Morning journaling—or morning pages, as some people call it—is the exercise of journaling in the morning. While some people use their journals at night to keep track of everything that happened during the day, others use them to start their day. It helps them become more inspired, motivated, and productive.

Benefits of Morning Journaling

While it may seem strange to journal in the morning, it has a lot of benefits:

Morning Journaling Helps You Clear Your Mind.

The moment you wake up, your mind is filled with thoughts from the night before and possibly even the things you dreamed of. These thoughts, however, can end up distracting you throughout the day if you don't write them down and process them. You might also find it harder to absorb new information because your mind is already cluttered.

The moment you get up, grab your journal and let your thoughts spill over. Filling blank pages with your thoughts clears your mind for the other things you need to absorb and process later in the day. You'll discover that journaling in the morning helps you get through the day with better clarity and understanding.

Morning Journaling Lets Your Process Your Feelings.

There are days when life can be overwhelming. On top of everything you have to deal with at work, at home, and even in your friendships, you may also feel bombarded by news from current events. These things can affect how you go from day to day if you aren’t able to let them go.

Just like writing down your thoughts to make space for new ones, processing your feelings through your journal helps you identify what bothers you or stresses you out. You can also use your journal to write what makes you feel calm, relaxed, excited, and happy.

As you write, you learn more about yourself—how to avoid moments of negativity and process certain emotions so you don't carry them with you wherever you go.

Morning Journaling Taps into Your Creativity.

Sometimes, you come up with great ideas and tell yourself you’ll jot them down later—only to end up forgetting what it is you wanted to write. Giving yourself some time every morning to jot down a few ideas for your blog, short story, novel, or work, in general, can go a long way. You get to be creative while keeping a bank of stored information that you can pull out and use in the future.

Morning Journaling Quiets Your Doubts and Fears.

Have you ever had imposter syndrome kick at the moment you wake up? Suddenly, you question whether you should be doing what you are doing. That can be crippling if you don’t address it.

People are often most critical about themselves. Writing morning pages can help silence your inner critic, that devil’s advocate in your mind. Instead of doubting yourself, write words to affirm and encourage yourself before you start the day.

How to Create a Morning Journaling Routine

How do you get started with a good morning journaling routine?

Get Rid of Distractions.

As much as you can, get up as early as possible. If you are up before everyone else, nobody will bother you. Distractions aren’t limited to people, however. How many times do you find yourself checking your phone within the day? You may not be aware of it, but you’re probably checking your phone while journaling or even in the middle of reading this article.

Before you start writing, remove all forms of distraction around you so you can focus on what you are doing and truly live in the moment.

Prepare Yourself the Night Before.

Make your journal easily accessible by your bed the night before. Add a note or reminder that you can see in the morning so you don’t forget to write in your journal. That way, you remember to write in it when you wake up.

Write in Your Journal First Thing in the Morning.

If you’re serious about journaling in the morning, make it a priority on your to-do list. When you get up in the morning, you might be tempted to tell yourself that you’ll journal the following day or put it off after doing other tasks first.

If you want to make the best out of morning pages, you have to do it before you do anything else—while your mind is still full of energy and ready for the new day. Do it before eating breakfast, checking your phone, taking a shower, and even going out of your room.

Be Consistent.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” too often. But there is no better way to build a good habit than showing up consistently and practicing it. If you find it hard to be consistent, ask a friend to check up on you every morning if you’ve already written in your journal. Create some incentives that will excite you to complete journaling every morning.

Be Real, Be You.

Writing in your morning journal isn’t about getting it perfect. You’re not writing the next best-selling novel. People aren't going to check your entries and point out spelling or grammar mistakes.

You’ll most likely be able to write better and benefit from your morning journal more if you let down your guard and allow your stream-of-consciousness to take over. It doesn’t have to make sense all the time. You don’t even have to check your grammar. Just be true to yourself so you can learn more about yourself.

Daily Morning Journal Prompts

What can you write about in your morning journal? Here are some morning journaling prompts to get you started:

What You’re Grateful For

It’s always great to start the day by counting your blessings. Writing down what you’re grateful for helps you develop a more in-depth sense of appreciation and molds you into a better version of yourself.

You can jot down three every morning for starters and add some more if you feel like it. Try to think of a specific thing that happened in the past day that you’re grateful for. Otherwise, you might write the same thing every day, which isn’t really helpful if you want to grow deeper in your journey of appreciating things.

What You Dreamed About

Sometimes, dreams are a way to find out what’s bothering us on a subconscious level. It can also be a way to get inspiration for our work or hobbies. After you write down your dream, try to analyze it. You can know a lot about how you feel about your dream or how you felt while you were in your dream.

What Your Tasks and Goals Are for the Day

Jot down the tasks you have for the day in your morning journal. It’s a helpful exercise because it shows you what you need to focus on so you can zoom in on those items instead of hopping from one task to another. Be practical, however, and make sure it is achievable. It might be better to list down three primary goals for the day rather than listing as many as you want and getting discouraged if you aren’t able to tick off all items on your to-do list.

What You’re Looking Forward To

Every day is a new opportunity, a new chapter, a blank page with which to make the most out of your life. Write about what you’re looking forward to for the day or even the week. Are you meeting with a friend you haven’t seen for a long time? Are you going to the concert of a favorite singer? Are you finally starting a hobby or task you’ve been putting off forever?

Writing what you’re looking forward to will set the vibe for the day and keep you inspired.

What You Want Your Life to Look Like

What do you want your life to look like a year or so from today? Do you have any hopes and dreams for the future? Take note of these in your journal. Let them serve as inspiration for you when life gets challenging. Writing down your long-term plan goals helps you see what you want in the future so every step you take, and what you do with your free time helps build your future.

What You Are Thinking Of

Sometimes, you just need a space to express and be, you know, you. Let your morning pages be your best friend. Write down whatever is on your mind without the fear that someone might judge you. Write what you’re happy about, what you’re sad about, and even what makes you angry. These stream-of-consciousness entries reveal what you’re really going through. You can opt to leave it as it is—at least you got it off your mind—or further analyze them so you can understand yourself better.

Writing Your Morning Pages on Wondr Journal

For some people, writing their journals is a pen-and-paper thing. For others, who don’t want to suffer through cramped fingers and indecipherable handwriting, online journals are just the thing for them. The good thing about writing your morning pages on Wondr Journal is that you can see trends, moods, and other things you would like to track, so you understand yourself better.

Build your morning journaling habit on Wondr Journal.

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