How to write every day 

People ask me: how do you do it? Fill all those pages up every day? And when I tell them, they are shocked. And no, trust me, this is not clickbait. It takes me about 15 minutes every morning to write three morning pages. The trick? Get up a little earlier, get a routine, and don’t stop. 

Let me explain that some more. 

Finding the time in the morning can be challenging. I get it. But you really only need ten minutes to start, and if that’s too much and you really can’t find those ten minutes, take five minutes while you wait for the kettle to boil. Place your notebook in the kitchen and scribble your pages when you’re waiting for that first cup of tea or coffee. 

Find your routine

Next, routine. I know I’ve struggled with this personally. And when I finally had a routine going, I had to switch it up again because of the arrival of our puppy Lara. It took me a while to find a routine that works for me. I’ve gone from journaling straight out of bed to journaling after the shower, journaling while making breakfast, journaling after breakfast to where I am now: getting up, taking a shower, walking for half an hour with Lara, and then journaling before making breakfast, sometimes after if I’m starving. 

I’m a perfectionist, and I cling to order and predictability. It helps me thrive and feel like I have to make fewer decisions at the moment, but I’ve had to let go that every morning had to be the same. As long as I stick to journaling and writing my morning pages before I start work, it’s good. That helped me get the writing in when I can, and it makes it feel more organic, less forced, and I get more out of it.  

Keep your hand moving

And lastly, it is crucial to keep your hand moving. It’s amazing how much writing you can get done once you don’t stop. When I just got back into doing my morning pages, I was terrible at this. I would stop and look up every few sentences. I would get up to check my phone, make tea or do other things while I was trying to write. And I can tell you, two pages quickly take up 40 minutes that way, and the effect of the writing goes away instantly when you don’t allow yourself to sink into it. 

So keep your hand moving. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you’re going. Just keep your hand moving. Don’t stop. Don’t think, and don’t give yourself space to let your monkey mind take over. Keep moving, keep writing.

And, if three pages feel like too much, start with one, get comfortable adding something else, something new to your morning routine and build it from there. Do it 21 days in a row, then add a page, and before you know it, you too will write your morning pages every day, and people will ask you how you do it.