Advantages of Handwritten Journals
Handwriting can boost
creativity, so you can make connections faster and easier. It also gives you
space to leave the digital world behind, which can help you see your problems
in a new light.
Another pro of handwriting
your journal entries is that there are fewer distractions. If you’re typing on
a laptop or smart device, you may be tempted to stop and check your email, read
the news, or do other tasks that keep you from completing your entry.
Some people prefer
handwritten journals because the writing is often more emotional and raw. With
typing in a digital journal, you can erase and rephrase your sentence as many
times as you want, which can sometimes result in more sterile writing.
Journal Options
You can find a variety of
journals available in stores and online. But before you buy, think about the
type of journal you’ll want. If you’re going for a bullet journal, then you’ll
need to shop for one with a bullet grid like this BulletJournal/Notebook with Pen Loop - Elegant Black Leather Notebook with PremiumThick Paper.
If you’ll be doodling or
creating artwork beside your journal entries, you may not want any annoying
lines to get in your way. That makes this Spiral Daily Notepad a good choice. Not only are there no lines, the paper is
refillable so you can keep re-using the journal cover as many times as you
wish.
If you need your journal to
lie flat and hate spirals, then Studio Oh has some beautiful journals you might
want to consider. This cute Follow Your DreamsSloth Journal is as inspiring as
he is chill.
Pros of Digital Journals
Digital journals can be more
secure, especially when protected by hard-to-crack passwords. With a
handwritten journal, anyone can read your entries if they have access to your
notebook.
Another advantage is that
digital journals can be tagged and searched. This means if you have a journal
entry from two years ago, it’s much easier to find a digital copy than to sift
through years of notebooks.
Plus, digital journals allow
you to include other media. For example, you can write a post about that day at
the water park and include videos of yourself going down the tallest slide.
Journal Software
There are several options if
you prefer to journal digitally. The Day One Journal is one of the most well-known and popular journal apps.
It can be used on both Android and Apple products and it’s free.
If Day One isn’t what you’re
looking for, the Journey app is a good alternative. It’s free and has a desktop
version that works on both Windows and Mac. It syncs seamlessly between the
different locations so you always have access to your latest entries.
Although EverNote
is a productivity app, you can use it as a journal if you wish. Just start a
new notebook and name it “Journal” or “Thoughts”. Then create a note within the
notebook. Each note can be treated like a journal entry. You can add tags,
format text, and include images in your entries.
So, Which Should You Choose?
Try both journal
options! Spend a week or two writing daily entries in a physical journal. Then
switch and spend a week or two writing daily entries in a digital journal. At
the end of your experiment, choose the one that felt most enjoyable to you.
