7 Best Notebooks for Effortless Morning Pages
written by Adriana
posted on Oct 8, 2022
Since Morning Pages is spontaneous expressive writing, it should give you the confidence to experiment and write a minimum of 3 pages. Best notebooks are those which have a hardcover and are in A-4 format, so you can track your progress daily. Having a cover that gives you a sense of aesthetic pleasure may make you write more frequently and keep it as a daily habit, whereas adding a locker or keeping your Morning Pages in a secret place may reduce anxiety and lead to deep honest writing.
In this blog post, we will share our tips on writing Morning Pages – from how many pages you should write and what notebook to use.
Do Morning Pages have to be A4?
The author of the Morning Pages technique recommends writing 3 full pages in an 8.5 by 11 inches notebook that measures to an A4 format page. That way you can produce on average 250 words of a stream of consciousness writing on a single side of the paper and easily reflect on what you wrote.
When I first started out with Morning Pages to see how it compares to journaling, I tried writing in a smaller size journal and it was quite hard to keep everything on a single page in front of me.
That’s why I shifted to writing 3 single sides of A4-sized paper from my printer page and found it more fulfilling as I see how a blank page becomes filled with my handwriting.
So, if you want to observe the process and see the outcome, A-4 format pages are ideal.
What’s more, it is more convenient to see your daily intro without turning the next page, as it keeps your attention on the writing and gives the opportunity to observe mind-wandering on paper as well as count three pages rather than six.
Do Morning Pages have to be 3 pages?
Less or more? Minimum 3 pages or minimum 30 min? When you perceive Morning Pages as a meditation on paper, you look at it seriously and dedicate time. Then, amount of pages is not important, since your energy is dedicated to the writing process.
So, how long should Morning Pages be?
Writing 1 page of Morning Pages is a good start, but you can get all the benefits from this technique by writing 3 pages in full. Writing more than this can result in losing focus and becoming self-absorbed with your thoughts and feelings.
Similarly to meditation, which is usually recommended for 20 or 40 min with a minimum of 10 min, to begin with.
However, if today you have only 10 min, and are not sure how to start a day, 1 page is a good beginning, although the benefits of Morning Pages and problem-solving happens at the end of the 3rd page. As you write along thinking and mind-wandering, time is your friend, which can help you to discover new ideas, and solutions and process emotions better.
According to Julia Cameron, 3 pages are enough to gain the benefits, because if you write more you may get too deep and lose your focus in self-absorption by analysing inner thoughts too much.
Think, how many pages you can potentially write in 30 min?
Remember that it is not a lesson or task to write the best novel, but a process to shift your attention within, and allow mind-wandering. Since there are no rules, your intuition may send you the best advice.
For example, I noticed, that on average, it takes me 30 min to write 3 A-4 Morning Pages including the first page of complete mind-wandering without reasonable intention. When I was writing my first page, only descriptions and superficial thoughts came up compared to the third page with a deeper self-reflection and learning outcomes. Think, how long you would meditate?
Maybe it would be worth considering Morning Pages as a meditation on paper and focus not on the outcome of 3 pages, but on spending 30-40 min writing.
Storage for your Morning Pages
To keep your thoughts on paper, you need storage for your Morning Pages. Whether you use an A-4 format journal or a smaller one, here is a list of notebooks I used for Morning Pages:
I saw this notebook on the Instagram of Robin Sharma, who introduced me to journaling habits.
During the covid-19 pandemic, his advice to process emotions in the journal, and write about the hopes and the tough time, helped me a lot by kicking my energy levels and shifting focus on what I can do. What surprised me, was that he start every day with his black A-4 format black journal, which is both elegant and simplistic. By keeping such a simple journal, I gave myself more freedom to write about important and unimportant, serious and silly, heavy emotions and a child’s exciting moments, without fear of judgement or expectation.
Let’s keep it simple, right?
Morning Pages require space, comfort, storage and creative sparkle. For example, I feel less creative when I’m writing in a notebook with the lines or boxes I have to fill. My Morning Pages are my creative project, an expressive writing tutorial, which I control with total freedom and rule to make mistakes.
Why? Because Morning Pages are a type of mind-wandering, a non-directed meditation on paper, that takes time. When I like the type of paper or the cover of the notebook, I’m more likely to grab it and fill it with my stream of subconsciousness.
So, I need a blank space. Blank page.
For those who like personalised notebooks, I would suggest making your own cover. For example, I bought the cheapest notebook A-4 size and crafted the cover with old envelope paper, quotes, cards and a music sheet of my favourite piece. My friends were impressed with such an authentic notebook, and I felt this notebook is unique and reminded me of the elements of my life: music, quotes, and letters. Just by looking at it, I feel inspired to start writing my mind-wandering and explore what I feel today.
Maybe one creative project such as a DIY notebook may inspire you for expressive writing of Morning Pages?
A convenient bookmark, hardcover and 240 pages give you plenty of space to think and meditate on paper strategically. You can start where you finished the day before, whereas hard cover extends the life of your Morning Pages!
Remember those simple cheap small notebooks? How many of them you’ve lost?
This notebook became my best friend, which I carry with me to work and uni, but not for travelling, as I want to sketch if I’m on a trip. That’s why I use the next journal.
Notebook with brown pages (ideal for a sketch). If you follow Dr.Huberman on Instagram, you may have noticed that he uses a notebook with blank pages to teach his audience about neurobiology and mechanisms. This notebook is perfect for a creative person, who likes sketching and the touch of brown paper. Also, it has this beautiful cover!
Other options:
- Just Blank pages, which you can fold or make (I lose them everywhere, that’s why now I store them in a box).
- Something special (I like to get notebooks as a present, but there are 2 requirements: blank pages and hard copy.
How to choose?
In contrast to a guided journal, such as Zen mindfulness journal, Morning Pages are designed by you.
Do you like to keep separate seasons/life stages or keep them all together like one book? What is your goal and term time?
Identify your writing style and journaling technique, and then which notebook would be most suitable to your needs.
Final Thoughts
Expressive writing is a process, which you can enjoy and perceive as a creative tutorial rather than mandatory training. Writing Morning Pages in your favourite notebook may become a part of the joyful morning routine. Whether it is an A-4 format notebook or a travel notebook for sketching, it is essential to make it more you based on what’s more important – keeping it private, blank pages or a hardcover. Choose the one that elevates your imagination, facilitates mind-wandering and serves in the long run.
What notebook do you use for Morning Pages? Which one do you find most useful? Share your experience below in the comments section!
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