5 Ways to Journal Digitally

Guest Post | Journaling is one of the buzzwords on the internet nowadays—especially in connection with mental health and self-care. It is one of the easiest and most beneficial activities to do. All it requires is a couple of tools to write and it helps us in many ways. 

The activity is much more than just chronicling one’s days in a notebook. It can be venting about feelings so that you feel lighter, writing out thoughts on a new idea or path, or simply writing out the stream of thoughts that run in your head. And if done on a regular basis, it will improve your life. 

With the way technology has changed our lifestyles, journaling doesn’t have to be done in the traditional method with a pen and a notebook. Digital journaling is picking up speed, and you should try it!

Why should you pick up digital journaling over regular journaling?

Some people swear by bullet journalling or regular journalling but using a notebook and pen is just not for everybody. Either the system might just not work for you, it might be limiting, or it’s not convenient. Digital journaling is more advantageous:

• If you prefer typing over writing. You also don’t have to worry about handwriting or making mistakes when typing. It is easily fixed.
• If you don’t want to maintain multiple notebooks. Notebooks can be inconvenient and take up space. Digital journaling requires zero maintenance and physical space.
• If you want to be able to journal from anywhere, at any time. Lugging around a notebook and pen everywhere to journal when you have the time is not possible. Digital journaling can be very convenient as it will be accessible through your phone, laptop, or other devices. And it can be accessed through all of them which is great if you’re someone who switches between devices often.
• If words aren’t enough. Digital journaling breaks the boundaries of what it means to journal. You can do it using multiple forms of media and even combine them in one journal entry. 

If not for the above reasons, digital journaling can be more suitable depending on your lifestyle or other preferences. I highly recommend trying it at least once.

5 Ways to Journal Digitally

1) Journal/Diary Apps

There are tons of applications available for both Android and iOS devices solely for this purpose. They take care of the maintenance, space, and organization of entries for you. All you have to do is open the app and journal. 

Journaling on an app will be very convenient if you like to journal on the go since you will have your phone with you. This method is best if you would like to journal through your phone alone as these applications may not be available on laptops and computers. 

There are several types of journaling apps available so I suggest checking out multiple apps thoroughly—what features they have, whether they allow freestyle journaling and including media like pictures or audio, if they are free of cost—before deciding on one.
Some apps that I suggest: Diaro, Five Minute Journal, Grid Diary

2) Notion

Notion is an online software that is highly flexible and customizable—which makes it perfect for any activity. I personally use Notion for random note-taking, saving some info, blog planning, and other miscellaneous activities. Because it is highly customizable, it is perfect for anyone to use for any purpose. Even journaling. 

The application allows almost everything that you need, including integration with other apps and multiple forms of media. You can attach Spotify playlists, Google Docs, voice recordings, and even add customized calendars and tables.

Notion does require a little bit of extra effort as you have to set up your dashboard how you want it and organize and maintain your journals. But other than that, it is very convenient. It is accessible through all digital devices and syncs your entries across immediately.
There are many tutorials and templates available to help you set up Notion as well.

3) Blog

If you’d like to share your words and connect with others, journaling through blogging is a great option. I started my blog as a journal + book blog where I posted whatever I wanted to and it was great.

Journaling on a blog also really helps when you are feeling low because the community will be there to support you and encourage you. Blogging has a social aspect without completely taking over like social media so it’s the perfect medium. 

Creating a blog is free (unless you want a custom domain) and is very easy to start. It will also remain forever so you don’t have to worry about maintenance, space or longevity. You can post any time you wish and can use the same blog for years together.

Do take care to not share very personal information which can be used to track you or harm you. I would also suggest using an alias and staying anonymous, especially if you’re a minor. As blogs are generally public, you should be conscious of what you post online. 

Otherwise, you can make the blog private/protected and journal your heart out!

4) Audio Journaling

An excellent method of digital journaling is journaling through audio! It is much easier to talk and record oneself than to write it out. Although it is hard to search through the entries, it is beneficial in other ways. It also feels like you’re talking to someone.

Audio journaling is best if you want to simply journal without worrying about spelling mistakes or formatting. It is especially the best if you think and speak in multiple languages. It is harder to journal by writing in multiple languages at once. 

There are multiple ways to audio journal as well. Here are a few ideas:

• Record on a regular audio recording app. Over time, this would require maintenance and external storage as too many recordings will take up a lot of space.
• Post recordings on SoundCloud! It has the option of keeping recordings private so you can maintain a private (or public, if you want) audio journal there.
• You can also use note-taking apps for this like OneNote or Evernote.

5) Video Journaling

If you love taking videos and capturing moments of your days, try video journaling! This method is best for people who just want to record moments and largely don’t want to record thoughts. You can make a video of yourself talking but it might be a little inconvenient. 

One way to video journal would be to shoot videos on your regular phone camera and organize the videos yourself. This will take time to maintain and organize as you may have multiple videos in a day, and you may have a lot of videos. Space might also be an issue as, over time, the videos will take up a lot of space. You might have to invest in external storage.
Another way to video journal is to use apps for it. They’ll organize and store the videos for you but may be limiting on space or duration of videos. I suggest checking out 1 Second Everyday (Android, iOS) and Day One (Android, iOS).

While this is not a comprehensive list of every way to journal digitally, these are great ways to start with. Do try them out! They might just be what you need to consistently journal and get the most out of it.

About the author, Sumedha is a software engineer by day and a passionate blogger by night. She loves to talk about books, journaling, and Kdramas. Find out more by visiting her blog or subscribing to her newsletter!

If you enjoyed this post head over to 7 Effective Time Management Skills For Health Care Students and Saving Money With A Small Income