… morning pages
“We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, and grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through our world.”
~ Julia Cameron
This exercise is an adaptation of the Morning Page journalling exercise prescribed in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. While Cameron’s focus is to help individuals unlock their creativity and barriers - many find a broader impact of this practice.
The daily practice is writing three pages of long-hand, stream-consciousness writing, ideally done first thing in the morning. The intention is to clear the mind of clutter and tap into the subconscious. Morning Pages becomes a “dumping ground” of sorts - where you can express worries, fears, frustrations, doubts, and unknowns on the page - and free up mental space and heart space, for new ideas to emerge. Those who partake in this practice find a greater ability to focus, a more balanced mindset with problem-solving, an easier pathway to new ideas, and a deeper sense of self-awareness and self-knowledge.
Morning Pages is a free-flow writing exercise with the expectation that the contents are kept private. The best approach is to write whatever comes to mind, without worrying about the topic, grammar, spelling, etc. The goal is to write spontaneously, without stopping to judge or edit the content - it’s a release of everything that’s top of mind.
As far as when to practice… first thing in the morning is the time of day when most find success. However, many people - myself included - find it difficult to make that commitment, given the many other rush and hustle things that happen in my house. So, I’ve adapted the practice to meet my lifestyle routines… and encourage you to do the same.
My day typically starts with exercise and long walks with the dogs, and I use this time for some moving meditation - focusing inward as I center on the day ahead and what’s most important for me as the day unfolds. The inevitable flurry of tasks follows as I get ready for the day. My first quiet moment comes with my second cup of tea, at my desk in my office. I mark the start of each work day with Morning Pages. I set aside 15 minutes before I log into anything and open a password-protected Word document. I type for 15 minutes - whatever is on my mind - and when the timer goes off, I save my work, close the file, and move on with my day.
There have also been times when I’ve used a journal to handwrite my pages at times when I feel like I need to slow myself down and focus on where my head and heart are at the moment. The goal is to find the right time, place, and method that works best for you.