Morning Pages

8 Tips for Thinking & Learning #2

This advice comes from the excellent book, Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt.

There's good stuff hiding in your brain. The key is figuring how to get it out. One technique that has been used in both writer's workshops as well as some MBA programs is the process of writing 'Morning Pages'.

The rules are simple enough. Every morning you write at least three long hand pages. Never less, possibly more. You must write the pages. Leave the computer in power save mode. You write these pages before you do anything else, including breakfast, shower and exercise. First thing means just that, first thing. You should not censor your thoughts. If it's in your brain, you write it down. Finally, be consistent. Do not miss a day. How does this work?

Hunt theorizes that when you first wake up, you aren't entirely conscious and you still have a pretty good pipe line to the Rich Mode (right-side) of your brain. Hunt refers to it as an "unguarded brain dump".

It's the type of thing that you might find stupid, but I think you will find that, as Hunt points out in the book, the more you do your morning pages, the more you'll find yourself coming up with ideas and plans.