I love my mornings. And you can be sure as shit I have a serious morning routine. I wake up, drink a litre of water + take Vitamin C and iron; meditate; drink warm water with lemon + ACV; move for 15 mins; write in my 5 Minute Journal; drink bulletproof coffee; write my morning pages.
Hold on, what are morning pages? I’ve mentioned it as one of my tips for staying creative, and it’s one of my January intentions too. So wtf is it and why is it a part of my morning routine?
Allow me to start from the beginning. Early last year, I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants to reach their full creative potential. And by that I don’t mean you need to be in a creative industry to read this book. Everyone is creative, everyone needs to be creative, and this book helps you unblock yourself.
So in this book, you’re taken through several exercises, all of which are extremely useful. However, one of the most transformative tips from the book was the morning pages exercise. Morning pages are basically 3 pages you write every morning of free flow writing. It’s known as a brain drain. It can be anything – what you’re excited about, things you need to get done, what your mom did to annoy you. Literally anything. But it needs to be 3 pages, no more, no less.
3 pages may seem daunting, but I’ve timed myself, and it rarely takes me more than 15 minutes. Because the goal isn’t to write a novel here, it’s to empty your brain of all the thoughts it’s filled with. Like going to the bathroom, but for your mind.
Some of the benefits of morning pages are:
- resolving problems
- decluttering your mind
- reducing anxiety
- promoting creativity
My morning pages contain what I’m grateful for, things I need to do that day, longterm goals, hopes and aspirations, quotes, things that are bothering me, what happened the day before, blog post ideas, and so much more. It gives me a clear mind to start the day with.
Have you guys tried morning pages? Or do you use another journaling method? Let me know your tips!
PS, if you liked this post – check out how to time-batch and 5 steps to launching a blog.
I really loved this idea and definitely going to try it out! I think I needed it the most today when I am not feeling my best work wise!
Xoxo,
Raman
http://www.huesofme.com
Happy New Year Hon! Gurl, you just reminded me I have to buy my vitamins this morning. In Berlin, it’s freezing and I gotta do all I can to keep my energy levels up.
I don’t write morning notes, but I do keep a diary where I write landmark events or feel the burning desire to write about an experience – good or bad.
Something I have started doing before I get into work is filming myself doing a short dance routine.
As a hobby, I teach dance classes and I have not done so for a while (battling ongoing knee pain) but I’m getting into doing that coz I get to do things I love first thing- dance, listen to music, plan a dance outfit, make a video etc.
Xo