Journaling with Day One

Back in 2011, shortly I was given my first iPad from work, I discovered the journaling app Day One. I've been using it on and off for the past 5 years and I'm now using it more than ever. Here's why I'm using it and what I like about it.

What is Day One

Day One is a journaling app that runs on iOS and Mac.

It allows you to create journal posts, tag them, add photos and add locations. I love the app's design and it's simple to use.

My Journaling History

Over the years I've tried journaling a number of times, normally in paper notebooks that I would then hide so that no one would find them. Whenever I tried this though it never lasted long - I would always feel awkward digging out my journal in case someone asked what I was doing and tried to read it, and as a result I would do 2 or 3 entries and then stop, ending up with notebooks that were pretty much empty.

With Day One these things were no longer a worry - having the app on my iPhone and iPad meant it was easy to get to whenever I wanted, as the passcode feature ensured that my entries were private.

How I Journal with Day One

Over the years the way I use Day One has changed.

When I first started with the app I was only really writing in it when I wanted to journal something private - as the app's passcode meant that I felt safe writing anything with the safety of knowing no one would be able to read it. As I started using the app more I got more used to it and started adding more and more, journaling anything noteworthy, or even just anything on my mind. Having the app accessible on my phone means I can quickly add a few thoughts while I'm on the train on the way to work.

With the addition of multiple journals and tagging Day One has become my go to writing app for most things now. I will use it to jot down app ideas and film ideas, write blog posts, log my fitness, review films and books and documenting holidays and trips away.

Getting in the Habit of Writing

One thing I think has helped a lot with using day one is getting into the habit of journaling. It allows me to practicing writing by noting day to day stuff without putting it online for everyone to see.

It gives me the confidence to write without having to worry about an audience that might criticise what I've put, so I can write anything. If I write something and then think I should put it on the blog, all it needs is a bit of a tidy up and then put online.

The other thing that helps is that I don't feel like I need to make the journaling look nice. With the blog I always feel like I should be formatting it nicely and adding pictures so that the post isn't just a long block of text that people don't want to read. When I'm journaling with Day One, I'm the only one reading it so I don't care about that.

Getting Ideas Out Of My Mind

One great thing I find is noting down ideas as soon as I have them. Once I get an idea I will jot it down in Day One and tag it as an Idea so I don't forget it. Then later on when I have more time I will jump back into that entry and expand it more.

It's also great for kicking off creativity by looking at all my posts that are tagged Idea and seeing if anything will inspire me.

Reflecting on the Past

Every now and then I will go through old posts and look back at them.

I find this is a really good practice for looking at past events and what I was thinking about them and comparing that to where I am now.

It's good to see what's changed over time and reflect on past events with hindsight, seeing what my thoughts were about certain events and how I would deal with them differently. Its a great way to see my progression and change over the years.

So there you have it. .