RealmZone #26 - Mystical Threads # 6
Writing Daily Pages
Originally written on March 7, 2023 | Last Update on May 16, 2025
Writing Daily Pages
Back in 2020, I found myself in career limbo, I didn’t have a job, and I was really stressed out and overall felt lost and down. However, I did discover my passion for art and found myself drawing every day and most nights but I did not consider myself an artist and was very hesitant to show anyone my drawings and paintings.
One day while sitting in my room staring off into space in a deep daydream, my eyes happened to land on a familiar book, the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I had a mental tug of war trying to decide if I should ignore this as coincidence or I could choose to get up, grab the book and take a look. I re-read the table of contents and felt nostalgic as I saw my old handwritten notes back from 1998!
Suddenly it hit me! I used to write in my journal every day and had tried doing one of the writing exercises called “Morning Pages” so I dug a few notebooks from storage and as I browsed through my writing, I thought to myself, “Maybe I can start doing morning pages again, but getting up 30 minutes before my alarm was too extreme for my taste so I compromised and I practice what I call my ‘Daily Pages.’
Daily Pages are similar to morning pages, except I allow myself to write later in the day, which ends up being mornings most days but there are also those days when I need to sit down to write at night. This rule change helps me avoid feeling guilty as long as I get my writing finished every day or night.
It is a very simple exercise but from about 2 years of recent experience, it may be more of a challenge than you expect. The way to do daily pages is to get a notebook and pen or pencil, find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted for 20–30 minutes, and then simply write 3 handwritten pages without stopping. I actually forgot for a few months and it took me forever to write since I kept pausing and thinking.
What do I write About?
I will report any dreams I’ve had the night before (write, describe, draw diagrams, etc)
I can do a self-check-in and write about my current mindset or ongoing challenges
I describe my surroundings — How do the clouds look? Do I hear the birds singing outside? If I am blank I will write — I am lost, not sure what to write about… eventually a topic comes up
Sometimes I will write about my plan for the day
I explore current projects — around the house or my next painting
There are no rules about what you can write about except to not stop for 3 minutes. I am not a touch typist so I don’t type my daily pages. Writing by hand forces my mind to slow down and I do end up typing some of the content I add to my Daily Pages. Some creatives like to use a separate notebook for creative ideas and that is up to you.
I usually do my daily pages after breakfast but there are days I get busy or something comes up. So even if it’s late at night, I will write in some bullet points or any significant events.
Why do I write Daily Pages?
I feel that practicing Daily Pages for the last couple of years has changed my life.
I commit to writing 3 pages by hand without stopping.
Getting my ideas out of my head and on paper is important and I write them down on scratch paper or the nearest creative notebook.
I started to get more creative confidence since I was finishing a task I had planned (similar to making a plan to exercise at the gym but then coming up with an excuse to avoid going).
I feel that I gained self-awareness by reviewing my Daily Pages and finding patterns and themes. Being honest with myself can be challenging but at least if I am aware, then I can look deeper and decide if I need to make any changes.
Conclusion
The Daily Pages exercise has changed my life and I get many benefits, like clarity, less stress, new ideas, and more. I like how there are no rules so I am free to write whatever pops into my mind or if I have specific topics I want to get down on paper. Over time, I started to find solutions to my personal challenges and I also discovered that indeed I am a curious and creative individual and it’s ok to make stuff just for the sake of creating it!
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden