Discussion Forum > Dialoguing, journalling or a mixture?
For a time my morning pages journaling = the dialogues. The main thing is to go swiftly and not pause to think.
With morning pages, I typically find that at around page 2.5 something breaks the surface and an insight or new way of thinking about a problem emerges. But so much to slog through before then! :)
With morning pages, I typically find that at around page 2.5 something breaks the surface and an insight or new way of thinking about a problem emerges. But so much to slog through before then! :)
February 10, 2021 at 13:59 |
Mike Brown
Mike Brown
Mike - I agree. Both practices require a commitment (time and attention). I've found Mark's Scatter Maps - http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/5/19/the-scatter-map.html - require less time, but provide a similar result.
February 10, 2021 at 16:33 |
avrum
avrum
I've done impromptu question driven journaling for a while, but I haven't started Morning Pages yet, even though I keep hearing about it. I actually think that this might be something I want to start, if only because I love the physical act of writing, and I don't get to do it enough, and this would be a perfect opportunity. I often write as though I'm having a discourse with someone, anyways, so a dialectic style or dialoguing style suits me just fine but I'm not particularly formal about it.
February 11, 2021 at 1:04 |
Aaron Hsu
Aaron Hsu
Aaron Hsu:
The original Morning Pages as described by Julia Cameron are three pages of handwriting without pausing. "Keep your hand moving" is the motto.
I've found that to be a highly effective exercise in the past, but it does require quite a considerable investment of time and effort on a daily basis. Exactly how much depends on how fast you write, how small your handwriting is and what size paper you are writing on. It's best to write on lined paper in my experience, otherwise it's too easy to cheat!
The journaling I'm doing now is not quite the same. i still try to write three pages (and succeed 95% of the time) but I split it up throughout the day. I also re-read my pages regularly which is not encouraged by Julia Cameron (I think you're supposed to wait three months before you look at them again).
I find the way I'm doing it now to be just as effective, though maybe it wouldn't be if I hadn't had the previous experience of doing it properly. It's rather like going back into a gym after an extended absence. It's a quite different experience from going to the gym for the first time.
The original Morning Pages as described by Julia Cameron are three pages of handwriting without pausing. "Keep your hand moving" is the motto.
I've found that to be a highly effective exercise in the past, but it does require quite a considerable investment of time and effort on a daily basis. Exactly how much depends on how fast you write, how small your handwriting is and what size paper you are writing on. It's best to write on lined paper in my experience, otherwise it's too easy to cheat!
The journaling I'm doing now is not quite the same. i still try to write three pages (and succeed 95% of the time) but I split it up throughout the day. I also re-read my pages regularly which is not encouraged by Julia Cameron (I think you're supposed to wait three months before you look at them again).
I find the way I'm doing it now to be just as effective, though maybe it wouldn't be if I hadn't had the previous experience of doing it properly. It's rather like going back into a gym after an extended absence. It's a quite different experience from going to the gym for the first time.
February 11, 2021 at 9:25 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
As a Lefty, three pages without stopping would cause major cramps in my hand.
February 11, 2021 at 13:37 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Oliver Burkeman (previously of the Guardian's "This Column Will Change Your Life") wrote again recently on morning pages for his newsletter (sorry for the ugly link): http://www.oliverburkeman.com/so/acNOetBUR?cid=7fd2e87b-4f57-48b8-ba51-c1eee8b61c9e#/main
His first sentence says it all: "Of all the self-help tools I've tested through the years, one has proved more enduring than the rest: Morning Pages."
Avrum: You may like the writer/artist Austin Kleon's collage of thoughts related to morning pages, scatter-maps, diagrams, and the like: http://austinkleon.com/2020/12/07/morning-pages-and-variations/
His first sentence says it all: "Of all the self-help tools I've tested through the years, one has proved more enduring than the rest: Morning Pages."
Avrum: You may like the writer/artist Austin Kleon's collage of thoughts related to morning pages, scatter-maps, diagrams, and the like: http://austinkleon.com/2020/12/07/morning-pages-and-variations/
February 11, 2021 at 14:27 |
Mike Brown
Mike Brown
Mike Brown:
This quote:
"My method is cribbed from The Sedaris Method: write things down all day in a pocket notebook, then wake up the next morning, fill out my logbook, and then write longhand about yesterday."
Is exactly what I've been doing in some form for the past few years. This year, I've refined the process to do almost exactly what Kleon is doing re: short bullet points of facts, and then using those facts to craft my daily entry (I do this at night).
Each of my kids are assigned their now emoticon (My eldest is 👦🏻 ) and each project receives one as well (My podcast = 🎙 , My newsletter ✉️ ). The emoticons provide a bit of flair, but also help for searching for information on a specific project or person.
I also do Mark's Scatter Map in the evening, before bed. And when necessary, throughout the day.
For lists, Apple's Reminders has become an indispensable part of my productivity tool kit. Any task that I need to remember is entered here, and assigned a reminder day/time.
This quote:
"My method is cribbed from The Sedaris Method: write things down all day in a pocket notebook, then wake up the next morning, fill out my logbook, and then write longhand about yesterday."
Is exactly what I've been doing in some form for the past few years. This year, I've refined the process to do almost exactly what Kleon is doing re: short bullet points of facts, and then using those facts to craft my daily entry (I do this at night).
Each of my kids are assigned their now emoticon (My eldest is 👦🏻 ) and each project receives one as well (My podcast = 🎙 , My newsletter ✉️ ). The emoticons provide a bit of flair, but also help for searching for information on a specific project or person.
I also do Mark's Scatter Map in the evening, before bed. And when necessary, throughout the day.
For lists, Apple's Reminders has become an indispensable part of my productivity tool kit. Any task that I need to remember is entered here, and assigned a reminder day/time.
February 14, 2021 at 17:44 |
avrum
avrum
I've seen 20 minutes as an alternative to 3 pages for Morning Pages, especially if you doodle or speak instead of write, or write a different size.
My journal pages are about 200 words per page, but I write fairly small. However many pages are about 450 words might be a useable average. As Mike Brown says, it usually takes a while before you get past enough layers to see something useful.
My therapist uses "5 Why's Deep." State something, then ask any Why question you want, then another Why question based on that answer. By the third I usually see something interesting that's actually a red herring. By the fifth I usually have a truly useful insight.
My journal pages are about 200 words per page, but I write fairly small. However many pages are about 450 words might be a useable average. As Mike Brown says, it usually takes a while before you get past enough layers to see something useful.
My therapist uses "5 Why's Deep." State something, then ask any Why question you want, then another Why question based on that answer. By the third I usually see something interesting that's actually a red herring. By the fifth I usually have a truly useful insight.
February 23, 2021 at 19:45 |
Cricket
Cricket
I would love to do both but feel this would be somewhat time consuming and am thinking of merging them. Has anyone tried this? Are they too similar to bother to merge them and should I just pick one over the other? Any thoughts or recommendations welcome.