As the second semester starts up, I find myself reflecting on winter break. Specifically? How much time I wasted over it. With impending stress and busy nights, I’m learning that I should’ve done more with all my free time – or at least something other than binging Friends. Again.
So now I vow to make the most of and appreciate the little free time I have.
Of course this isn’t my first time making this promise to myself (see also binging Friends AGAIN). This goal can be hard to accomplish, but don’t worry. I have a plan:
Morning Pages.
What are morning pages? Well I’m glad you asked. It’s pretty much all in the title. You write pages in the morning.
Ok but for those who’ve made it past my sarcasm and are still wondering, “morning pages” is a method of freeform writing. I actually learned about it through my freshman college writing professor. She was preaching the ways of Julia Cameron, who wrote about morning pages in her book The Artist’s Way.
Julia’s methods specifically deal with allowing your creativity to flow and turning off the little voice in the back of your head saying that you’re not enough. I know from personal experience that it can be insanely difficult to turn this voice off, and “morning pages” has helped.
Some people recommend setting a goal of a certain number of pages or writing for a set time. For a lazy college student like myself, I recommend just getting everything off your mind, no matter how long it takes. It’s frustrating at first, I’ll admit. But it’s also a refreshing start to your day.
I always wanted to be the type of person that journaled regularly, but the habit never stuck. I look back at my journals now and notice the month (sometimes year) long gaps in the dates at the top of entries.
I think that my previous attempts were valiant but poorly crafted; journaling at night once I got in bed was not the most reliable method. Instead, beginning the day with morning pages does me a world of good. It clears my mind, and the practice of fulfilling a goal right away in the morning already sets a mood of accomplishment for the remainder of the day. My lazy college ass already feels better!
So if you want to start your own morning pages, all you need is paper and a pen. Yes, I recommend not doing this electronically or with a pencil so you are less tempted to go back and edit or “fix things.”
Morning pages are not about perfection. They are about letting your thoughts freely flow and not listening to your inner critic.
And definitely don’t listen to outer critics either. No, I don’t consider morning pages to be a sort of secretive diary, but they are for your eyes and your eyes only! Sharing them with others leads to editing, and defeats the purpose of freeflow thoughts.
You can write about anything and everything, but if you’re struggling for topics I highly recommend taking the time every morning to write about one thing you’re grateful for. This practice puts you in a great mindset to take on your day.
As I try to improve my habits as a writer, or rather get into the habit of writing, “morning pages” is what I turn back to. The necessary ingredients to start my day have become a steaming cup of coffee, a view of the outdoors (no matter how dreary the midwest winter day), and a pen and paper. Now that’s a recipe of success worth sharing.