In the book, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron talks about getting three pages of writing done as soon as you wake up. She calls these "morning pages". I've never been confused for being a morning person, so I do my daily writing at odd times, usually at 2am. But nonetheless, a routine of writing three pages of free-form text is a great habit.
Recently, I've started collecting my daily writings into books, separated by year. I then print them out using various print-on-demand services. When they arrive in the mail, I am gleeful. There's something really magical about getting a book in the mail, and it's full of words that you wrote. But then, I've always loved seeing my stuff in print, whether it's artwork, text, or even a manufactured CD digi-pack of my music.
But the real benefit of this process, for me, is what I can do next. Having a printed book allows me to review old ideas, categorize, rank and sort them into useful bits. I can highlight or underline. I can make new notes on the old notes. It's somehow easier to work through all this stuff in a book than it is as pixels on my screen.
I talk a little more about this in today's vlog.
If you haven't tired it, I encourage you to. Here are some resources below, that I use:
- 750words.com: an online version of morning pages. it even tracks your streaks!
- Lulu.com: a solid print-on-demand service, especially or books of text.