Do you "hit the ground running" from the time you wake up in the morning to the time you get home at night?

If so, you're not alone. Many of us, particularly in the Western world, have so many pressures, responsibilities, and challenges in our lives, that it's a wonder we ever get any rest at all. We're constantly having to think ten or twelve steps ahead to try to figure out how we're going to pay the mortgage, get the kids to baseball practice, or fit in a reasonably healthy dinner in between work projects.

The unfortunate effect of this is that it saps us of our focus – it's very hard to plan your day, to really focus on your goals and what you want your day to look like, if you have all of these worries clogging your mind from the moment you open your eyes. It's as if you start your day in a cloud of smog, and you never really get a clear picture of how you want your day to turn out.

How do you clear the haze so you can gain clarity on how you want your day to unfold? One of the most effective ways to focus on your goals is by writing morning pages. The small amount of time that you spend on this can make a tremendous difference in how well you focus on your goals, how well you pick up on opportunities, and how well you create the reality of your day.

What are "morning pages"? Morning pages are where, immediately upon waking, you write down anything that is on your mind. The purpose of your morning pages is to get your worries out of your mind and onto the paper (or, more likely, the computer screen), so you can empty your mind of all of the "haze" and focus on your more productive goals.

When you are writing your morning pages, do not worry about adhering to any format, word count or style. They are for you and you only, and so it doesn't matter how good or bad your spelling, grammar, style, or punctuation is. They are a method for you to get rid of all the things that clog your mind first thing in the morning.

Some people like to keep their morning pages, as a sort of "progress report" showing where they have been. However, many people simply prefer to throw them away, since once the worries and concerns are out of their minds, they simply don't need to hold on to them any longer. In fact, for many people, keeping the morning pages is symbolic of retaining the worries and concerns themselves, so the act of shredding them or throwing them away is a part of the "ritual" they use to rid themselves of the unproductive thoughts that would otherwise cloud their days.

It can be daunting to write in such an unrestrained manner, but I suggest you try morning pages for a few days, to see how it works for you. You will find that you have more focus and make greater progress toward recognizing and achieving your goals.