How to Do Morning Pages

In summary, morning pages allow for the writer to practice writing. They are a way for the writer to write in a non-judgmental fashion in order to foster creativity and ease anxiety. But let’s dig more into this routine that can help you in overcoming your writer’s block.

Morning pages are best done with pen and paper, but of course, it can be done with a computer as well. The goal is to express what you are thinking by writing down whatever comes to mind and then the thoughts just flow out of you like water down a waterfall.

The writer should allow for any thoughts or feelings that come into their mind. These pages serve as an outlet for all the feelings that have been bottled up whether they be bodily sensations, memories, fears, desires, hopes, or ideas. It is best to write every day even if it is for only ten minutes in the morning.

What are Morning Pages?

Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. It’s a way to clear out the mental cobwebs so your brain is ready for the day.

How to Start Morning Pages

• Step 1: Get your journal and pen and go to a place where you won’t be interrupted.
• Step 2: Turn off your cell phone, TV, computer – anything that can distract you from what’s really important (your writing). 
• Step 3: Set a timer for 30 minutes (or one hour if you want) and start writing down whatever pops into your head onto paper without self-judgment or editing.

Why Do Morning Pages?

The idea behind morning pages is to ground yourself in non-judgmental awareness so you can best access your unconscious thoughts and feelings.

Morning pages are best done first thing in the morning (and obviously, the first thing is very early for some of us). That way, you’re starting from a point of an absence of self-judgment and judgment, which leads to an absence of resistance against what comes up in your writing.

The practice of Morning Pages helps:

Clear out mind.  Clear out mental clutter at a time when you’re less likely to have conscious judgments about anything, including your work (yeah, that’s important too).

How to Get the Most out of Your Morning Pages:

– Creating the Right Environment for a Successful Morning Page

– Also, the timing of Morning Pages can help you determine what kind of day you’re going to have:

– If you do Morning Pages in the morning, they’re likely to help with how your day goes. If you do them at night, they’ll help how your evening goes.

– In other words, this is a daily practice that can really affect and shape your life.

Here are some further tips on how to create the right environment for Morning Pages:

If your job or home situation doesn’t allow you to be undisturbed for 30 minutes in the morning, do them when it’s quiet at night and go to bed a little earlier so you can wake up early and have that time blocked out during the day.

What should I write about?

Morning pages can come up with anything.  Your brain will start to produce images, words and feelings that you weren’t even aware of before: the corkboard in your mind starts to fill up. 

Start with whatever comes to mind about your day or the current situation.

You can write about anything: worries, plans, thoughts, feelings, and more.  With practice, you’ll come up with ideas faster and find it easier to identify what’s going on in your mind. Even what’s going on around you outside of yourself can make it into a moment of writing on a morning page (spotted a squirrel? write about it).

How do I make it a habit to write morning pages?

Like any other habit, writing morning pages takes repetition. Initially, it’s not going to flow like water from a wellspring.  Each day you write morning pages, they’ll get easier and more consistent.  In fact, you’ll find that once you start doing them regularly on a daily basis, they’ll help you feel better about yourself overall – and, as a result, have more energy for your writing endeavors.

When do I do my morning pages?

You can get away with doing your morning pages whenever it is convenient for YOU.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of writing in the morning?

The benefits are many. Morning pages help you to do better in your career and your personal life because they lay the groundwork for self-awareness and non-judgment of all that you come up with on your pages.

For many writers, morning pages are a fun way to start the day by letting your mind move through any tangles.

The real benefit is found in your own self-discovery as you begin to realize what’s truly important to you, and what’s not so important. This will accelerate any writer’s path toward success.

Why is it important to get my thoughts out on paper first thing in the morning?

The idea behind morning pages is to ground yourself in non-judgmental awareness so you can best access your unconscious thoughts and feelings.

What if I get blocked on what to write?

Don’t worry about writing the next great American novel. Just start anywhere, even a run-on sentence will do. A lot of writers write something like this, “I can’t think of anything to say.” Then they turn the page and continue writing anyway. You’ll be surprised at how quickly a flow will come upon you when you start writing; it’s almost as if you couldn’t stop if you wanted to.

Am I allowed to critique myself during morning pages or just write without censoring?

That’s the idea of morning pages. You can be as critical about yourself and your writing as you want. Your aim is not to make it perfect but to get your thoughts and feelings down on paper, even if they’re negative or discouraging. It’s important to leave the judgments behind for your morning pages and bring out all that you think about any subject, no matter how negative or judgmental it might seem. Let go of your censor…

No one else will read these Morning Pages but you (unless you want them to). It’s all right if what you write is not organized or looks like a child wrote it.