Morning Pages: What They Are and How to Do Them

Updated 2026-09-29 · By the Journal for iPad team

Morning pages are three pages of handwritten, unfiltered writing done first thing every morning. The idea comes from Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way. They're simple to describe and harder to keep up, so here is how to do them and how to stick with it.

What morning pages are

Morning pages come from Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way, first published in 1992. The book is a course for people who feel creatively blocked, and morning pages are one of its two core tools (the other is the "artist date", a weekly solo outing).

The practice itself is simple: every morning, as soon as you can after waking, write three pages by hand. Write whatever is in your head, whether it's worries, plans, complaints, dreams, to-do lists or half-formed ideas. Don't stop, don't edit, don't try to make it good.

Cameron is clear that morning pages aren't meant to be "writing" in the artistic sense. They're more like clearing out your head before the day starts. Although the book is aimed at artists, many people with no creative goals use morning pages simply to start the day with a clearer head.

How to do them

1. Prepare the night before. Leave your notebook or iPad and pen where you'll see them first thing: next to the bed or the coffee maker.
2. Write before anything else. Before email, news or social media, if you can. The idea is to catch your thoughts before the day fills your head with other people's.
3. Write three pages. Standard letter-size pages, by hand. For most people that takes somewhere around 20 to 40 minutes, and it gets faster with practice.
4. Keep the pen moving. If you run out of things to say, write "I have nothing to say" until something comes. Don't pause to reread or fix anything.
5. Stop at three pages. Not two, not five. The fixed length is part of the practice.
6. Close the notebook. Don't reread them yet. Get on with your day.

The rules, as commonly described

People who follow The Artist's Way usually describe a handful of guidelines. They're simple, and most of them are about removing pressure.

• Three pages, every day. Consistency matters more than any single entry.
• Longhand. Written by hand, not typed.
• First thing in the morning. Before your inner critic is fully awake.
• Stream of consciousness. Whatever comes up. There's no wrong subject.
• No editing, no judging. Spelling, grammar and handwriting don't matter.
• Private. Nobody else reads them, and you shouldn't show them to anyone.
• Don't reread right away. Cameron suggests waiting several weeks before reading them back.

You'll see plenty of variations, like shorter pages, a different time of day, or typing. Those can still be useful, but if you want to try the practice as it was designed, start with the original version for a few weeks before adapting it.

Morning pages on an iPad

An iPad can work well for morning pages, especially if you're drawn to handwriting but not to stacks of filled notebooks.

Handwriting with Apple Pencil

Writing with an Apple Pencil keeps the spirit of "longhand". You're still forming letters by hand at the slower pace of handwriting, which is a big part of why many people prefer it to typing for this practice. You also get a few practical advantages:

• one device instead of a growing pile of notebooks;
• entries can be locked, so the pages stay private;
• pages are backed up and easy to find by date when you do reread;
• you can export a month of pages as a PDF if you want a copy.

A lined morning pages template with three clearly marked pages makes it obvious when you're done.

Typing instead

Typing is a common variation. It's faster, which some people like and others feel lets them skim instead of slowing down. If typing is what gets you to do it every day, it's better than not doing it at all. If you can, try a couple of weeks of each and notice which one leaves you feeling clearer.

Keep distractions away

The main risk on an iPad is notifications. Turn on a Focus mode or Do Not Disturb before you start, and open your journal app before anything else.

What to do with the pages

For the first few weeks: nothing. Write them and leave them. The benefit people describe comes mostly from the act of writing, not from what's on the page.

After a while, many people find it useful to read back through a batch of pages, for example at the end of each month. When you do:

• Look for repeats. Complaints, wishes or ideas that show up again and again are worth noticing.
• Pull out actions. Things you keep saying you'll do. Move them to a to-do list or planner.
• Collect ideas. Mark any ideas worth developing and copy them somewhere you'll find them.
• Be kind to yourself. Morning pages are raw by design. Reading them can be uncomfortable, and that's normal.

Some people never reread and simply let the pages go. That's fine too.

Troubleshooting

"I don't know what to write."

Write that, and keep going. Describe the room, how you slept, what you have to do today. Morning pages are allowed to be boring. If the blank page really stops you, a short morning journal prompt can get the pen moving, then let it go and follow wherever your writing wanders.

"Three pages takes too long."

It usually gets faster after the first week or two. If mornings are tight, get up a little earlier, or do the pages as soon as you can after waking rather than skipping them. Some people write smaller pages or fewer to start. That changes the practice, but it's a reasonable way to begin.

"I keep writing the same complaints."

That's very common, and part of the point. Seeing the same thing written down day after day often makes you want to do something about it.

"I missed a few days."

Start again tomorrow. No need to catch up or make up the pages.

"It feels pointless."

Give it a fair trial. The Artist's Way is built as a twelve-week course, and many people say it took a few weeks before the pages felt useful. A structured month can help you get through the early stretch: our Morning Pages program gives you a way in each morning for 30 days, with weekly sessions that look back at what you wrote.

"Someone might read them."

Then you'll hold back. Keep them somewhere private: a notebook you store away, or a journal app with a lock. Journal for iPad can be locked with Face ID or a passcode.

Summary: Morning pages, from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, are three pages of handwritten, stream-of-consciousness writing done first thing each morning. Don't edit, don't judge, don't reread right away, and keep them private. On an iPad, writing with Apple Pencil keeps the longhand spirit. If it feels pointless at first, give it a few weeks.

Free morning pages template →

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