All of us have little tricks or tools we use to stay “up” when life is pressing down on us or we have a particular issue with which we are grappling. These are times when we need to step back and stop for a few minutes and refocus.

Mine is what I called my “morning pages.” I learned about this many years when I read Julia Cameron’s wonderful book, The Artist’s Way, a book about unleashing creativity. It’s a simple but powerful tool anyone can use to help stay focused and on track. I heartily recommend her book.

Here’s how it works: When you get up in the morning, before you check your email or turn on the TV or the radio – and let the outside world inside – sit down at your desk or the kitchen table, take out three blank pages of plain, 8 ½” X 11” plain white paper – and start writing without stopping until you have filled the three pages.

Don’t stop and think about what you’re going to say or the right way to say it. Just write whatever is on your mind. You’ll be amazed at what goes down on the paper. In my case, as I have proven to myself time and time again, invariably, by the time I get to the middle of page two, I am addressing the issue, writing solutions to the problem that seemed intractable when I first started writing.

Even though it was a long time ago that I first started writing my morning pages, to this day I will write them whenever a particular challenge presents itself.

Try it. You’ll be surprised at how effective it is. You’ll get up from your desk or the table in a much more positive state of mind, solution in hand, ready to take on the day.