Grab a Coffee and Let’s Talk About Morning Journaling

When you wake up in the dark mornings of winter, there’s something special in that quiet time before the hassle that comes with daylight.  For me, it is a time of serenity and clarity.  As I wrote in my spiritual journaling prompts post, I always start my day the same way, until recently.  Recently, I began incorporating morning journaling and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you all!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click, I may make a commission at no cost to you. Please see my full disclosure policy for more details.

What is Morning Journaling?

Morning journaling is the routine of writing in the morning.  It can be the first thing before getting out of bed or the first thing you do when you get to the office.  The point is to write and let your subconscious flow from dream to reality. 

What are morning pages?  Is it the same thing?

Morning pages is a sub-category, or form, of morning journaling. Made popular by Julia Cameron in her book “The Artist’s Way“, morning pages is the practice of writing the moment you wake up. You go directly from dream to writing.  The process is to write non-stop without distraction until you’ve written 3 pages.   

What Should be included in a Daily Morning Journal?

When thinking of what to write in a morning journal, you need to consider your reason for journaling in the first place.  Your reason might actually produce the topics of your entries.  A lot of people like to follow morning journaling prompts, but if that’s not for you, here are some common focal points for morning journalers.   

What should I journal in the morning?

• Gratitude
• 3 Priorities for the Day
• Recap of the week so far
• Progress on Goals for the week
• A Note to Self
• Thoughts or Emotions
• Dreams
• Task list
• Prayer
• Devotional or Scripture notes
• Yesterday’s wins

Morning Journal Example

As you can see from the photo above of my own journal, your morning journal entry can be very casual. I usually try to make the journal be about 1 topic.

So an example might be:

Good morning! I can’t remember the last time I heard birds in the morning. It’s always the best sign of Spring ahead. And I’m ready. I created a Garden planner and bought a few small herb plants to see if I could get things going. Last year’s garden didn’t go so well, maybe because I didn’t plan much in my garden journal. But I am confident I can grow potatoes, onions, and these herbs this year.

How to fit in Morning Journaling when pressed for time?

There are 2 main problems with morning journaling. First, are you even awake enough to journal in the morning? Second, once you are awake, do you have any time for it? Journaling could take an additional 20-30 minutes out of your morning routine. 

Now within that routine, you could try to add a morning journaling routine. 

For me that was right after my Bible time and prayer I would take my journal, as seen above, and make some notes.  This worked for a few weeks but then the time crunch was too much.  So how do you fit in morning journaling?  

Here are some options:

• Set a timer
• Use voice notes
• Minimize the amount you write
• Cut out another part of your morning

Final Words on Morning Journaling

The best morning journal is one you create.  Don’t try to imitate anyone else’s style or reflections, just do you.  If you like writing in the morning and it’s convenient for you, do it.  If you don’t, don’t.  Personally, I think keeping a morning journal is super fun for us early risers, however, it’s not plausible for me at this stage of life.  Most of my mornings are hectic and, well, full of writing for my businesses.  However, on the occasional slow week, if I can fit it in, I will.  

If you find this intriguing and are ready to get started, I have some good morning journaling prompts that you will enjoy.

FAQs