Sometimes we all need a time to think out loud. Writing down our thoughts and decisions to emotions and anxieties can provide clarity or even release from stress. I’ve gone through so many different approaches to writing things down over the years, it’s become a hobby. I’m hoping to share the ones I’ve tried to help inspire others to express themselves. 2020 is turning out to be fairly stressful, so let’s talk about ways to take care of ourselves 🙂

Notebook 

Bottom line up front, this is my defacto medium for journaling. A simple notebook can be pretty inconspicuous in most social situations, or when you can’t bring along your own phone or computer.

Pros	Cons
– Offers the most flexibility to express oneself by using any writing medium, stickers, pasting things in, drawing, etc – Doesn’t need batteries – Any size and shape book, you can even make your own	– In a digital world, we take a ton of photos. Finding ways to print them and paste them into your notebook isn’t that easy  – Will need a flashlight or lamp to write at night – Paper can get heavy if you’re trying to travel light

Examples: composition notebook (the ones you used in school), sketchbooks, pocket books, etc.

Blog

I’ve had a few blogs over the years. I still have one now that I self host, but once I started working and friends when off and Facebook took over people’s lives, it doesn’t fit the same as it used to.

Pros

Cons

– A lot of free options, or can self host – You can find communities of other people who talk about the same things you do – Easier to accommodate digital assets like photos and links – Might have a phone or tablet app for on the go posting/socializing – Searchable (if you can’t remember what day you wrote something)

– Not inherently private depending on the site, more value in community than privacy – When writing longform, you’ll probably want a full size keyboard which could hamper your traveling light style – Some of those freebie sites, depending on who owns them, sees the user as an asset (think about what you write before you post because they are watching) – When you write for an audience other than yourself, you may not write as freely as you think – You can customize to the extent of the application

Examples: livejournal, wordpress (hosted and self host options), blogger (google owned but kind of neglected), tumblr (now owned by verizon)

Journal Apps

At this point, almost everyone has a sort of smartphone. Naturally, most people don’t leave home without it.

Pros

Cons

– A lot of free options and paid options – Easiest to accommodate digital assets like photos and links if you do most of your photography on your phone and internetting – Can post at any time in almost any environment since a phone has backlighting – Depending on the application, there may be ties back to desktop apps and web versions – Searchable (if you can’t remember what day you wrote something) – Some have reminder features to poke you to write everyday

– When writing longform, you’ll probably want a full size keyboard which could hamper your traveling light style – Some of those freebie sites, depending on who owns them, sees the user as an asset (think about what you write before you post because they are watching) – You can customize to the extent of the application – Some apps want you to pay subscription for most features – Be careful about getting your data locked into an app, look for export as an included feature

Examples: Notes (this one is Mac, but pretty much any note taking app can become an impromptu journal), Day One (iphone and android), Journey, 5 Minute Journal, Momento (iphone only and geared towards social media aggregation)

Now I avoided mentioning social media apps as they aren’t really inherently geared towards journaling. But there are plenty of people using facebook, instagram and twitter as “journals”. Personally, I’d advise against using those mediums as a personal journal unless you like shouting on rooftops. It’s too easy to get sucked in to what everyone else is posting rather than focusing on your own thoughts which undermines the whole point.

If I didn’t find the most flexibility with a notebook, my top fave for each would be WordPress and Day One. Honorable mention to 5 Minute Journal, but it’s really not a full fledged journaling app.