It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Los Angeles)
What are MORNING PAPERS? (or PAGES)
Last week I shared a little of my Morning Routine for this month. I'm on day #4. How are you doing with yours? If you're willing to share your routine with me, please SEND IT TO ME.
A number of you asked me what "Morning Papers" is all about. Today, I want to share just a few thoughts about this. I'm still learning, but it's been something that I've done for a while, but I'm trying to do it more regularly now.
The idea of "Morning Pages" comes from a book called "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. I heard about this practice from a number of people, and then researched where it came from and what Cameron recommends.
I'm going to share with you a couple of things that have helped me with this, but you can also watch this video from a blogger named Shelby who really details the practice fully. This is an 18-minute video, but it's really good. Watch it HERE
Here's the idea:
•Start your day by simply grabbing your journal and "emptying your mind". Take some time to simply write what's on your mind. This might be things that you need to do, it might be things that you're worried about, it might be random ideas or things you want to dig deeper into. The practice is simply to WRITE. Cameron suggest you write 3 pages everyday, and when you do this you are then able to clearly focus on what's in front of you. The practice will help to unleash your creativity and focus, but getting stuff onto paper that's swimming around in your head.
•There's really no right or wrong way to do this. For those of you who journal regularly, this will be easy. For those of you who don't journal, this will be a discipline.
•There are a couple of things that are important to remember:
- This is PRIVATE. This is your thinking and putting it on paper. You might need to whine or be grumpy. You might need to react to something. This is yours and shouldn't be shared!
- Doing this in the morning helps you with productivity throughout the day. I've found that when I do this when I wake up, I'm MORE ready to get to work or focus on a project when I get to my office.
- The practice of writing with a pen on paper is part of the process. I tried to do this on my computer, and it wasn't the same. I was distracted easily, and it wasn't the same.
- KEEP IT SIMPLE! Don't make this complicated.
This is my journal. (Thank you Aaron Arnold for this gift!) I travel with this, I have some Moleskin refills inside that I use, and this is where I write. Figure out what works best for you.
- When I take the time in the morning to do this, I feel that I get more done. I'm able to remember things, I'm able to identify priority projects, and getting it on paper does help me track things. I then move things to my calendar when I need to spend time addressing them.
You might want to try this and see how it impacts your morning routine and the rest of your day as well.
Keep your ideas coming!
Some thoughts from people that wrote me last week:
*Pierre shares: "The thing I'm going to change, which will be difficult, is to be intentional about going to bed earlier in order to wake up and have my morning routine."
*David writes: "I spend time with a devotional book each day. This month it is "Leadership Promises for Every Day" by John Maxwell."
*Some of you are sharing way too much information with me! I'm glad you're taking a shower every morning, I'm glad you're going to the bathroom and I'm even glad you're eating a hard-boiled egg! Thanks for sharing.
To read the previous posts on the Morning
Routine Topic, CLICK HERE
Send me your thoughts, ideas, questions HERE
or comment on the blog post HERE
There's a new LEAD WITH RUSS group on the video sharing platform, Marco Polo. If you'd like me to add you to this list, download the app, and send me your email address, and I'll add you to the group.
"Morning Pages clarify our yearnings. They keep an eye on our goals. They may provoke us, coax us, comfort us, even cajole us, as well as prioritize and synchronize the day at hand." Julia Cameron
Have a good day today!
