Morning Pages For Clarity, Creativity and Stress Relief + Example

As someone who enjoys journaling, I’ve heard of morning pages forever, but just recently I began to use them in my life and so far I am really seeing the benefits.

In this post I’ll be sharing exactly what morning pages are, how powerful they can be and how best to use them in your life.

Let’s dive in, shall we?!

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What Are Morning Pages?

First, the term ‘morning pages’ was coined by Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way, a book that introduces two core tools to help uncover more creativity.

Morning pages is the main tool in the book, along with ‘The Artists Date’ which I’ll share more info on is another upcoming article.

So, what exactly are morning pages?

This is a daily stream-of-consciousness writing ritual that encourages you to write 3 pages a day (handwritten), or about 1 full page typed.

Julia recommends handwritten, as it takes longer which also helps you connect with deeper thoughts.

However, handwriting deters you from getting started or keeping up with daily morning pages, feel free to type.

What do morning pages help with?

I personally wake up every morning with a TON of things racing through my mind. How about you?

It could be big things like:

“how will I turn my life around?” , or
“I wonder what life will look like when I retire?”

Or small things like:

“I need to book a dentist appointment”, or
“where did I leave my sunglasses”.

Either way – when all of these thoughts are jumbled in your mind, it can feel very hard to get started with your day, especially if you’re someone with ADHD.

I mentioned stream-of-consciousness writing earlier, which is just getting everything out of your mind and onto paper. No editing, no ‘thinking about what to write’, just fluid pen to paper letting everything out of your mind.

This process helps you let go of mental clutter.

When you’re able to let go of everything jumping around in your mind, you then can open up different thoughts that can not only help you be more creative, but also to start your day on a positive note.

Note: You do not have to be an artist or a writer to use morning pages, in fact everyone can benefit from using them.

Regardless of what you do or don’t do for work we are all creative thinkers. We can be creative with numbers, communication, solutions, interpersonal skills and so much more.

What are the benefits of morning pages?

writing in journal outside in the morning

Julia Cameron describes it best in this quote…

“Morning pages will teach you that your mood doesn’t really matter. Some of the best creative work gets done on the days when you feel that everything you’re doing is just plain junk. The morning pages will teach you to stop judging and just let yourself write.”

Even though this quote is specific to writers, just replace the word ‘write’ with whatever you need to do.

Examples: Morning pages will teach you to…

stop judging and just let yourself design
stop judging and just let yourself organize
stop judging and just let yourself strategize
stop judging and just let yourself plan
stop judging and just let yourself start
stop judging and just let yourself work

So often our inner thoughts prevent us from taking real action and this is where morning pages allow you to let go of perfection and just begin.

The key benefits of doing morning pages daily:

Releases mental clutter… negative thoughts from your inner critic, to do lists, random thoughts.
Can reduce worry, overwhelm and anxiety leaving you more able to have good thoughts
Helps to remove creative blocks
Provides improved clarity when starting your day leading to better results
Identifies recurring ideas and thoughts allowing you take action
Ignites creative thinking and better ideas

How To Do The Artist’s Way Morning Pages: 6 Tips To Start

Here are some official recommendations from Julia Cameron, along with my personal recommendations to get the most out of your morning pages and daily writing practice.

1. Morning Page Official Guidelines

How To Start Morning Pages, list of 6 tips

You really can’t do morning pages wrong, however these are some simple guidelines to use, especially when getting started with morning pages.

Write 3 pages of longhand first thing in the morning (US letter/A4 size)
Write about absolutely anything that comes to mind
If you’re unsure what to write you can write about not knowing what to write!
Keep your pen moving
No editing – perfection is not the goal
No overthink, just release whats floating around in your head
Do this daily as part of your morning routine

**2. Before Starting, Decide How You’ll Create Time for Morning Pages**

I’ve included this here as at first, you may be thinking, “Doesn’t this sound nice, but let’s be real, how do I make time for this?”

Well, without a plan it is hard, especially if you feel your time is not your own, it most likely is impossible, so make a plan!

First things first, morning pages shouldn’t take you longer than 15 or 20 minutes depending on how fast you write.

Of course you can take longer if you wish, but just know this is not going to take up a huge chunk of your time.

You could:

Wake up 20 minutes earlier
Do your morning pages a little later in the morning at a more manageable time (still try and do it before work though)
Make a commitment to yourself and give yourself a reminder that this is your time and you deserve it

3. Choose a Notebook & Pen You Love

It’s much easier to write when using a good quality pen and a notebook you feel inspired by.

If you’re like me, you probably own several notebooks, but if not the dollar store always has a ton of good quality options.

4. Find a Relaxing Space To Write

If you’re in a relaxing space without major distractions it’s way easier to just write and release your thoughts.

So grab a cup of tea or your morning coffee and sit down to write in your cozy space. This might be your bedroom, outside, the living room, the bath – wherever you can be at peace.

5. Go Back and Reflect Once In a While

You could take a peek at your writing each week, perhaps on a Sunday or whenever you feel the need.

When you do this, see if there are any ideas or recurring thoughts popping up. This is where you might see some patterns forming and this could lead to some true clarity in your life.

You may uncover a brilliant new ideal in your business or figure out how to solve a problem that’s been weighing you down.

6. Don’t Be Hard On Yourself

Remember, this is not designed to create good writing – this is just for you and no one else.

So, do not critique yourself, your writing technique or what you write about. There is literally no wrong way to do morning pages so give yourself some self-compassion if you notice critical thoughts popping in.

Also the goal is to do morning pages everyday, however, if you miss a day here and there, don’t be too hard on yourself.

This writing exercise is meant to help you release stress and mental clutter, not add to it.

Morning Pages Example (Excerpts From My Morning Page Today)

Sometimes it’s nice to visually see what someone is referring to, so let me share with you some excerpts from my writing earlier today…

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I took Wally for a walk around the block this morning. I brought mini treats to distract him as squirrels frolicked in the trees and it actually worked other than one time!

Doing this walk this morning has put me in a good mood – I even did the dishes and emptied the dish washer when I got back home, while my tea was steeping.

My productivity yesterday was all over the place – so much on my mind and as usual I started things but didn’t finish them. Saying that, I will give myself credit that I am still following through with the 7 day self-care challenge I arranged in my patreon community.

Today I’m working just part of the day which is why I’m starting early (it’s 7:16am at the moment). E is here from the states so I’ll be visiting her today which I’m really looking forward to. I need to pick up or make a dessert. I’d really love to make one (the chocolate torte I made a few weeks ago) but I don’t have the ingredients so we’ll see. If I can accomplish enough this morning I may be able to do it.

Here is my list from yesterday…

ptko diaries post & newsletter (schedule)
schedule rest of week for 7 day self care challenge
pins for a few days
publish brand new post
create 7 day self care challenge product

I have my accountability call at – otherwise I’d like to write a blog post. I need to write a blog post as I haven’t been consistent.

On another note I’ve been having a hard time eating breakfast which is frustrating as I need to eat food to take my meds. The foods I could eat before – I just don’t want and truly I don’t want anything as once I start eating I don’t feel hungry. Maybe I’ll have an English muffin today. I’ll try.

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As you can see there is no order to what I’m writing – I just put my thoughts on paper. Simple, straightforward.

Also, some days may look similar if your thoughts are recurring, and other days can look very different.

Morning Pages Final Thoughts

Personally, I’ve found that morning pages help immensely with my mood (releasing worry and tension).

They’ve also helped me get into a better flow with my writing, by reducing my perfectionist tendencies.

And as mentioned before, morning pages can be for everyone, regardless of what your career or lifestyle is.

We all have a lot going on in our minds and morning pages allow us to have a daily ritual that supports our mental and emotional well-being along with identifying important things in our life.

So, what do you think? Will you give morning pages a try?

I truly hope you do! There are so many benefits to be gained with this morning writing practice and all you need is roughly 15 minutes a day.

If you have tried morning pages before, share in the comments what you enjoyed most about the process.

To learn more about morning pages, check out, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

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