It used to be that the only way to journal was to pick up a pencil and find yourself a notebook. Times have changed. Now there are computers, blogs, vlogs, apps, and even journals that come with prompts built in! So how do you know what journal is right for you?
I’ve compiled a list of some options you have when it comes to journaling. My goal is to weigh some pros and cons as well as to just get your creative juices flowing. Remember, there is a journal out there for everyone and a big part of sticking to journaling is finding the journaling platform you are actually excited to use. {Note: This post contains affiliate links}
Paper, notebook, and a beautiful writing utensil
This is the “classic” way to journal. When you think of someone journaling, they are sitting in a serene setting with a cute pen and even cuter notebook chronicling all the exciting things going on in their lives. Depending on how much you write, this can cause hand cramps that will ruin your serene moment and cut your entries short. However, it is the most accessible and does allow you the most options in regards to style and formatting. Everyone can find a journal, notebook, or stationary that they like enough to journal with and nowadays everyone is giving away free pens.
Another thing you might not have thought about: longevity. Pen is better than pencil when it comes to writing by hand. Pencil will rub and fade over time. Aim for an acid-free pen (such as these: Sanford Sharpie Fine Point Pen Stylo, Assorted Colors, 12-Pack
) and you won’t have to worry about the record of your memories fading.
A document on your computer
For some people, typing is preferable to writing things out by hand. It takes up less time and gives you various formatting options. This is a good choice if you are looking to add a lot of pictures with your text as you won’t have to worry about breaking the binding of your notebook or printing costs. However, you will not have a tangible copy of your journal without printing it off.
Another thing worth thinking about: organization. Do you want to add to the same document, set up a new document for each entry, or something in between? One long document can make it hard to find what you are looking for when you look back through it. Several smaller documents can be a lot to look at in one folder. A compromise might be to set up folders by years and/or months (depending on how often you journal) to organize individual entries into or just creating one document per month that has all the entries for that given month. Ultimately, the choice is up to you but these are just some things to think about.
Blog
Blogging can be similar to keeping a document on your computer, but with more organization. Entries are automatically broken up by date and not stored on your computer (unless you do so manually). Plus you can easily search your archives for specific entries and customize a fun theme to get the look you want. Like a computer document, you’d have to print your own entries to get a tangible copy of your journal if you wanted one.
The obvious down side? Privacy. If you want to journal on a blog, you CAN do so without others seeing it. Just set your blog to private. How to do this varies for different types of blogs, but it is usually easy to do. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with others viewing your entries, you can make the choice to disable comments or otherwise mentally prepare yourself for trolls. Personally, I would set your blog to private if you choose this route.
As I said earlier this week (Reasons to Start Journaling Now), it is important that your journal is a judgment-free zone. Keep this in mind with all online journaling options. Set up your privacy settings to something you are comfortable with and you shouldn’t have a problem.
Vlog
While this is not the typical journaling method, you can “journal” using video. If you’re not into writing but you want to see the benefits from soul-searching, a vlog might be the way to go. You have a couple of options here. Using your webcam to record videos straight to your computer seems like the easiest way to go. Like with a document on your computer though, you will have to come up with an organizational method that will work for you. If you don’t have a webcam, your phone, a video camera on a tripod, or even an mp3 recording device can present an alternative for you.
If you don’t want to take up storage on your computer (videos can take up a lot of space overtime), you can invest in an external hard drive or consider uploading your videos. Whether that means saving them to the cloud or uploading them to a site is up to you. Some websites (such as YouTube) let you upload a video and decide if you want it to be public, private, or shareable via a link. This could be a good option if you think some of your vlogs will be helpful to other people. However, make sure you are staying true to yourself. Remember, you reap the benefits from journaling by being totally honest with yourself. You are not journaling for an audience here, you are journaling to be a better you.
Apps
Now there are a bunch of apps available for your phone or tablet that can let you keep your journal on your favorite device. This is particularly useful for those of you who are on the go a lot but still want to journal regularly. A quick search on your phone or tablet will bring up all sorts of apps (try “journal” or “diary” as your keywords). Read the description, comments, and check the ratings to see if an app might be a good option for you. Note: Some of these apps will be free while others will have a fee attached to them.
Don’t have time to journal? Need a little inspiration?
There are so many journals out there that ask so little of you. Some journals only ask for a line a day while others give you daily prompts to keep you going. If you like making lists, there are journals out there for you too. A quick search will bring up more options than you can even imagine, but here are a few journals that have a great deal of potential:
Let’s hear from you! What sorts of journals have you tried? What are you using now?
