever is currently popular. The method starts with the former.
Never Returning With Fresh Ears
Letting go ends compulsive first-pass editing, but Labrinth says he did reflect on the album later. Useful revision remains possible after the idea has been captured.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for early creative drafts when the core idea is clear but fear and imagined judgment are slowing execution.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for safety-critical, factual, contractual, or technically exact work that requires deliberate review.
From the transcript
“let's just do just do something just do it let it go don't think about it”
“I enjoy these Melodies I enjoy what I'm doing I'm gonna leave it there”
“what are you hearing write what you hear”
From the episode
Labrinth: The Musical Genius Behind Euphoria