How to Do Morning Pages with Ease
Writing morning pages is a daily practice I discovered while doing The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, a book and 12-week program developed by Julia Cameron. I’ve completed the process of The Artist’s Way many times, and each time has been a unique opportunity to further deepen my self-understanding and my creativity.
Writing morning pages has been part of my daily routine for nearly four years.
What are morning pages?
In the Basic Tools, Cameron describes morning pages — ‘three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness.’ She clarifies, ‘There is no wrong way to do the morning pages.’
How to write the morning pages
Here's my ideal scenario.
I set aside 30 minutes just after waking. I make my morning coffee, then sit near a window with the morning light streaming in. I use a beautiful notebook and write three pages longhand using my favourite pen.
Maybe I get to the end of the third page and keep going, letting the energy and ideas flow. Sometimes this happens and it's wonderful. I love it.
But then there are other mornings that look very different — maybe I have a life commitment, an early session with a client, I'm focused on a different habit, or it's Sunday and I'd rather sleep and let the morning come in slowly.
What happens then?
I've been writing the morning pages for years, and the key for me to keep going is to be flexible with the practice. I write them as early as I can (even if it's in the afternoon), using the time available (sometimes it's 5 minutes) on whatever piece of paper I have available (the back of my shopping list), in whatever mood I'm in (sometimes not so great). It still counts towards my practice.
When I don't want to write words, I scribble or draw on the page. I let it be a visual exercise and I fill three pages with sketches and call it done. Or I doodle for a bit to loosen up my mind, then return to writing.
Make it a habit
If I happen to skip a day, I do my best to not skip it twice in a row (a key to long-term habit-building backed by neuroscience), then I keep going.
My ability to enjoy the morning pages is directly related to my ability to let myself use them as I need day by day, moment by moment.
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