The advantages of a digital journal in a digital age

by Jurrien Collins Lugelo Storybook

People keep journals for many reasons. For some, it’s a way of preserving memories and feelings that they might otherwise forget later in life. For others, it’s a creative outlet. Or it can even be an exercise in self-improvement. But whatever reason you keep a journal, it can be a valuable tool or a fascinating insight into your life at various points.

In the past, the only way to keep a journal was to buy a notebook and a series of pencils and pens and write down your thoughts at the start or end of each day. Over time, these journals would become increasingly dog eared and worn. Drinks might get spilled, journals misplaced or lost or, worse still, destroyed in an accident. All that effort and time, gone in a flash.

That’s why keeping a digital journal might be a better idea.

In this digital age, much of our lives are conducted online. Whether it’s for convenience or for sustainability reasons, digital files are much simpler and safer to store. But the advantages don’t end there. There are many other good reasons for making the move to recording your thoughts, actions, and ideas online.

Whether you’re recording the big events or everyday moments, doing it all digitally might be a good move. Here are some more reasons why.

It’s always close

As you read this, you’re probably either looking at your phone, tablet or laptop. Chances are, whichever one you’re using, the other two are probably not too far away. Our digital devices now form an important part of our lives, which means they’re never too far away. This is great news for journal keepers.

Whenever you have a spare moment, whether that’s on the commute, on the sofa or getting into bed for the night, you can open your online journal app and make a few notes. It’s as easy as posting on social media. Just click on the app icon and away you go. You don’t have to faff around looking for a pen and your notebook.

Plus, you can use various devices, with the same app being available across various platforms. So, whatever is closest to hand, just pick it up and start typing.

Backups

If you use an online journal app, then everything you write is backed up automatically. Your posts are saved onto the app, so if an accident does happen or you misplace your phone or tablet, you don’t lose all your work. Everything is stored locally on each device, but there’s a master copy kept in the cloud.

Cataloging and searching

If you use an app, then every entry is recorded at a certain time and date. There’s no need to do it manually, your thoughts are all logged in a chronological order. But what if you want to find a specific entry? In the old days, you would have to read through page by page until you found it. With an app, you can search for specific times and dates. You can even search by location, remembering where you were when you wrote the entry to narrow your search.

There’s the option to create a timeline of your movements and activities as well, so you can track your movements and find certain posts easily.

Sustainability

The world is going digital. This is great news for trees. Rather than creating a greater need for reams and reams of paper, a digital journal stores it all using computer memory. You don’t need notebooks or plastic biros, making the whole process that little bit greener.

Safety and security

As we mentioned above, all your posts are stored and recorded both locally and in the cloud. So there’s no chance of all your memories being lost, as they might be with hard copy journals.

In addition, a hard copy can easily be accessed by other people. And sometimes we really don’t want anyone else reading our innermost thoughts and feelings. Which is why keeping it all password protected is such a good idea.

However, there are some kinds of journal information that you do want to share. For example, a journal of symptoms or pain levels for medical purposes. And this is all easily achieved by giving people access to your online journal.

So, why not write your stories online. Get a journal app and start keeping a track of your moods, feelings, condition and more. It’s all logged and securely stored online. Only you can access it or give permission to others, and it can go with you wherever you have your phone, tablet or laptop.

These are digital times, so maybe it is the right point to start keeping a digital journal.