Morning Pages
Changing up my journaling routine, or a routine in general is sometimes a difficult habit to pick up on. I was actually just reading back two blogs ago from my journaling section, and I wished I could be writing more. Well, I think I manifested it!
I’ve heard about morning pages from lots of different sources over the last few years and I ignored the message - simply because I thought I never had enough time to add yet another thing to my plate.
The past few weeks, I started hearing about morning pages more and more - first, from one of the Franklin Covey Facebook groups that I’m a part of, but also from Jenny Penton, founder and CEO of Planner Perfect - a travellers notebook company that I’m currently working with.
I started getting excited about morning pages once I did my research. I thought to myself, “ well, I think the universe wants me to go here because I keep hearing about it.” You know me - I’m always up for increasing my knowledge and working on my personal and professional development.
So, I found some YouTube videos and blogs that talk about morning pages. One of the main things that come up is a book written by Julia Cameron, called The Artist’s Way. Now Julia Cameron didn’t come up with morning pages, but she uses them as a technique in her process. Again, at this, my ears perk up…”Did you say non-fiction book about personal and professional development and art???” Back to Amazon I go…
At the time of writing, I have yet to read The Artist’s Way, but I see that in my foreseeable future. I have however done a bit of research on morning pages. If you want to get in on this too, or simply want more information on morning pages, or to hear my perspective on them, then by all means, please continue reading…
What are morning pages?
Morning pages are three pages of non-interrupted stream of consciousness writing every morning, when you first wake up. This means you write down whatever thoughts come into your head at the time of writing.
The Point?
To clear your head, similar to a brain dump. It prepares you for the day so your mind is clear and you can focus on the important aspects of your work.
What do you write about?
Stream of consciousness. Some people think this means whatever comes to mind, and that’s technically true. You might find you’re writing about all your tasks for the day, especially if you have questions or worries about them. Maybe you want to write about your family, your job or an idea. Basically, whatever comes to mind that seems trivial or non-consequential; something that you want to clear out of your mind to make room for the good stuff.
What do you do with it after?
Some people keep their morning pages in a notebook. They’re meant to be in a safe place, away from prying eyes. Even you are not supposed to go back and read them! Why? It’s a stream of consciousness whereby you can come up with good ideas, but it’s basically a brain dump of all the stuff you don’t want in your brain so you can focus on the day at hand. It’s like shaking all the water out of the pasta. Clear your head, let it go and move on.
Some people do think it’s ok to go back and re-read the morning pages. I think it may have some insights as to what you may be struggling with in terms of worries, anxieties and the like, and may provide some references and clues as to how to work through them.
You can keep your pages, but they’re not meant for other people to read. If you feel comfortable keeping them in a safe place, go ahead and do so. Still other people suggest burning or shredding their morning pages.
Once you’ve written down your unwanted thoughts, they can be discarded. This can also help to symbolically destroy the thoughts too.
My personal journey with morning pages so far:
As of the time of writing, I have been writing morning pages for about three weeks. The first two weekends, I gave myself a break and didn't write anything Saturday or Sunday. It certainly does take some time getting used to, especially if you’re not used to writing long hand.
At first, I struggled with what to write. I found myself writing like I was recounting a journal entry: writing down my experiences from the previous day, writing about what I had to do that day, and just stuff I would normally write in a journal.
After conducting my research, I tried again and I think I’m getting to a pretty good place with my morning pages. I’m starting to see how the clarity comes after writing. I find it’s easier to focus on my day when I don’t have to worry about things that may not happen anyway.
Thanks so much for your interest and for reading today’s blog. If you want to know more about morning pages, please check out this page:
Leighann’s blog and YouTube video are a great resource if you want to get into writing your own morning pages, need more information on the subject, or are interested in The Artist’s Way.
See you next week!
Sandra 🌸
