Making Morning Pages a Non-Negotiable Part of My Day

Almost exactly 2 years ago, I stumbled upon a book in a used book store my friend Lorna had recommended; “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. One of the activities in the book is the practice of writing 3 pages long hand first thing in the morning. Ms. Cameron calls it “morning pages”.

Since then, I’ve filled nearly 6 5-subject spiral notebooks with my morning pages. It has become a non-negotiable practice and I can count the number of days I’ve missed on one hand with fingers left over. Even on days when I’ve slept late and think about skipping it, I can no longer bring myself to do so. I’d as soon skip my morning coffee or forget to feed the cats (and the greedy little darlings won’t let that happen!).

Embracing my Right to Write

Whenever I wander into that bookstore, I look for additional books by Ms. Cameron. A previous visit yielded “It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again” which I’ve yet to dive deeply into. But more recently, I found “The Right to Write” which is taking my journey in a new and rather prolific direction.

Though the book is basically about writing, just as her other two are aimed at artists, there’s a wealth of information I think applies to almost anyone. I’m also finding a similar mindset, perhaps as a side effect of aging and writing rawly, honestly, and sometimes ripping open old wounds ruthlessly in the process. Our specific traumas might differ, but our approach to revisiting and dealing with them is quite similar. With each page I read, I feel like she’s speaking to my heart.

As is her wont, each chapter comes with an exercise. Some I’ve skipped, others I’ve mentally tagged for one of my cafe writing days. But one fit so perfectly into a new practice I picked up from Jessa Hargrove of #HeartfeltMarketing I decided to evolve what I was doing to incorporate the exercise Ms. Cameron calls “Dailiness”.

Practicing “Dailiness”

The idea is to take a few minutes before bedtime to take up your pen and write a few sentences reviewing your day. From those sentences, you then come up with a question to pose to your unconscious mind. The idea is to try to get to the answers we all have deep inside ourselves if we could only figure out how to tap into them.

The best answers come from a place where emotions and especially fears don’t get involved. It’s been my experience that when I allow fears and feelings into the decision-making process, the whole thing goes to hell and if I am able to reach a decision, it isn’t always the wisest choice. By circumventing what my coach, Linda Clay calls “chitty chatty voices” and I call “monkey mind”, we enable a simple pro and con analysis of the situation.

The downside to this process is the answers rarely come to us clearly and succinctly. We may have to dig through a bunch of unlikely metaphors before we find that single chunk of gold. That’s where the morning pages come in.

Practicing Patience While Accessing Our Subconscious

When we just dump our thoughts on the page without chewing on them first, we tap into that same subconscious place in our minds where the chitty chatty voices dare not go.

Admittedly, we won’t always find the answers we seek the first time or two. Sometimes it means we need to ask our questions differently, or as in my case, refrain from hitting the snooze a half dozen times as the dreams which might have given us some insight slip further away with each smack we give the clock.

Still, like my morning pages, consistency is the key. As an added bonus, it gives you a chance to look back over a day which, on the surface seemed unproductive and wasted to discover moments of brilliance you might have overlooked. Most of the time, we’re too hard on ourselves anyway.

Focusing on Our Accomplishments Instead of Our Shortcomings

A few months ago, I started a practice of ending the day by adding to a list I kept in a Word document of things I’d accomplished that day. Though I’m no longer consistent, it’s a great tool to remind myself no day is ever wasted. If nothing else, I put things like “made the bed” and “morning pages” on the list every day. Sure, those are non-negotiable tasks I complete each day, but the simple fact that they’ve become a daily habit is justification for putting them on the list every day.

The truth is, setting positive habits is hard. It takes persistence and perseverance to turn change something from an “I really need to start doing that” to a “I will do this every day/week no matter what”.

My thrice-weekly gym routine was one of those things, but I’m 7 months into forming the habit. Except when I have a really good reason, like slicing open my thumb so holding a weight heavy enough to do me good would freaking HURT, I don’t skip my gym days for anything. Except for rare occasions when an appointment or other commitment interferes, I don’t even move a workout to a different day.

Creating New Habits a Baby Step at a Time

Habits like going to the gym regularly may take a little trial and error before you get it right, but if you believe it’s worth doing, you’ll find a way, even if, like me, it took a couple of years to figure it out. But writing is a different story. You really need to do it every day, even if you’re not a writer. More to the point, you have to recognize that sitting down in the morning and writing 3 pages long hand is writing. It may not be the great American novel, or the memoir I’ve yet to finish revising, but it keeps you in the habit of spilling your guts before you talk all of the pent up angst into your day and send it skidding sideways before it even starts.

For me, writing has always been my safe place where I work things out, spew my anger, vent my spleen, and even wallow when I need to. It’s been my healer, my therapist, and my best friend, alternately and concurrently. I can’t even imagine starting my day without it at this point. When I look back on the years before I picked the writing back up after a lengthy hiatus, I see how miserable, shut down, and unpleasant I was. It’s no coincidence I wasn’t dancing much during those years either.

Honoring Commitments to Ourselves as We Honor Them to Others

I’m reminded of a question posed by John Assaraf in his “Winning the Game of…” series:

“Are you committed or just interested?”

Sure, 30 minutes every morning is a big commitment. I’m sure it would be effective even if you worked up to it. One page instead of three, 10 minutes instead of 30. It doesn’t even have to be legible. I’ve gone back to mine a few times and wondered who hired the chimp to do my writing some days. Others, it’s elegant and clear, as neat and precise as if I were vying for a penmanship award that day.

However it hits the page, I know it’s doing me good to get the words down by hand every single day. It may not make for good reading, though I get a lot of ideas from them, but it makes my head and heart happy. I start each day in a positive mood ready to face whatever life tosses my way. That, for me is enough. Better still, I am writing every single day.

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.