I created my 2,000th journal entry in Day One today! I’ve been a lifelong journal writer spanning 37 years, but have definitely seen a resurgence in my journaling since my switch from paper journals to Day One five years ago. While I wish I would have written more in my twenties and early thirties, I am glad to have such an established journaling practice today. 735,000 words! I can attest to the tangible benefits of keeping a journal. If you’re on the fence on keeping a journal - just go for it. Your future self will thank you.
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Congrats!
Writing in a journal, for me, is an offline meditative practice. Do you have the same experience with Day One?
Writing in a journal is definitely good therapy!
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I need to get back in the habit. Tell us what’s your routine like? When and what do you journal about? How long are some of your posts?
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I write almost exclusively on an iPad Pro with a Smart Keyboard. Day One recently updated their app to allow a distraction-free mode in landscape which is terrific. Before the update, I would write everything in Drafts and use an action to copy it into Day One. I take a ferry boat to work so I most often write while aboard the boat during the crossing. I used to get these awful stress headaches near the end of a workday, and I found that writing in my journal was way more effective than Advil (and healthier!).
I try to write every day, but the content varies a lot depending on my mood or what’s on my mind. Looking over my tags, I write most often about my family, my work, sailing/boating (my passion), and my health and exercise routines. Most of my entries are about a page long. Maybe 20 minutes of writing.
If I’m working on a big goal, I’ll write frequently about how it’s going. For example, I completed An exercise program called P90X a few years ago and I would write almost daily about how I was feeling through the grueling weeks and months of 5 am exercise.
I use my journal to set annual goals each January 1st, and write a review of how I fared on those goals during the last week of December. I also write a weekly entry as part of my GTD review to reflect on the prior week and set priorities for the coming week. Goal setting and personal accountability to achieve the goals I set is a really important part of my journal. Doing this regularly now for 20+ years, I can reflect back on some amazing things I’ve been able to accomplish with persistence and a little lift-me-up self-talk during the inevitable hard parts…
But honestly, the vast majority of my journal is just me sharing what’s on my mind on that particular morning or evening; what I’m struggling with, what I’m happy about, what I hope will happen … Looking back on these, I often laugh at my naive younger self, but sometimes I pick up on patterns over the months and years that led me to the person I am today. I don’t think there’s any better way to “find yourself” than to keep a regular honest journal of your thoughts and dreams.
Hope this helps!
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Thanks! I journaled all in high school through a few years after college on a regular basis. Unfortunately my journals were destroyed when a pipe burst in my mid 20s and I never got back into it after that.
You’ve inspired me to take it back up. Thanks!
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hold up — im like there was no day one 37 years ago LOL all jokes aside - how did you get your old (i’m assuming) paper entries into the app??
I’m avid journal-er almost 2k entries within 4 years and I would love to go back and add entries from my paperl journals if its feasible (i’m not retyping anything)
Please share & awesome accomplishment !!!