Ask HN: Do you keep a personal journal?

[pawelwentpawel]

Hey all,

I have been keeping a personal journal for a bit more than 2 years now. Mostly for the purpose of retrospective analysis, tracking my goals, challenges and general mood. For now I was just dropping my thoughts into a simple text file with timestamps. I'm looking to improve in this area through tracking things more systematically and developing a stronger habit. I have some general questions to the community here :

Do you keep a personal journal?

If yes, do you find it useful?

What tools would you recommend?

Is there any specific methodology that you follow?

When journaling, do you try to track any specific aspects of your life or just write about anything that is currently occupying your mind?

Any advice on how to get the most out of personal journaling?

Thanks for the answers!

tl;dr : I'm looking for your advice on journaling.

[wikibob]

Yes.

I tried to for many years with paper and pen. It never worked for me until I started using DayOne [0] on iOS and Mac. Simply superb design and one of my favorite pieces of software to use because it does (almost) exactly what I want it to .

When I type, I'm able to render my thoughts directly into text, whereas when I write with a pen I have to think about the physical process of writing. I imagine I'm not the only one here who feels this way.

A valid criticism of DayOne is that they don't currently support strong encryption, and their (optional) sync service stores your entries on their server. Their blog said that they are working on a good client side encryption implementation [1], however the last update was some time around the middle of last year [2].

[0] http://dayoneapp.com/

[1] http://dayoneapp.com/2016/05/end-to-end-encryption-for-day-o...

[2] http://dayoneapp.com/2016/08/encryption-update/

[freehunter]

Their site doesn't seem to have a lot of info about its features, but from the screenshots it doesn't seem to do much that the built-in Apple Notes doesn't do. Weather and geotagging are unique, of course, but I'm not sure those are worth $45 (for the iOS and macOS app together) to me.

What in particular do you think DayOne offers that can't be offered by Notes on iOS or macOS?

[jciochon]

>When I type, I'm able to render my thoughts directly into text, whereas when I write with a pen I have to think about the physical process of writing. I imagine I'm not the only one here who feels this way.

I struggle with this personally because while I know that typing is a faster way to get things down, I really really like the "analog" method of physically writing something down. It offers me some amount of tangible pleasure, but like you said, by the time I get the idea down much of that initial mental spark is fading so it becomes a race against the pen.

Perhaps there's some combination I could practice. Anyhow, this app looks quite neat and I will definitely check it out. Thanks for the link.

[alok-g]

>> When I type, I'm able to render my thoughts directly into text, whereas when I write with a pen I have to think about the physical process of writing. I imagine I'm not the only one here who feels this way.

It is still the reverse for me. For me, writing involves less cognitive load than typing:

While writing, my mind wanders into thinking more (probably since it still has a capacity to, perhaps just because writing is slower than typing) which helps further.

While typing, I still make a lot of mistakes, which take attention away. I hate touch-screen keyboards as my error rate with them continues to be an order of magnitude higher than the same with physical keyboards even after several years of use.

[ayayecocojambo]

you might want to try fountainpens. they make physical process of writing fun and enjoyable. i like the mindful part of writing slowly with pens.

[agentultra]

Do you keep a personal journal?

Yes.

If yes, do you find it useful?

Yes

What tools would you recommend?

A well-crafted acid-free paper notebook, comfortable pens.

Is there any specific methodology that you follow?

Yes.

When journaling, do you try to track any specific aspects of your life or just write about anything that is currently occupying your mind?

I keep a system of journals. One series for personal thoughts, current life events, moods, reflections. One series for my mathematical explorations. Another for ruminating on the literature and polemic I consume. One for musical notes and development.

Any advice on how to get the most out of personal journaling?

Develop a process. A habit. Have a plan. Journalling for me is about making my thoughts concrete and objectifying my beliefs, opinions, and self. Writing is thinking.

Thanks for the answers!

Hope that helps.

[stinkytaco]

What is your specific methodology? Or is that what you mean by your next answer?

Also, do you revisit your journals?

[zafiro17]

Yes, I've written for 27+ years now [1]. It's a significant source of my personal serenity/peace of mind. Advice: find pens and paper that you like. Write if you feel like writing, don't write if you don't. Be honest to yourself: it's only for your eyes. Write down your concerns, your joys, things for which you are grateful. Organize your life. [1] http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/332-Twenty-Seven-...

[chollida1]

Yes, I use two things, no affiliation to either.

1) Five minute journal. Used to keep track of mental state and review day mostly.

https://www.amazon.ca/Five-Minute-Journal-Happier-Minutes/dp...

2) Way of Life app for iPhone

http://wayoflifeapp.com/

I track about 40 things from floss, to running, to meditation, etc. It's a very easy way to, in under a minute, run through and check off the things you did, or didn't do if the task is something like "eat fast food".

It's great for reviewing over time like a month or quarter to see how you are making out.

I really think these guys have nailed simple task tracking.

[mrtimo]

Thanks for the recommendation. They also have an Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wayoflife....

[bawigga]

I recently started keeping a Bullet Journal, and one of the pages I have implemented is the Habit Grid. Sounds like an analog of the app you're using. I have about 20 things I'm interested in doing every day, so throughout the day I go and mark the ones I've done.

Google image search shows a lot of great examples.

[Jonovono]

Ya! Love way of life! I look at the trends to make sure I am always improving.

[mkasu]

Since I began my PhD I started writing a personal journal about my research.

I write down all things in my mind, things I tried out, things that did not work, etc. Every time I get new results or evaluate something, I also try to include a table or graph with intermediate results.

The journal helps me to see my progress over time. I can grep through it and see if I already tried something. I can go back and see how my results get better over time or whether I hit a dead end somewhere.

I also write a small summary directly after meetings and talks and note feedback from supervisors.

I use org-mode (emacs) for this and can recommend it. All my entries are sorted by year and week number, so I try to write a summary at least once a week. As I use Emacs for all my programming related tasks, the org-mode file is open all day anyhow, so I usually add things more often than that.

[tarentel]

If yes, do you find it useful?

Yes. I mostly do it to unwind/relax. I think it's a good way to get your brain to slow down and collect your thoughts.

What tools would you recommend?

I use pen and paper. I stare at a computer all day and it's nice to take a break. Obviously, there are a ton of upsides to doing things digitally but for my particular use case I wouldn't benefit.

Is there any specific methodology that you follow?

I used to keep several notebooks for various purposes. I found it to be a burden. I'm way less organized now but it's easier to just put everything in one notebook.

When journaling, do you try to track any specific aspects of your life or just write about anything that is currently occupying your mind?

A lot of what I write about are problems I'm working on. I also write a lot of reviews, movies, restaurants, things I drank, etc. If I can't think of anything I'll usually write a short story from some writing prompts. I have no aspirations of being a writer, it's just fun sometimes.

Any advice on how to get the most out of personal journaling?

Try to do it everyday. My life isn't exactly full of excitement so sometimes it's hard to get motivated to write about it but there's always something I could be writing.

[Emc2fma]

I tried keeping a journal (to track what I did each day...otherwise it felt like the days were just blending together) but kept failing over and over because I just couldn't get into the habit.

For people who have the same issue, I came up with https://www.60secondseveryday.com

It's the fastest way of daily journaling - you make a 60 second phone call every night to answer the question "What do you want to remember about today?". From there, it gets transcribed, archived, and it's all searchable as well.

Disclaimer: I came up with the service after having a need for it myself

[jstanley]

The general idea sounds good to me (just spend 60 seconds on it, and no more).

But I wouldn't use it on principle because a journal is private, and having it handled by a third-party doesn't sound like a good idea at all. Especially when you explicitly state that it is transcribed, archived, and searchable.

[akbrouwer]

"Journaling" seems like a broad term for everything that you want to do. Some people journal about their day, others jot down ideas, some people use it to bookend their day.

Goal setting, Mood Tracking, Habit Tracking, Reflection Etc. is hard to lump into one system, but I have seen it done by a few people.

I personally (and know hundreds of others) spent years writing in a blank notebook with a structure that I created for myself.

Something that would allow me to write my goals, map out my day, write what I'm grateful for, track my important tasks, etc.

I saw this as a problem, asked some friends if they had the same issue, and decided to create something that would have everything above.

You can check it out here: https://bestself.co/products/self-journal

This is not a "plug"

You can download the PDF on this page and check it out first.

I believe in it that much that I want everyone to have access to this.

Cheers!

-Allen Co-Founder | BestSelf Co.

[Starwatcher2001]

I've been keeping one since 4th Feb 2008. It's simply a Word document stored on an encrypted drive. Currently 153 pages, with my last entry 5 days ago.

It's intended for my eyes only. I record my moods, personal battles, health and weight information, self-development. I record snippets from good books, attempts to implement changes in my life, what happened and why.

It's a real eye-opener to look back over the years and see myself hitting the same problems over and over, such as overeating and procrastination.

Occasionally I distill all the positive, uplifting and useful bits into a "Highlights" document, which is really good to dip into when I need self-motivation. Whilst reading books and articles by others can be useful, there's nothing like reading your own advice from years ago, and re-living your victories, to get yourself back on track.

I recommend it, making it private, and being totally honest in what you write.

Good luck.

[scrapcode]

I've just recently within the past couple of weeks started bullet journaling[0]. I have already noticed huge benefits in my productivity and organization. I was never that good of a note-taker so having this "method" to follow gave me the boost that I think I needed.

[0]: http://bulletjournal.com/

[bawigga]

I started Bullet Journaling this Monday, so far so good! I've already managed to knock out some tasks I've been sitting on for a few years, that I just never wanted to do. Feels good to have those off my chest. Love my habit tracker spread!

[aakriti1215]

I've been bullet journaling for a while and I found it particularly useful for handling school, work, family, friends and general life throughout college. Now, as a working person, I've found my bullet journal change with me, which has honestly been really nice.

[papul1993]

Can you please recommend an easy to get started guide. I have checked out some written ones and even some videos but I always become confused.

[SuperPaintMan]

I keep a few cheap notebooks by my workspace. Ones for paintings/planning, another for programming ideas/in progress developments, one for personal/venting and another for poetry and jazz. I find them useful as a way to organize my thoughts that just plain text can't match. I kind of use them as a break from my screens when I'm trying to think.

As far as tools. A pen and paper, that's it. If you want to get fancy flip a notebook over and write from the backside in for a simple two topic book. Earmark pages. No methodolgy. I prefer to keep it messy, then I don't have to deal with constraints. Learning cursive helps

To get the most out of it I keep a extra notebook and pen folded in my breastpocket of my jacket. When I'm commuting, need a quick scratch, out for a dart it's right there. I prefer loose stream of consciousness writing to just codify the damn ideas.

For me using paper for note taking is relaxing and more natural then trying to fill a text box or fighting software to make a graph. I refuse to use some service for this on the same grounds that I refuse to work with digital painting programs. Physicality matters

[cocktailpeanuts]

I use notational velocity for logging. Every day I create an entry with today's date. For example, today I am writing on "20170126".

I use it primarily as a todo-list.

Each morning I write down what I plan to do today.

I also try to plan each task in terms of time, so for example:

---

9am - 10am: work on task A

10am - 11am: look into task B

...

---

Then as the day progresses I mark down things as [DONE] when I finish them.

What's cool is at the end of the day you're left with a journal of:

1. What you intended to do 2. What you actually did 3. What you didn't do

[g3houdini]

Have you tried to nvALT? Its an update to Notational Velocity.

[charris0]

I keep a written personal journal where I write whatever I'm concerned with, mostly along the same areas as you mentioned too. And I preform a weekly review and rating every Sunday. Have been doing so for about 3 years.

I started to aid my sleep, putting all the racing thoughts in my head down on paper and closing the book on them was very calming, I can then forget them for a while.

I also love the act of translating your nebulous thoughts into (semi) clear language of written words, to me it's a focusing lens on your life, and allows associations, perspective and ideas that may not come about otherwise. Even if just because it forces you to reflect for more than some fleeting seconds.

I never see myself changing the primary method of writing these down freeform. But every time I finish a journal I do read back through and write up in google docs some bullet point style wisdoms and take-aways to remember for the future .

Glad to know there's others that get benefit from journaling too.

[krrishd]

I've been keeping a journal for a while (mainly for therapeutic purposes).

I've given it a shot several times but have failed in the past, but what has made it easy to keep up as a routine this time around is a finite duration to write within + the requirement of continuously typing w/o breaks; to achieve those two things (shameless plug), I built http://write.surge.sh: it basically allows you to set a duration within which you journal, and if you stop typing for more than a few seconds within that duration, your current session is completely reset.

It's also open source at http://github.com/krrishd/write for those who are interested in how I built it :)

[diegoprzl]

Do you keep a personal journal?

Yes. Org-Mode+Org-Capture

If yes, do you find it useful?

Yes. There are many advantages to keeping a personal journal. It allows you to have better recollections about what actually happened in the past, which is important taking into account that memory is constructive and prone to distortion. Many ideas and insights are forgotten, recording them is a way to fight that.

What tools would you recommend?

Emacs and Org-Mode. Git. Markdown and any other editor is a good option also.

Is there any specific methodology that you follow?

I use some ideas from GTD. Explaining my whole methodology would take more time than I have right now.

When journaling, do you try to track any specific aspects of your life or just write about anything that is currently occupying your mind?

Both.

Any advice on how to get the most out of personal journaling?

Make it an habit. Put a time or word limit and just let the words flow. Make it seamless, for me capturing an entry is pressing 3 keys.

[raamdev]

I've been keeping a journal with Org-Mode for nearly three years now. I also have an easy system of adding entries via my mobile devices, which was a huge thing I missed at first. Here's what I finally came up with as a solution that works really well for writing Org-Mode journal entries from my iPhone and iPad and getting those entries back into my main Org-Mode journal file:

- I use the Drafts app [1], which has a incredibly powerful feature that lets you create custom commands that include a series of steps, such as "Append to /refile.org file in Dropbox", which I have setup as a "Save to Journal" command

- I have a TextExpander snippet that includes the proper Org-Mode format for an entry, complete with a the date and tags and even a default entry title all filled in. All I do is type "Jjj" inside Drafts and I'm ready to start typing my journal entry.

To write a journal entry from my mobile device:

- I launch Drafts, type my TextExpander abbreviation ("Jjj") to fill in the Org-Mode template, then just start typing my journal entry.

- When I'm done writing my journal entry, I hit the "Save to Journal" action in Drafts, which appends that entry to my refile.org file on Dropbox.

- Once a week or so I open the refile.org inside Emacs and for each entry I run a custom function [2] that refiles that entry into my main journal-2017.org file. The function properly files the entry into the right spot in the datetree. Processing my refile.org file literally takes a few seconds, as I have that function bound to a key that I just run with the cursor over each entry.

I've been using this process for a few years now and it's incredibly easy and reliable, not to mention completely free of any proprietary data formats, which is exactly what I wanted for journaling. I'm using a similar process (Drafts app + TextExpander + Dropbox) to make Ledger CLI [3] entries from my iPhone very easy, so that I can keep my financial ledger up-to-date when I'm out.

[1] http://agiletortoise.com/drafts/

[2] https://github.com/raamdev/dotfiles/blob/master/emacs.d/conf...

[3] http://www.ledger-cli.org/

[daivd]

I also use org-mode for my daily journal. Have been for about a year and I'm very happy with it. I used to use Evernote, but I like the idea of keeping it to myself with encrypted backups better.

[wry_discontent]

I also journal using org. The only reason it stuck for me was exactly what you said. It's 3 keypresses when I'm already in the application and I find my mind wandering.

[temp246810]

For years I've tried to keep something like a journal, but I've never quite found an app that ticked all my requirements.

Funny you should post this now - the solution that is working for now - is a google form for which I have a shortcut on my phone.

I did as much as a could to minimize typing - lots of multiple choice, linear scales, checkboxes, etc. Then one open text field at the end for notes.

I've actually been sticking with this - before I go to sleep I open the shortcut and fill out the form. If I feel up to it I elaborate on the notes, but at the very least I fill out everything else.

Been working so far - quick, easy, and the fact that it's in a spreadsheet makes it useful.

[esyechka]

Same! I've been trying to journal since middle school and never stuck with it. Now I also use a google form to record life experiences, track certain goals like weight, exercise, learning goals, etc. and this is finally working for me. At some point I want to upgrade to something where I can add photos, location, etc. Each evening I get a calendar reminder to fill out the form, and I have a "quarterly review" style assessment to see if my goals should be modified, or my lifestyle changed to accomplish what I set out to. This method motivates me to accomplish much more over the course of the day than before I started journaling.

[BenderV]

Since I follow the "Inbox 0" principle, I just set up an IFTTT recipe for that. Combine with the search of Gmail make it really easy to look up after.

https://ifttt.com/applets/14412595d-quick-ohlife-replacement... (I have no idea why we now can't share recipe on IFTTT, that's sucks...but it's basically, every day at 8pm, send me a mail with the title "How did your day go? #ohlife")

[kalid]

I keep it simple: a feelgood.txt file with dated entries whenever some event, project, feedback, etc. makes me feel alive.

Over time, you notice patterns about what really energizes you. For me, this is the high-order bit, more important than any specific time or life hack.

(Examples and analysis here: https://betterexplained.com/articles/life-lessons-10-years/ )

[cableshaft]

I've tried many times to do it digitally over the years, tried many apps, none really stuck more than a few days.

Last November I started keeping a physical Design Diary, though, and I've managed to keep it up since. I come up with tons of ideas for games, stories, websites, etc, and I tend to lose the ones I don't actively pursue over time, so now I just write it in there. It's nice because with pen and paper I can actually draw the designs of things too, although it's still mostly text. I also put notes from lectures on design I listen to in there also. I also just record whenever I work on those projects and some of the decisions I made while doing so.

I also put some personal things in there as well to provide some context and help aid my memory of when things happen (I have a terrible memory), but I do write this with the idea that somebody might read it or I might want to share it someday, so I try to fully explain the ideas as well as I can.

In fact, I don't just take notes in there or anything. I take notes on scrap paper first, since my natural notetaking style is pretty messy and filled with gaps, and then I sit down later and take those scraps and expand on them in the diary, sometimes days later.

It's already become one of my favorite physical artifacts (that's not an actual game I've made), and I'm trying to start a second one that retroactively goes back to previous games and stuff I've worked on.

The only structure I have in there is I keep things segregated by the day it happened on, more or less. Sometimes I have lecture takeaways put in there weeks after I actually watched it though.

[projektir]

I've started to keep a journal last year. I find it very useful and important to my life now. I've started it as a way to record how I felt about things and what my thoughts are since my mood used to very unstable and vary a lot, and journaling is considered helpful for mental health since you can dump your thoughts out and review them. I also wanted to practice handwriting and I enjoy writing as a process. I always write in cursive.

I don't use any computer tools at this time. I use a Black and Red notebook, because I didn't like the ratios of paper quality, sizes, or lining of others that I tried. Writing on the computer doesn't seem to have the same effect (and this is confirmed by various studies, from the looks of it).

There's no particular methodology. I try to write often, but don't find it necessary to write every day. If I don't feel like writing, I don't, usually, I do. I put the date down, and that's it.

Pretty much anything goes there. Events that happened, predictions and outcomes, personal concerns, dark thoughts, quotes, prayers, litany, ideas for projects, mini-stories about fictional worlds, notes about topics, insights, poems, math problems, diagrams, doodles.