I’ve always had an interesting relationship with discipline. I plan to wake up at 6 a.m. to train five days a week, but what about meditation? It never lasted more than 3 days in a row. You can drink coffee and have a cold turkey for a month (without realizing it), but you won’t be craving ice cream, donuts, or cake for an hour. I swear, I’m 30, not 13. These never-ending contradictions are what completely bind me to Morning Pages.
popularized by Julia Cameron The artist’s way The practical method is simple. Each morning, write three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts by hand. You don’t need to edit or modify it, and you don’t have to worry about it being deep or consistent. It’s a daily ritual designed to clear the clutter in your head, connect to your creative core, and remind you that sometimes you need a little space to hear what’s hidden beneath the noise.
Every fall, when the mornings are quiet and the light is soft, I return to this practice. This is my seasonal reset. We focus on presence, not productivity. Some days, my page gets cluttered with half-baked ideas and grocery lists. Other days, the clarity surprises me. But they always bring me back to myself. These are reminders that creativity is not fully formed. It will appear when you run it.
What are Morning Pages (and why they work)
At the heart of Morning Pages is a simple daily ritual. First thing in the morning, I write down what’s on my mind on three handwritten pages. No need to edit, reread, or try to make it sound good. It’s a stream of consciousness, part brain dump, part meditation, giving space before the world starts asking you for things.
The beauty is in its simplicity. Writing without expectations avoids your inner critic and creates room for honesty. Thoughts you didn’t know were waiting to start surfacing. The anxiety rumbling behind me subsides. You’ll start to see patterns: what’s energizing you, what’s draining you, and where your attention is returning.
Over time, writing becomes less important and more about getting back to yourself. Like a morning walk or a cup of strong coffee, the act itself awakens something within you. It’s not about producing. It’s about paving the way. And the more space you create, the more your creativity and clarity will begin to manifest.
Writing without expectations avoids your inner critic and creates room for honesty.
Why fall feels like the perfect time to start again
Every September, I find myself wanting to be quiet. As the pace of summer slows down and the days feel more calm, I start looking for something grounding, something that helps me listen to my inner self again. That’s when I return to Morning Pages.
There’s something about this season that makes reflections feel more natural. The ritual of putting pen to paper reflects what is happening outside: shedding, tidying up, creating space. It’s the small daily acts that remind us to pause before rushing forward. Dedication is more important than discipline.
When you flip through old notebooks, you can see the rhythm of your own growth. Pages who were once filled with insecurities now have feelings of gratitude. The fear I had felt so intensely subsided. It’s proof that transformation rarely looks like change in the moment. It seems to appear word by word, even if nothing deep is felt.
How to start practicing Morning Pages (and actually keep it going)
Morning Pages sounds easy, and it is. But easy doesn’t always mean easy. The hardest part is often when you’re just starting out. Here’s how I’ve learned to make practice feel engaging, not intimidating.
1. Decide to do that first.
Morning pages are most effective before your head is full of noise. I keep my notebook and pen on my nightstand so they’re the first things I see when I wake up. Sometimes I write my manuscript in bed in the morning. Other times, I’m sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee (on the odd week when my subconscious mind doesn’t choose to go without coffee). The goal is consistency, not perfection.
2. Don’t overthink your sentences
These pages are not intended to be sophisticated or profound. It’s where you clear your mind of clutter, including to-do lists, frustrations, and random thoughts. Think of it like emptying your inbox before you start your day. When the noise disappears from your head, all that remains is clarity.
3. Be flexible in your rituals.
Julia Cameron suggests three full pages, but I’ve learned to bend structure with life. Some mornings I can write one stroke, and other days I can write endlessly. The important thing is to keep showing up. It’s the act of giving back, not the number of characters, that creates momentum.
4. Protect page privacy
One of the reasons Morning Pages are so powerful is knowing that no one else will read them. It’s an honest, unfiltered space for your raw thoughts, fears, and hopes. Don’t read it right away. Let them do some quiet work first.
5. Treat it as a moment of existence.
Light a candle. Pour the coffee. Feel like a small luxury rather than another job. When we see writing as an act of care rather than an obligation, it transforms from another “should” to something sacred.
Try this. Commit to writing for 10 minutes every morning for a week. Don’t worry about what comes out. Notice how your energy changes throughout the day. Perhaps you will start to crave it. It’s not what you produce, it’s how it makes you feel.
What Morning Pages Taught Me
Looking back at my writing is like opening a time capsule of who I was and who I was becoming. There are seasons when every entry seems like a list of things I wish I could change, and other seasons when gratitude spills out across the page. But what always stands out is that even on days when I felt anxious or stuck, I continued to show up. And somehow that was enough.
Morning Pages taught me that clarity doesn’t come all at once. Word by word, it unfolds quietly. That’s the moment you realize that what was weighing on you no longer has the power it once did. Even if you don’t have a plan to get there yet, it’s in those little sparks of insight that lead you in the direction that feels right.
But mostly, this practice has gotten me to where I am today. It’s a way to become aware of what you’re craving, what you’re avoiding, and what’s starting to take hold. As I write each morning, I am reminded that self-awareness is not found in grand revelations, but in the simple act of paying attention. And in a world that is rapidly changing and demanding more, such awareness feels like a true form of peace.
Source: Camille Styles – camillestyles.com
