Morning pages vs, evening reflection - what's best?
Well.... I do both, depending on the week, what sleep cycle i'm in and what I feel I need.
They can serve two different purposes, and there are benefits to both. So rather than choosing one or the other it's worth understanding what you can get from each.
Morning pages: setting the tone
A morning entry, even a short one, happens before the day has had a chance to make any demands on you.
It's a way to take charge of the day before the phone notifications, emails, other people's moods, your partner, kids or housemates have time to cause chaos. It works best when you just wake up, a quiet time just for you before the rest of the world rises.
What works well for morning pages
- Daily intention setting - a word or a sentence to sum up how you want to show up for the day
- Your daily priorities - what are your main goals for the day ahead
- The big or expansive focus - one thing you can do today to get over a fear, get outside your comfort zone or expand
- Self love and gratitude - set the tone for the day by reconnecting to yourself and reflecting on something you love about yourself or that you are grateful for.
The romantic version of this looks like sitting on your sofa peacefully journalling as the early morning sunlight streams in, your eyes wandering off out the window at the world beyond while you sip your morning coffee. A dreamy slow morning where time expands and the world slows...
As much as I would love to have the time to do this every morning, and take time to think about all of the above prompts I don't. For me, slow Sunday mornings are ideal for this kind of practice, when you can make the time to properly reflect. For a while I tried getting up earlier to give myself an extra half an hour to journal like this, but it didn't work for me practically (I tend to work late into the evenings on my business so I need my sleep!)
What the short version of this practice looks like (less than 5 mins)
- Todays intention in one word, knowing what i have on today how do i want to show up?
- Planner - what is my one key task for today and what are my three other tasks that need doing today? When will I make time for them?
Morning journalling is particularly useful if,
- The first thing you do on a morning when you wake up is check your phone
- You often feel reactive, like from the moment you wake up the day happens to you, and you are just reacting to it
- You are an early bird and tend to be up first!
- You really want to prioritise taking expansive action and hitting some goals
Evening journalling: putting the day down
Evening journalling is about reflection and wind down.
Getting the day out of your head so it doesn't follow you into sleep, reflecting on how things went and generally letting go. There's something in writing it down and physically closing the book that helps you close the day too.
What works well in the evening
- What happened today? What good things happened - moments that made me laugh or feel good?
- Where did I make good choices, what could I have done better or differently?
- What annoyed me today I want to let go of (people, situations)
Evening journalling is great if your mind tends to race at bedtime, or if you find you need to make sense of a day before you can properly switch off from it.
The romantic version? Half an hour before bed when you are all cosy, winding and have the time to reflect on the days events. Stickers strewn everywhere and a cup of camomile tea, your favourite candle, and a chilled out playlist.
I have always naturally found it easier to find the time on an evening to journal, but there are of course the days when you are exhausted and just need to get some sleep....
What the short version of this practice looks like (less than 5 mins)
A quick download of the days events - particularly if something is playing on your mind. Get it out on the page so you can sleep without worrying about it.
Evening journalling is particularly useful if,
- You are an overthinker and tend to chew things over in your mind when you are trying to sleep
- Its been a particularly long or difficult day, or you had some difficult situations you had to deal with. (Ex Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said keeping a journal through the Covid pandemic helped him mentally process what was happening)
- You want to replace scrolling before bed with another habit
My take
Routine works well when you are just starting out, so If i was starting I would choose one of these options. Personally, where am I now is using both of these as a bit of a mix. Journalling is all about what you get out of it, and your needs evolve depending on what season you are in. What's most important is understanding what you need, and creating a ritual or practice that meets you where you are.
For example -
- You want to improve your sleep and stop scrolling before bed - Journal about your day in the evening. Phone off, journal open.
- You want to feel less stressed at work and be less reactive or 'thrown off' - set a morning intention and reflect at night on how you handled the day
- Have some big goals you are pursuing? Decide in the morning the action you are committing to and review your progress the next day.
This is really the first thread in a bigger idea I want to explore properly over the next few months on the blog: journalling as ritual, not routine. As a tool that supports you, not something you feel you need to do as part of a standard wellness checklist.
Happy journalling,
Rebecca x