Hello quirky quokka 🐿

I first heard about Morning Pages through Oliver Burkeman's
newsletter. It's a somewhat famous (citation needed) creativity practice that involves writing X number of pages every morning.

That's it — no other restrictions. You don't have to meet a wordcount quota or write to any particular standard. It's freewriting with just enough constraint to dodge the daunting prospect of needing to have something to say.

All you need to do is fill the page, even if it's literally just "blah blah blah" all the way or whinging about having nothing to write about.

My Morning Pages routine requires just two pages of a small notebook every weekday. Most of the time it happens in the morning, ideally the first thing when I wake up before any technology graces my eyeline (though I might check my phone for the time).

There was a period of a few days where my small notebook was unavailable to me, and I switched to just one page of a larger notebook. That was fine too. See how flexible this system is?

I've tried and failed at daily freewriting on a computer, but something about physically handwriting in a notebook of restricted size is working for me. I currently use a fountain pen on fp-friendly paper, which produces a lovely tactile sensation, sound and aesthetic.

Sometimes my entries are very intentional, other times just giving thoughts space to flow unrestricted. Sometimes this practice has helped me uncovered ideas that were lurking on the fringes. Other times I've had nothing to say and just word-saladed to fill the space.

Morning Pages isn't about shoulds and rules or doing the same thing day after day. Anything goes.

Now, I'm asking you: Do you journal? What's your routine like? What system do you use? What tools do you use? And is there anything you're thinking of doing differently next year?

Hit reply and tell me.

Sandy.
sanlive.com

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There will be no World Cup 2022 in our house this month. The human rights abuses to date has drained away our excitement. Not even the quirky multilingual ads on SBS have managed to bring it back. So instead, we'll price up the cash we might have spent on things like tipping comps, games, merch, and festive dinners, and send it to a relevant non-profit. If you're a disappointed football fan who can afford to donate, why not do it too?

TIL there are four types of digital hoarders. Which type are you?

We tend to think of burnout as an individual problem, solvable by “learning to say no.” But evidence is mounting that applying band-aid solutions may be harming, not helping.

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Finally, here's what I'm up to now.