INSIDE: Have you heard about writing morning pages and you're wondering what it's all about? Let's dig in to the benefits and how to engage in this transformative practice now!

 

Morning pages are one of those things that seem so simple that it seems impossible that they could work for you. The most effective things in life are often the most basic, yet our overly-complicated brains tell us they won't work for us.

Writing morning pages allows us a powerful route to creativity, clearing our minds and boosting our confidence along the way. Let's learn all about the benefits and how it works.

What Are Morning Pages?

Morning pages are three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing, best done first thing in the morning.

They are not high art; thus, there is no right or wrong way to produce them. They may be about anything that comes to mind, and they're meant for your eyes only. Assert, explain, soothe, cajole, prioritize, and align the day at hand with morning pages prompts. 

This practice was initially meant to assist artists in breaking through their creative barriers and getting back to living a creative life. However, the impact of writing morning pages doesn't simply end at artistic activities.

This writing practice is helpful for every facet of life, from marriage to parenthood to everyday anxieties about work. Morning pages are a simple and effective way to gain clarity, concentration, and direction in our lives.

What Are the Benefits?

Morning pages have become a vital part of many people's lives, eventually making them better people. Heavy claim, right? But the practice of writing morning pages emphasizes the importance of one's mental well-being and it's very transformative.

Here are some of the benefits we can enjoy from writing morning pages...

It Helps Clear Mind Chatter

When we open our eyes in the morning, our minds are often racing with ideas and memories from the previous night. The thoughts that flood out onto blank pages of a morning pages journal are freeing. They will no longer be taking up space in your brain and you'll be able to approach the remainder of the day with greater clarity.

It Assists Us in Processing Our Emotions 

Life can often overwhelm us. On top of the stress we experience in our own lives, we are inundated with weighty material in the media, especially as of late. Morning pages provide the space for us to process what we are feeling, releasing our minds from what is weighing on us and affecting our productivity and happiness.

It Allows Our Imagination to Flourish

Being creative requires a lot of self-control. Finding the time to sit down, put pen to paper, and create that book or short tale is something that, all too frequently, gets put on the back burner.

You can develop a routine that will assist you in finding a method to create time for your creative self by writing morning pages. This practice will help you construct a pattern. When you get into the routine of writing in your morning pages journal, finding time to devote to your other creative pursuits will be much simpler.

It Silences the Inner Critic

Writers tend to be their worst critics, even before putting words on paper. But writing in the stream-of-consciousness mode allows us to access just the thoughts that are now occupying our minds; thus, there is no place for critical reflection on our work.

How to Do Morning Pages?

Even though writing morning pages is a relatively simple discipline, there are some tips that can help you get the most out of your daily writing practice.

Schedule It

It’s easy to manufacture excuses and claim you’ll start morning pages another day, particularly if you’re not a morning person. There needs to be a first time to commence this new morning habit. Set your alarm, wake up, and start writing. Before you know it, you’ll have a daily writing habit.

Use Pen & Paper Rather Than a Computer

For morning pages, it's best to write longhand only. Writing with a pen and paper takes time, but the time you spend processing your thoughts is well spent. Also, longhand takes longer to keep up with your ideas, which gives little time to revise what you write, a vital component of morning pages.

Avoid Distractions

When you work on your morning pages, you get to spend more time on self-care. Stay away from possible distractions. Other people, your phone, and your computer all fall under this category. Listening to ambient music might be relaxing, but refrain from listening to talk radio or podcasts that can distract you from your writing or sway your thoughts.

Make Yourself Comfortable

It will be simpler to accomplish morning pages if you’re comfy. Once you start this practice, you'll begin to look forward to it. Invest in a decent pen and an appealing spiral-bound journal and settle into a quiet corner of your house. Enjoy your "me time."

Do it First Thing in the Morning

Morning is the optimum time of day for a stream-of-consciousness daily practice. It will clear your mind and set a positive tone for the rest of your day. 

Don't Read Your Entries

Writing something you'll never see seems counterintuitive, but the ultimate goal of morning pages is for you to transfer your ideas and cleanse your mind. Put them on a shelf and don’t read them.

Be sure to save any submissions you think you'll want to read at a later time by marking them with a post it note. Otherwise, leave it be.

Be True to Who You Are

Never restrict yourself while writing morning pages. Your diary entries need to be honest to fulfill their aim of growing self-awareness. If you are genuinely afraid about someone discovering your diaries, then write on pieces of paper and burn them each morning.

Ignore All Writing Conventions

Morning pages are not high art, and you’re not attempting to create a bestseller. They are a candid expression of our feelings and ideas. Don't stress about using the correct punctuation and grammar. Just let it flow, no matter how it comes.

Fill Up All Three Sheets of Paper

Three pages may come easy to you on certain days if your creative juices are flowing. Some days, however, writer's block will overwhelm you, and you'll find it challenging to produce even the bare minimum of words to fill a single page. But whatever you do, don’t stop. Keep writing until all three pages are loaded.

Use Writing Prompts Sparingly

It's alright to utilize a couple of ideas as journaling prompts. Positive affirmations, yearly objectives, and things to be thankful for are all excellent places to start. Something like a gratitude journal, however, should not be the exclusive emphasis of your morning pages. Only use journal prompts to assist you through the days when the words need some encouragement to come out.

Remember, There's No Wrong Way to Do It

Morning pages journals are unique to every person. There's no correct or incorrect way to do it. Whereas other forms of brainstorming on paper might contain whole phrases, morning pages might be full of unfinished ideas. It doesn't matter what you write about or how you write it. Just do those three pages and your work is done.

Commit to Writing Morning Pages Each Day

Make the discipline of writing morning pages a daily routine. Try it out for only one day at first. Then the next. Before you know it, writing morning pages will become a new habit.

Motivate yourself with little rewards, such as stickers on your calendar for each day you complete your pages. Then, when you run out of pages, go out and acquire a new diary.

Final Thoughts

Writing morning pages is a great way to start your day and set yourself up for a productive workday. When your creative juices are most awakened, life feels more alive and fun.

Maybe you'll use your pages to get down some fantastic ideas you have had or perhaps they will serve as an emotional outlet for whatever feelings you carry around. Either way, morning pages are here to help you kick off every day right.

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