Morning Pages are supposed to be simple.
You wake up.
You sit down.
And you write.
You don't need a brilliant topic.
You don't need an interesting story.
You don't need to know what you think before you begin.
In fact, traditionally, Morning Pages don't require prompts at all.
You simply write whatever is in your head.
But sometimes you sit down in the morning and there is only one thought:
I have absolutely nothing to write.
That's where prompts can help.
A Morning Pages prompt isn't something you have to answer properly. It's simply somewhere to put your first sentence.
What Are Morning Pages?
Morning Pages were popularised by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way.
The traditional practice involves writing three pages of longhand, usually first thing in the morning.
The writing isn't meant to be polished.
It doesn't have to be creative.
It doesn't have to be profound.
It can be complaints, plans, worries, observations, nonsense, ideas, or whatever else happens to be occupying your mind.
The point is to write freely rather than produce something impressive.
Do Morning Pages Need Prompts?
No.
Strictly speaking, the lack of a prompt is part of what makes Morning Pages useful.
You begin with whatever appears.
But there is nothing wrong with using a starting question when you need one.
Just don't turn the prompt into an assignment.
If you begin with:
What's on my mind this morning?
and three sentences later you're writing about something completely different, that's fine.
Use the prompt to start. Then let the writing decide where it goes.
Simple Morning Pages Prompts
If you don't know where to begin, start here.
What's on my mind this morning?
Right now I'm thinking about...
The first thing that comes to mind is...
This morning I feel...
I woke up thinking about...
Something I can't stop thinking about is...
If I'm completely honest this morning...
The thing taking up most of my mental space is...
What I really want to write about is...
I don't know what to write, but...
Prompts About Yesterday
The previous day often leaves unfinished thoughts behind.
The thing from yesterday that stayed with me is...
Yesterday was better than I expected because...
Yesterday was harder than I expected because...
Something I wish I'd handled differently yesterday is...
The best moment yesterday was...
Something that annoyed me yesterday was...
A conversation from yesterday I'm still thinking about is...
Something I learned yesterday was...
Something from yesterday I need to let go of is...
If I could replay one moment from yesterday...
Prompts for the Day Ahead
Morning writing can help you think about the day before you're in the middle of it.
The most important thing today is...
If today goes well...
Something I'm looking forward to today is...
Something I'm not looking forward to is...
One thing I would like to finish today is...
The thing most likely to distract me today is...
Something I can make easier for myself today is...
If I only accomplished one thing today...
Today would feel worthwhile if...
The attitude I'd like to take into today is...
Prompts for Clearing Your Head
Some mornings your head is already crowded before the day has properly begun.
Put some of that mental clutter on the page.
Everything currently competing for my attention is...
The thing I'm most worried about is...
Something I keep mentally rehearsing is...
What I'm trying to remember is...
The unfinished things in my head are...
Something I need to deal with soon is...
What feels unnecessarily complicated right now is...
If I could remove one worry from my mind this morning...
What I can control today is...
What I probably need to stop thinking about for now is...
Prompts for Self-Discovery
Mornings can be useful for writing before the demands of the day take over.
Something I'm beginning to realise about myself is...
Something I keep avoiding is...
What I really want at the moment is...
Something I wish I understood about myself is...
I feel most like myself when...
One thing I've been pretending doesn't matter is...
A pattern I'm starting to notice is...
Something I've changed my mind about is...
If nobody else had an opinion about my life...
Something I may need to admit to myself is...
Prompts for Worry and Anxiety
If you wake up worrying, you can put the worry directly onto the page.
The thing I'm worried about this morning is...
What I'm afraid might happen is...
What I actually know is...
What I'm assuming is...
Another possible explanation is...
The part of this I can control is...
The part I cannot control is...
If the thing I'm worried about happened, I could...
What would help me feel more prepared is...
The next useful thing I can do is...
Prompts for Creativity
Morning Pages can also be a place to play with ideas before your internal editor has fully woken up.
An idea that popped into my head recently is...
Something I'd love to make is...
If I had to create something today...
A ridiculous idea worth exploring is...
Something that should exist but doesn't is...
An idea I've dismissed too quickly is...
If I didn't care whether it was successful...
Something I'd make purely for fun is...
What would I create if nobody could judge it?
The idea I'm most curious about right now is...
Prompts for Writers
Something I want to write about is...
The piece I'm avoiding is...
What I'm actually trying to say is...
An idea that could become an article is...
A story I've never properly written is...
Something I've learned that might help another person is...
If I had to publish something today...
The sentence I want to write but keep avoiding is...
If this didn't have to be good...
The easiest thing for me to write about right now is...
Prompts About What You Want
Something I want more of is...
Something I want less of is...
What I wish I had more time for is...
Something I would do if I felt more confident is...
If money weren't part of the decision...
If I knew nobody would be disappointed...
Something I've wanted for a long time is...
The thing underneath what I think I want might be...
A change that would make my life better is...
If I could give myself permission to do one thing...
Prompts for Gratitude
Morning Pages don't have to become a gratitude journal, but gratitude can be one direction you explore.
Something good in my life that I sometimes overlook is...
Someone I'm grateful for is...
Something ordinary I'm lucky to have is...
Something that made my life easier recently is...
A small thing I'm looking forward to is...
Something my younger self would be happy I have now is...
One thing that's going better than I give it credit for is...
Something beautiful I noticed recently was...
One problem I no longer have is...
Something I get to do today is...
Prompts for Difficult Decisions
The decision occupying my mind is...
What I really want to choose is...
What makes this decision difficult is...
The outcome I'm most afraid of is...
The outcome I'm hoping for is...
If nobody else knew about my decision...
What would happen if I did nothing?
What information am I missing?
If I had to decide before breakfast...
Deep down, I think...
Prompts for When You're Feeling Stuck
I feel stuck because...
The thing I'm avoiding is...
What I keep telling myself I should do is...
What I actually want to do is...
The smallest possible next step is...
If I stopped trying to solve everything at once...
Something I could make easier is...
What I'm waiting for is...
If I didn't need to feel motivated first...
One thing I could begin today is...
Prompts for Big Questions
Not every morning needs to begin with your to-do list.
What matters most to me right now?
What does a good life mean to me?
What am I spending too much of my life worrying about?
What am I trying to prove?
What does success actually mean to me?
What am I becoming?
What would I regret not doing?
What deserves more of my attention?
What deserves less of my attention?
If my life is teaching me something right now, what might it be?
Prompts That Help You Go Deeper
If your first answer feels obvious, ask another question.
Why?
Why does that matter?
What do I mean by that?
What else?
Is that actually true?
What am I assuming?
What am I not saying?
What is underneath that?
What would I say if I wasn't trying to sound reasonable?
Where does this thought lead?
Sometimes the useful part of Morning Pages begins after you've written the obvious answer.
A Seven-Day Morning Pages Challenge
If you're new to Morning Pages, try one prompt each morning for a week.
Day 1
What's taking up most of my mental space right now?
Day 2
What do I want more of in my life?
Day 3
What am I avoiding?
Day 4
What am I grateful for that I've stopped noticing?
Day 5
What am I trying too hard to control?
Day 6
What would I do if I stopped worrying about other people's opinions?
Day 7
What have I noticed about myself this week?
Use the question only to begin.
If your writing wanders somewhere else, let it.
Don't Try to Make Your Morning Pages Profound
Some mornings you'll write something insightful.
Other mornings you'll write about breakfast.
You might complain about being tired.
Write a list of things you need to do.
Describe a strange dream.
Repeat yourself.
Write complete rubbish.
That's okay.
Morning Pages don't have to be valuable individually to make the practice valuable.
Don't Spend Longer Choosing a Prompt Than Writing
Prompts can create their own form of procrastination.
You read one.
Then another.
Then another.
Ten minutes later, you're still looking for the perfect question.
Don't.
Choose the first prompt that gives you even the slightest reaction.
Annoyance counts.
Confusion counts.
Thinking the question is stupid counts.
You can even begin:
This is a stupid question because...
Now you're writing.
Eventually, Try Starting Without a Prompt
Prompts are training wheels.
They're useful when you need them.
But occasionally sit down without one.
Write the first thought in your head.
Then the next.
Then the next.
See where your mind goes when nobody gives it a subject.
You may discover that the most useful Morning Pages prompt is simply: What's here?
Then write until you find out.