Has anyone done morning pages successfully despite having children?

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

And if so how?
I can't quite figure out how to make it work with breakfasts, school runs etc.

I'm really sorry but the only way is to get up half an hour before everyone else. Not what anyone wants to hear, I know!

I am willing to do that but don't you then find it frustrating to have got your head into writer mode and then switch back into mum mode for the next couple of hours?

I don't do morning pages, but I've always written before the troops rise.

Many years ago I developed the habit of writing in the tiny time crevices of the day. It's very fractured and probably not optimal, but actually I personally find it difficult to write for long periods anyway, so it's now my house style.

I do other stuff for ages, then short bursts of very concentrated writing.

I do find that frustrating, Countess. My children are older now and have left home, so I don't have the problem, but I don't do any writing unless I've got a good stretch of time ahead of me. I know others will work in short bursts (as EricNorthman's just said) but that doesn't work for me.

I used to do it, until my kids stopped sleeping well and I was just too knackered. I just sat up in bed and did it at 5.30am when my DH got up to shower (instead of lying comatose half an hour until I had to get up). It is worth doing as some really weird stuff comes out when you're still half asleep!

And I think writing in short bursts is the only way to get anything done if you have small children...

Mine sleep fine - they're primary age. And as long as ds1 is coping with school (long story but he's doing mornings now which gives me a good 3-4 hours a day, which is plenty for making progress) I am not short of actual hours, it's just this idea of early mornings being beneficial. I suppose my question is, do morning pages have to segue into your working day to be worth it or do you still get the benefit if you do them, then 2 hours stressful and absorbing morning routine, then back to work?

I did it for a while, but then for other reasons stopped and haven't got back into it.

I used to set my alarm for 5am, then write. I started off doing one page and then gradually upped the number of pages I was writing. Then I would go back to sleep until 7.

It could be difficult sometimes as often I would have a small child in the bed with me or they'd wake up in their own beds and immediately shout for me so I couldn't always do the full amount.

I think it is useful to do, even if you can't then immediately get into more focused writing, for ideas, practice and just enjoying writing for its own sake.

Sometimes as I was writing I would be virtually asleep and I think I did come out with a lot of stuff I would never have thought of or would have dismissed from my mind straight away if I'd been fully awake.

I love morning pages but I do it as the kids are going to sleep rather than in the morning
I know morning might completely transform my life, but our mornings are erratic as DD has variable waking hours, and there is the school run that starts quite early in our house, evening pages has really helped so for now I am good with that.