Where Do Good Ideas Come From?
I often find myself asking, “When’s the last time I had a good idea?” I’m talking about any area of life – business, family, personal development. Was it today? A week ago? Has it been years?
There’s no point in waiting around for inspiration to strike. If you want good ideas, you need to put in the work and create them! One of my favorite ways to tap into my creativity is a journaling technique called morning pages.
What are Morning Pages?
Julia Cameron, the author of the best-selling book The Artist’s Way, developed the concept of morning pages. Here’s how she defines them:
“Morning pages are three pages of longhand stream of consciousness writing done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do morning pages. They are not high art. They are not even ‘writing’. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind – and they are for your eyes only.”
Why Do Morning Pages Help Generate Ideas?
I’ve found that morning pages are amazing for clearing my mind of all the day-to-day noise. All those random, swirling thoughts get out of my head and onto the page. Once that clutter is cleared, the really good ideas have space to emerge.
Here’s my theory about why this works:
- Good input = Good Output: The more great information and inspiration you put into your brain – through podcasts, newsletters (like my own Try Harder newsletter!), books, coaching programs, etc. – the more great ideas will come out.
- Train Your Reticular Activating System: This part of your brain acts like a filter for stimuli coming at you all the time. Journaling can help you train it to recognize what’s important, letting great ideas get through instead of being lost in the noise.
How to Get Started with Morning Pages
Ready to unleash a torrent of ideas? Here’s how to use morning pages:
- Don’t overthink it. Just start writing whatever comes to mind.
- Set a target. Three pages or a 15-20 minute timer are good starting goals.
- Be consistent. Try it for seven days straight and see what happens!
I challenge you to try morning pages – they’ve been the source of many of my best business and life ideas!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Time-Stamped Show Notes
- [00:00:30] Intro to the concept of good ideas
- [00:00:53] Try Harder newsletter plug
- [00:01:30] Discussion of my rapid business growth
- [00:02:16] Intro to Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way
- [00:03:05] Explanation of morning pages
- [00:04:30] How to do morning pages
- [00:06:07] Why journaling helps generate ideas
- [00:06:54] The reticular activating system (RAS)
- [00:10:02] Challenge to try morning pages for 7 days