Remember more of your life, with less effort. A beautiful, private journal built for the long run.
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Joined July 2018
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There are things we call “confusing” because calling them disappointing would make them harder to ignore.
Sometimes naming the right feeling changes the whole entry.
Write about the person you are when nobody needs anything from you. No role to play. No problem to solve. No one to impress. Who is left?
Finish this sentence:
“I would feel more like myself if I ______.”
Don’t make it productive. Make it honest.
Somewhere between “I’m fine” and “I can’t do this anymore” there are usually a hundred smaller feelings we never name.
You don’t always need to journal about the problem. Write about what your life would look like if the problem disappeared tomorrow. Sometimes that tells you more about what you actually want.
Think of something you’ve been postponing. Now finish this sentence:
“If I never do this, the real reason will probably be ______.”
You can fill pages describing someone else and still avoid writing a single honest sentence about yourself. Try removing their name from the story. What is left?
Jealousy is uncomfortable to write about, which is exactly why it can be useful.
Not “Who am I jealous of?”
Try: “What do they have that I wish I had allowed myself to want?”
A useful thing to notice in old entries:
- What problems disappeared on their own?
- What problems kept coming back?
- There’s usually a difference.
You don’t need to write something meaningful every day. “Today was actually pretty good” deserves to exist too.
Sometimes journaling is less about finding answers and more about finally asking the right question.
Write about one completely ordinary thing from today. The kind of thing you think you’ll remember. You probably won’t.
You can miss someone and still know you’re better without them. Two things can be true at the same time.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” — C.S. Lewis
A small journaling tip: don’t start with “What did I do today?”
Try: “What stayed with me today?”
The answer is usually more interesting.
A thoughtful comparison of three journaling apps for Mac: Everlog, Diarly and Diarium. Glad to see Diarly among them.
medium.com/macoclock/leaving…
Your memory keeps the highlights. Your journal keeps everything in between. And sometimes that’s the part you’ll want back most.