The Power of Limits & Morning Pages

Gyorgy Doczi’s book The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art, and Architecture explores the Golden Mean and Fibonacci sequence—and how they create order and beauty across nature, design, and architecture.

In this brief post, we will explore how Morning Pages can act as a powerful Limit to focus your attention and boost your creative output.

Experience the Power of Limits

Limits pave the path to creativity.

You may know Aesop’s Fables. In the one about the fox and the hedgehog, the story turns upon a moment when the pair are chased by hunters.

The fox boasts, “I have a hundred clever strategies to escape.” The hedgehog, meanwhile, has only one tried-and-true method. When the dogs approach, the hedgehog immediately curls up into a tight, safe ball, while the fox hesitates; choosing between his many options. The hedgehog escapes; the fox is caught.

As a creative professional, you are more susceptible than most to the spin of too many options.

When you make the time to develop powerful “go to” options, you can focus on doing your best work.

Proportion Is Your Friend

Let’s begin with the Limit of Proportion.

You know intuitively when you ignore the power of Proportion. For example: When you eat too much or drink too much; when you don’t get your exercise or stay up way past a reasonable bedtime, you have lost your sense of Proportion.

But how can we develop our sense of proportion?

I have written previously about the concept of Morning Pages — a free-writing tool for artists — first introduced by Julia Cameron over thirty years ago in her book The Artist’s Way.

I myself have been doing my “pages” for almost that long. So I can attest to the power of dumping out what is in your brain onto a piece of paper on a regular basis, so you can see what you think and respond to it.

“How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” ~ E.M. Forster

Shape your day with Morning Pages

Morning Pages give you a sense of Proportion.

I mention Morning Pages in the context of The Power of Limits and Proportion because when you get into the regular habit of “brain dumping” you begin to see the patterns in your life that make sense — and the ones that don’t.

It’s a practical way to renew your sense the Proportion on a daily basis. 

I have many clients currently engaged in the practice of daily pages, and they tell me frequently how what showed up on the page this morning (or whatever time of day works best for them) has shaped the course of their day and ultimately their entire inner dialogue and creative output.

An Example

One of my clients recently wrote:

“I keep seeing my out-of-control habit of porn showing up in my pages. I hadn’t really realized how pervasive this destructive habit is, and I want to stop it before I am discovered in some very compromising way.”

Boom! This client is currently on his way to changing the out-of-proportion habit he has with porn. And it’s not because I told him to change.

It’s him seeing for himself in his own writing in his own hand what needs to change.

I encourage you to check out this resource for yourself. Here’s how it works. It is so simple and so unlike regular “journaling” that you may fall in love with this new habit immediately.

How To Do It

• Take out a sheet or two of paper.
• Choose your favorite writing instrument. (It’s best to write in your own hand on paper. You will feel the physical intimacy of your own brain immediately.) 
• Write until you have filled at least one page, writing quickly without thought of sounding eloquent. Just write, and write quickly so your internal editor shuts down.
• Look at what you’ve written.
• Circle or underline anything that stands out to you. 
• That’s it. 

Make this one of your atomic habits.

Ready to get started?

I hope you’ll start doing your daily pages soon and enjoy the power of Proportion you may gain from this new atomic habit.

Atomic habits are small, powerful habits that change us from the inside out. 

Plan to take at least one small step today and tomorrow and the next day to hear your Muse and find yourself refreshed.

You have enough time for this, especially if you don’t think you do.

The risk? Minimal.
The benefit? Astronomical. 

And when you focus on this new habit you will realize (perhaps for the first time) that this is one powerful way to you find your narrative in the noise.