Imagine starting your day with a cup of coffee and a notebook where you jot down various thoughts. What would you write? How would you fill the pages?

Numerous studies confirm that the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, is most active and creative immediately after sleep. While you sleep, your subconscious mind roams freely, forming different associations—unusual yet precise connections between events, thoughts, and people. That’s why, right after waking up, some of this information is still accessible to you.

Successful people often share that they keep a journal early in the morning. It’s part of their routine because the insights and ideas they reach are most original right after sleep.

An increasing number of people aged 18 to 44 check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up. This immediate exposure to external stimuli disrupts the subtle process of connecting with their subconscious, pulling them into their usual daily routine before they’ve had a moment to tune in to their inner voice. Instead of capturing fresh ideas or engaging in creative expression, they often become passive consumers of digital content.

How to Develop the Habit of Writing Early in the Morning

The goal isn’t to sacrifice sleep but to swap a few unproductive morning habits for just 10 minutes of writing. Building a new habit takes effort, even when it’s beneficial, but with gentle persistence, journaling can become a natural part of your routine. If you miss a day, don’t let it discourage you – just pick up where you left off. Over time, the practice will feel as comforting and familiar as catching up with an old friend.

One of the most popular methods for free writing is Morning Pages, introduced by Julia Cameron – a writer, poet, playwright, and lecturer. Right after waking up, you write down whatever comes to mind on three pages, without worrying about spelling, penmanship, or style. Julia Cameron calls this “noting everything that crosses your mind” and “keeping it just for yourself.” Morning Pages provoke, clarify, prioritize, calm, and synchronize your upcoming day. Many writers, bloggers, and creatives have successfully tried Julia Cameron’s method and testified to overcoming anxious and unproductive periods through free writing. For me, Morning Pages serve as a grounding practice, helping me navigate doubts and insecurities while honing my focus on what truly matters.

Give it a try – happy writing!

Today, I want to introduce you to a fascinating form of writing that has long been shrouded in mystery and debate. Automatic writing, also known as psychography, is based on our ability to let words appear on paper without consciously writing them. Many scientists and sceptics attribute it to the ideomotor effect, suggesting it reflects our own illusions. Automatic writing is entirely different from expressive writing, which is more beneficial, yet it remains an intriguing practice worth exploring.

The act of writing with closed eyes, without seeing what appears on the paper, was practiced as early as ancient China during the Song Dynasty by special mediums seeking to connect with and learn from spirits.

Simply put, automatic text does not come from the writer’s conscious thoughts. Instead, the writer’s hand moves across the page, leaving messages without them seeing or knowing what is being written. Sometimes, this happens in a trance-like state. More often, however, it is enough for the writer – fully conscious – to simply let their hand move freely without looking at the page.

In psychotherapy, automatic writing has been used since Freud as a tool for self-exploration, with particular attention given to the subconscious selection of words. It was also practiced by Pierre Janet in France and later by Morton Prince and Anita Muhl in America.

In spiritualism and the New Age movement, automatic writing is often used as a means of connecting with the souls of the deceased to receive inspiration and comfort. Such séances became extremely popular and widespread after World War I.

Many artists have experimented with automatic writing. William Butler Yeats, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, produced over 4,000 pages of automatic text. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed that he communicated with his deceased father through this method. These conversations were published in his book Pheneas Speaks. The Surrealists also began many of their works using automatism.

Why try automatic writing? First, to explore yourself in a fascinating way. Or perhaps to receive confirmation of something from a special, more mysterious part of yourself – or even from the universe. The answers that emerge are often surprising yet meaningful, following an unknown logic of their own.

Here are some recommendations if you decide to try automatic writing. To shift your focus from logical to intuitive thinking – from the left hemisphere of the brain to the right – place your pencil on the paper as if about to write something. Then, look away. Stare into the distance or close your eyes. How long you write varies depending on your experience and desire. It does not need to be lengthy or exhausting – you will instinctively know when to stop.

Words, sentences, or even entire paragraphs may appear. However, the text is often illegible, the writing may look chaotic, and sentences may be unfinished. Keep in mind that some parts of the text might be in different handwriting or even in a language unfamiliar to you. There may be symbols or drawings that hold no immediate meaning for you. Some people instantly sense the origin of the writing, while others do not. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, simply stop writing or delay reading the text.

And most importantly – have fun and experiment!