Food for thought as usual, Tanya. I find morning pages helps me with my writing but I agree it can be difficult to maintain. I see it slightly differently from journaling. I love journal prompts, the sitting down and reflecting on certain aspects of my life. I do both.
Morning pages is often total garbage and no I don’t always do 3 pages often 1 or 2. They are my ritual when I have given the dogs their comfort breaks, fed them, made my cup of tea and am back in bed with said tea. Nothing can happen in this house until that’s all done.
I love journaling at other times, sentence stems, micro moments etc, they make me think often about the best and worst things in my life and reevaluate.
Yes Jo, MP is a huge outlet to download but I’m witnessing some people being put off journalling all together because that is what they think journalling is all about. MP was the springboard I needed back in 2020 but I much prefer using alternative techniques and creating new ones. As I keep highlighting one word, one day at a time rather than getting frustrated with MP 😊
My mantra - Pocket sized reality. One word power. Any time flexibility. Zero guilt approach xx
I think we are agreeing in a way. As you know I am a great one for the benefits of journaling. This is why I separate the two one. MP is my writing tool and journaling is my life tool. 🤗❤️🤗
This is an interesting read. I followed The Artist's Way last spring, and it was really only the Morning Pages that stuck with me. But similar to you, sometimes they have felt forceful and not fun. So, I just made a rule to write up to three pages if I felt like it, and at a time of day that made sense to me. Sometimes that's first thing, mid-afternoon, or immediately before bed. We just have to make these practices work for us, right? Like you say, we have to find our own journaling path.
I love the concept of morning pages, but I am only using it when I need it eg. too much on my mind, feeling overwhelmed. It is great way to offload my emotions and worries onto paper. Otherwise I journal short sentences about 3-4 times a week. That feels managable and enjoyable for me.
Thrilled you have said this and l agree wholeheartedly. I have struggled with Morning Pages in the past and now journal whenever l like during the day, whether it's a list, mind map or essay and love it. Thank you xxx
Thank YOU for commenting. I think there are lots of us who have struggled with Morning Pages. I showed up religiously every morning but it frustrated me. It was ever so liberating when I realised that MP was an unrealistic ritual for someone like me. And that’s ok! The best lesson I took from my MP, was that it sparked something within me about the wellbeing benefits of a daily writing practice. Making me more curious to seek a journaling practice that I could lean into rather than push away. 💫
I’m so glad you said this. I’ve tried the morning pages and was feeling like a complete failure because I struggled to fit them in. I’m still looking for a consistent creative practice that works for me - I am very hit and miss based on the other demands on my time - but you have inspired me to keep going!
I felt this way, hence why I had to give myself a break. When I have the time which is rare I will go back to MP but it’s unrealistic for me to commit to them daily.
Try using a micro movement
Choose three words
Any three
Select one
Then for 1-2 minutes write non stop about that word
Don’t let the pen leave the page
Describe where this word shows up in your life, how does it make you feel, why you choose the word
Even if all you write is ‘I don’t know what to write’ over and over it’s ok
If you try this for seven days, or every day for a month, you’ll soon get into flow and you’ll notice your thoughts appearing on the page without undue pressure
If you struggle with this try just writing one word a day, one day at a time.
Taking a moment to pause for thought and sitting with your journal is one of the best gifts you could give yourself
For me, journalling daily is a non-negotiable wellbeing ritual 😇
Thank you. It was a relief to read that. I have struggled to fit morning pages into my morning butknow I benefit from journaling so I’ll ‘ease’ up on myself and go with what works for me!
Thrilled to read this. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves with how to write, when to write, do morning pages and journal and be the best person we can be. It’s just so exhausting. You do you! Your journal your rules 😉
With me, it didn't help that Julia Cameron herself is very strict about how MP should be done. I really tried to squeeze them in my morning routine, even setting my alarm half an hour earlier but with a normal wake-up time of 5AM, it wasn't something I could maintain in the long run and it somehow felt like a failure on my part.
I totally agree. I've tried and "failed" repeatedly at Morning Pages but I do still have a consistent journaling practice. I just do it in a way, slightly haphazardly, that works for me for
Yes, exactly! I’ve been struggling lately with “keeping up” with all the lovely nurturing stuff on offer here on Substack. Thing is, if it becomes a chore or makes you stressed/overwhelmed then it’s too much, not the right time, etc... Now I keep a file with all the gorgeous stuff, then I can access it when I really need it/have the time 👍😊
Thanks for this Tanya, I've struggled with Morning Pages too - at some points I've found it brilliant but at others it became a chore and I wasn't liking the way it seemed to suck all the time I had in the morning when there were other things I wanted to do before the kids woke up e.g. meditation. So, I stopped it but I go back to it occasionally and am also trying different, less demanding forms of journalling. As you say it's about finding what works, we are all different and have different constraints on our time. Strangely some of us have a tendency to get almost religious or superstitious about such things thinking there is only one way to go about it or if we don't do it one morning then our day's just going to go all wrong. Maybe it's time to have a bit more faith in ourselves rather than just following someone else's way, no matter how worthy it is or how much respect you may have for it.
Food for thought as usual, Tanya. I find morning pages helps me with my writing but I agree it can be difficult to maintain. I see it slightly differently from journaling. I love journal prompts, the sitting down and reflecting on certain aspects of my life. I do both.
Morning pages is often total garbage and no I don’t always do 3 pages often 1 or 2. They are my ritual when I have given the dogs their comfort breaks, fed them, made my cup of tea and am back in bed with said tea. Nothing can happen in this house until that’s all done.
I love journaling at other times, sentence stems, micro moments etc, they make me think often about the best and worst things in my life and reevaluate.
❤️❤️
Yes Jo, MP is a huge outlet to download but I’m witnessing some people being put off journalling all together because that is what they think journalling is all about. MP was the springboard I needed back in 2020 but I much prefer using alternative techniques and creating new ones. As I keep highlighting one word, one day at a time rather than getting frustrated with MP 😊
My mantra - Pocket sized reality. One word power. Any time flexibility. Zero guilt approach xx
I think we are agreeing in a way. As you know I am a great one for the benefits of journaling. This is why I separate the two one. MP is my writing tool and journaling is my life tool. 🤗❤️🤗
Love this, and I appreciate your view point lovely Jo 🥰
This is an interesting read. I followed The Artist's Way last spring, and it was really only the Morning Pages that stuck with me. But similar to you, sometimes they have felt forceful and not fun. So, I just made a rule to write up to three pages if I felt like it, and at a time of day that made sense to me. Sometimes that's first thing, mid-afternoon, or immediately before bed. We just have to make these practices work for us, right? Like you say, we have to find our own journaling path.
Your journal. Your rules 💫
It can be a bit much and repetitive—three long pages. That’s why I wrote a book 😃, Mornings in 50 Words.
Oh how fabulous
I love the concept of morning pages, but I am only using it when I need it eg. too much on my mind, feeling overwhelmed. It is great way to offload my emotions and worries onto paper. Otherwise I journal short sentences about 3-4 times a week. That feels managable and enjoyable for me.
Thanks for your comment Bettie. I like your style. Sounds like you have a great journalling ritual and you enjoy it, which is what matters the most. 💫
Thrilled you have said this and l agree wholeheartedly. I have struggled with Morning Pages in the past and now journal whenever l like during the day, whether it's a list, mind map or essay and love it. Thank you xxx
Thank YOU for commenting. I think there are lots of us who have struggled with Morning Pages. I showed up religiously every morning but it frustrated me. It was ever so liberating when I realised that MP was an unrealistic ritual for someone like me. And that’s ok! The best lesson I took from my MP, was that it sparked something within me about the wellbeing benefits of a daily writing practice. Making me more curious to seek a journaling practice that I could lean into rather than push away. 💫
I’m so glad you said this. I’ve tried the morning pages and was feeling like a complete failure because I struggled to fit them in. I’m still looking for a consistent creative practice that works for me - I am very hit and miss based on the other demands on my time - but you have inspired me to keep going!
I felt this way, hence why I had to give myself a break. When I have the time which is rare I will go back to MP but it’s unrealistic for me to commit to them daily.
Try using a micro movement
Choose three words
Any three
Select one
Then for 1-2 minutes write non stop about that word
Don’t let the pen leave the page
Describe where this word shows up in your life, how does it make you feel, why you choose the word
Even if all you write is ‘I don’t know what to write’ over and over it’s ok
If you try this for seven days, or every day for a month, you’ll soon get into flow and you’ll notice your thoughts appearing on the page without undue pressure
If you struggle with this try just writing one word a day, one day at a time.
Taking a moment to pause for thought and sitting with your journal is one of the best gifts you could give yourself
For me, journalling daily is a non-negotiable wellbeing ritual 😇
This is wonderful - thank you for the advice! I will give it a go. ☺️
Thank you. It was a relief to read that. I have struggled to fit morning pages into my morning butknow I benefit from journaling so I’ll ‘ease’ up on myself and go with what works for me!
Thrilled to read this. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves with how to write, when to write, do morning pages and journal and be the best person we can be. It’s just so exhausting. You do you! Your journal your rules 😉
With me, it didn't help that Julia Cameron herself is very strict about how MP should be done. I really tried to squeeze them in my morning routine, even setting my alarm half an hour earlier but with a normal wake-up time of 5AM, it wasn't something I could maintain in the long run and it somehow felt like a failure on my part.
I totally resonate. I started to call them Anytime Pages 😊
I totally agree. I've tried and "failed" repeatedly at Morning Pages but I do still have a consistent journaling practice. I just do it in a way, slightly haphazardly, that works for me for
Yes, exactly! I’ve been struggling lately with “keeping up” with all the lovely nurturing stuff on offer here on Substack. Thing is, if it becomes a chore or makes you stressed/overwhelmed then it’s too much, not the right time, etc... Now I keep a file with all the gorgeous stuff, then I can access it when I really need it/have the time 👍😊
Thanks for this Tanya, I've struggled with Morning Pages too - at some points I've found it brilliant but at others it became a chore and I wasn't liking the way it seemed to suck all the time I had in the morning when there were other things I wanted to do before the kids woke up e.g. meditation. So, I stopped it but I go back to it occasionally and am also trying different, less demanding forms of journalling. As you say it's about finding what works, we are all different and have different constraints on our time. Strangely some of us have a tendency to get almost religious or superstitious about such things thinking there is only one way to go about it or if we don't do it one morning then our day's just going to go all wrong. Maybe it's time to have a bit more faith in ourselves rather than just following someone else's way, no matter how worthy it is or how much respect you may have for it.