Brain Dump vs Morning Pages
written by Ana
posted on Oct 22, 2022
You’ve probably heard that letting go of your thoughts helps to clear your head and improve your mental health.
The easiest way to do it is to write down everything that you have on your mind. However, with so many different writing techniques out there, it can be hard to decide which one will work for you.
It’s easy to get confused, that’s why we decided to compare them directly! We already have a blog post comparing journaling and Morning Pages, so you can check it out first.
In this blog post, we will try to find out the difference between brain dump and Morning Pages.
What is a brain dump?
Generally, a brain dump is an exercise when you write down everything that is floating around in your mind on paper. That includes all your to-do’s, tasks, and appointments. Taking it all outside of your mind helps to prevent your brain from information overload. Decluttering your mind has been proven to help manage stress, anxiety and can help you feel more focused.
What are Morning Pages?
Morning Pages is a technique introduced by writer Julia Cameron in her book ‘The Artists Way‘ where she explains that handwriting about anything on 3 pages for 30 to 40 minutes in the morning helps to get more clarity and become more efficient throughout the day.
It’s a form of meditation that helps you to clear your head and prioritize your day.
You might be wondering if Morning Pages and journaling are the same and many people often confuse these two techniques, so we put together an article explaining the difference between them.
Anyone can practice Morning Pages or brain dump, however, the first one was specifically designed for creative individuals like writers and artists to retrieve their creativity.
Now that you know what both of these methods are, how do you decide which technique to use? To make it simple, we made a comparison table so you can see how similar or different both writing methods are.
The difference between brain dump and Morning Pages
|
Morning Pages |
Brain Dump |
|
Stream of consciousness writing without reading back |
Dumping your ideas, thoughts and to-dos in one place |
|
Minimum 3 pages |
Can be as long as you want |
|
Recommended to do it first thing in the morning |
As needed, morning/evening |
|
Write about anything you want |
Dump all the things you have on your mind |
|
Recommended to do it for 12 weeks |
Do a brain time any time you feel overwhelmed |
|
Reduces tension, anxiety and depressive mood, emotional “catharsis” |
Helps to stay more focused while reducing anxiety and stress |
|
Initiates creativity discovery |
Captures very well-thought ideas, plans, dreams, and goals |
Hopefully this breakdown can help you understand the difference between these two techniques and help you decide which one you want to try out.
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Happy Journaling:)
With better awareness, better results
A&A
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