Morning Pages Practice

Today, I want to share one of my favorite tools with you. It’s a practice I learned from The Artist’s Way called morning pages. 

You may have heard of it before. Maybe you’ve even practiced this in the past. If not, let me tell you a bit about it. The Artist’s Way is a workbook for unblocking creativity. It was a movement when it came out in the 70s, with book clubs that sprung up around it. It’s written by Julia Cameron, who has been instrumental in many people’s lives, including my own.

I began working through The Artist’s Way workbook about eight years ago. I worked through it religiously and it had a great impact on me. There are journal prompts and different activities that you do in the book. One of the journal prompts was something like “If time and money were no object, what would you do?” It was in the process of answering that prompt that I had a vision for what I’m currently doing now.

So, The Artist’s Way and Julia Cameron have a special place in my heart. I’ll return to the practice of morning pages time and time again. In the moments when I’m feeling stuck, confused, tired, overwhelmed, or don’t know where to turn, morning pages are a go-to.

With Julia Cameron at the Gathering of the Creatives in Santa Fe, NM



It’s a simple exercise that literally consists of “brain dumping” your thoughts. That’s it! Get up, first thing in the morning and write three pages of stream-of-consciousness. (Two sides of one sheet and one side of a second sheet.) No more, no less. You simply write whatever is there.

It might be “I don’t know what to write. I wish I could have slept in more. My coffee tastes good. What am I doing today? I need to go…” That’s the nature of it. It’s not journaling in a traditional way; it really just is dumping your thoughts onto the page.

Sometimes we practice this every morning of the retreats I lead. I often prescribe it to clients as a starting point. Every single time, people have a great experience and feel that there is something to this. 

I took a class from Julia Cameron once, and someone asked if we should do our meditation first or morning pages first. Her answer was to do your morning pages first, then sit and meditate if desired. She says that meditation makes us okay with our problems, and morning pages compel us to do something about those problems.

It has a gentle, sneaky way of showing you what repetitive patterns are playing out in your life and bringing insights to what is happening. These insights can really make a difference for you.

So, get up first thing in the morning on three pages, no more, no less. It takes me anywhere from 20-30 minutes to complete the practice. Do it every morning consistently for a while. Don’t go back and read your pages. Don’t share them with anyone. Just get up, dump and be done!

Give it a chance. Maybe commit to two weeks of morning pages and see what happens. I’d love to hear from you about how this tool works for you!