3 Ways To Use Your Morning Pages To Support Your Manifesting
When I feel stretched too thin, overthinking, and too busy to take a breath, it means I need to slow down.
It usually means I’ve gotten out of touch — out of touch with myself.
And when you’re feeling busy and overwhelmed, the last thing you might want to do is stop and write. Let alone in a journal with pen and paper.
Except that slowing down, getting out of your head, and back into your body is essential when you feel buried in work, meetings, clients, and deliverables. In fact, it’s when you need it most.
In 2015, I discovered the work of Julia Cameron, specifically her book The Artist’s Way. One of her recommendations is to write morning pages.
What are morning pages?
Morning pages are simply three full 8x10 handwritten pages of whatever word vomit comes out of your brain first thing in the morning — written longhand, no editing, and definitely no filter. The intention is to write them before doing anything else. If I can write them in bed, I find it’s best. The purpose of writing them immediately is to clear the slate for your day. It cleans the clutter in your busy mind. The only point is to get it out.
When I first discovered morning pages, I got myself into a daily habit of writing every morning with my coffee. And then, between moves, life, school, and routine changes, this daily journaling practice was the first to go.
Today, I give myself the grace to write them any time of day. If, for some reason, it doesn’t happen in the morning, I’ll do them when I sit down at my desk.
Sometimes, I write them while sitting on the bathroom floor to not disturb my sleeping family. I’m naturally an early rise (5-6 am most days). Writing on the bathroom floor might be unsexy, but the practice is that important to me. I flip on my Himalayan salt lamp night light and sit down on a cushy bath mat with my back leaning against the tub.
Morning pages — the purpose
If you’re like me, you might want to know why you’d want to do something new. We’re only talking 15 minutes, but let’s explore the intention behind this daily writing practice.
It serves as creative fuel for the rest of your day
It gets the junk out of the corners of our busy brains first thing in the morning before it can cloud our day
Getting out of our heads and into our bodies with a pen-to-paper practice
Think about it like refilling your creative well. If it runneth dry, fill that shit up.
It’s a place to process what’s going on in your mind — even unconscious stuff
Helpful to move past creative blocks
Get the crap out of your head and get on with your day
When you’re on a healing journey to process memories and insights
It gives emotions a place to go — they need to move through us — eMOTION
Helps you write better for your business or when writing books
12 tips to get started with a morning pages habit
Use an 8x10 notebook, and write on 3 full pages, no abbreviating.
Plan for 15 minutes. If you have less time, start with just 5 minutes.
Decide in advance how many times you’ll write morning pages each week — starting with 3-5 is great.
If some days you write one page — that’s a win
Don’t obsess over which notebook to use. I’ve bought plain ones in bulk and fancy unlined ones with hardcovers. Pick one and get started. Overthinking your notebook and pen is procrastination.
Write whatever pops into your mind — WHATEVER. If you’re worried about someone reading it and thinking you’re on the crazy train, you’re doing it right.
Buying a notebook that makes you feel good about writing morning pages helps — make your practice feel luxurious.
With kids, some days, it just doesn’t happen, or I only write one page. High-five yourself and move on. Don’t beat yourself up. Write more later or do it tomorrow.
Whine and complain, let it all out, and then move on — see below for my spin on how to change the energy and wrap it up.
Don't re-read morning pages — write fast, surrender to the process, and move on.
They're for your eyes only. When you finish a notebook, recycle or burn the pages (perhaps during a full moon).
Create a daily habit. Set your notebook out by your coffee cup, and take just 15 minutes. If you don't see a big difference in your clarity, creativity, mood, and mental energy in three months, move on. If you miss a day and miss writing them, go back to the practice.
I obviously think that morning pages are all that and a bag of raw macadamia nuts.
What if your morning pages feel negative or full of complaining?
This is a question I get a lot in the writing community. Most members, when they sign into a live co-writing session (it’s like co-working with a focus on writing), declare they’re working on morning pages first. But I also see people resisting morning pages because they notice the pages are filled with complaining, whining, and negativity.
First, this is okay. This is what the container is for. Let it out so you can move on with your day without those thoughts weighing you down. This is what makes the morning pages practice so important. If you’re not letting this jumble out on the page, it has nowhere to go. So it sits taking up valuable real estate in your brain.
What I do to transmute the energy from negative to positive:
A simple practice called Ho’oponopono. It’s an ancient Hawaiian prayer that you recite when you witness any negativity in your world. If it’s in your awareness, it’s yours to clear.
The short version of Ho’oponopono:
I’m sorry
please forgive me
thank you
I love you
When I’m about a page into my morning pages, if I notice the first bit is rather angsty, I write the words, “I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.”
Then, I move on to writing mantras and manifestations focused on what I’m creating for the future. Whatever I’m working toward at the time.
End your morning pages with your future self for manifesting goodness
A practice I adopted in 2021 is to finish the last bit of my morning pages with some future self-journaling — this is my spin and not from Julia Cameron.
How to do it:
Consider a goal you want to achieve or something you want to manifest.
Write it as if it’s here and real today. Here’s an example:
I’m so happy and grateful that I easily manifest a beachfront home. Living by the water brings tremendous joy, abundance, ease, and flow. Thank you, thank you, thank you.Then, keep going with what the future you looks like, sees, feels, experiences when this is true. For example, it might look something like this:
I love walking on the beach every morning and feeling the warm sun on my face and the soft sand between my toes. Hearing the sounds of the waves rolling in is so soothing, and I notice my breathing naturally syncing up with the water’s rhythm. Then, I get back home and enjoy a raw cacao latte on the lanai and watch the birds and waves.
You could keep going with breakfast, what you’re doing for work, play, fun, and even what your floors look like and how it feels on your feet. Have fun with it and revisit this vision every day — completely immersing yourself in the future you.
Inside the writing community, we routinely review The Artist’s Way and discuss artist dates, morning pages, and other helpful exercises from the book.
Looking for some writing prompts to spark your practice? Try these:
