The Pros

What Is the Most Important Digital Journaling Feature? (And Other Interesting Survey Questions)

Posted on May 22, 2013 | 1 comment

Digital Journaling Survey? Yes Please!

It is always nice to find like-minded individuals around the interwebs and I’m excited to have recently bumped into Ramy from Narrato (okay, he bumped into me but… whatever). He and his team are not just creating a journaling service but an entire lifelogging service! This means that you will be able to track and quantify many aspects of your life automatically and privately…cool!

As you know, as far as journaling goes I lean more to the capturing life side of things and less on the improving life side of things. That is why I am excited about what Narrato is doing and how they are doing it. They also recently conducted a survey asking about many of the topics we discuss here on EJ including “What device do you use to journal?” and “What do you like to attach to your entries?”

Ramy has graciously allowed me to share this information but feel free to head over to his blog for the full survey results with more detail and analysis than I am giving here.

Why You Should Consider Printing Your Digital Journal

Posted on May 14, 2013 | 0 comments

If you have done a diligent search for a quality journal app for your smartphone and tablet you may have been attacked by a flurry of features.

Emoticons!

Links!

Video!

…and so on.

As great as these sound and as wonderful as it is to capture your life in such a variety of ways, I argue against using most multimedia features that digital journals offer these days. The exception?

I Have Written 371,193 Words In My Journals In 14 Years

Posted on Apr 22, 2013 | 0 comments

I’m a stat nerd, so to be honest, I’m not sure why I haven’t done this before. It all started with a simple question I had the other day:

How much have I really written in my journals?

It wasn’t the sort of question that has no answer or is not quantifiable, it was a very clear and direct question that I knew I could find the answer to. I turned to the tool that I have become oh-so-familiar with as an aspiring engineer- a spreadsheet.

Improving Life vs Capturing Life- Why Do You Journal?

Posted on Apr 12, 2013 | 0 comments

The more I have gotten to know the journaling community the more I have realized how diverse it is, which is contrary to what I initially thought. When I first started Easy Journaling I was sure that most people who kept a journal where similar to each other. Call it stereotyping or call it demographics but I was sure I knew what types of people were most likely to journal.

Obviously I was wrong as I have come to the realization that there are journalers of every age and stage in life and from every country and nationality in the world. This diversity has given the EJ community a unique flavor and voice.

I’ve also noticed that everyone has their own reason to write a journal. There are many reasons, as I have recently documented in 101 Reasons to Write a Journal, but these can actually be boiled down into two broad categories. That’s right, there are only two main reasons to keep a journal, coming from the guy that wrote about 101.

So here it is, you either journal to improve your life or to capture your life.

A Letter From Me: You Are Using That Journal Or Diary App Wrong

Posted on Apr 10, 2013 | 7 comments

Let me be clear, this post isn’t necessarily for regular Easy Journaling readers. You understand the basics and many of you are consistently leveling up what you do with your digital journaling abilities.

No, I’m talking to everyone else. Not just everyone who comes to this site but everyone who has downloaded a journal or diary app.

Scratch that.

This is a letter to the entire world of anyone who has even thought about downloading a journal or diary app for their smartphone or tablet.

Ever.

The Benefits of Keeping a Video Diary

Posted on Mar 23, 2013 | 0 comments

Benefits of Video Diaries

-Eddie Yu of DiaryMemo.com

The benefits of keeping a diary has been widely researched, written and blogged about, and we all know that it’s a good thing to do. It’s a way to record your own personal history and heal yourself at the same time because as we all know, self healing in its highest form is being reflective and self aware of what’s going on inside our own heads.

Since we already know all the benefits of writing, what’s the difference between that and recording it on video?

Well, there are plenty of apps and websites where you can go to create a written diary, but as yet there are only a few which use video as the main format of recording.

Firstly there is a difference between ‘vlogging’ and creating a video diary, in the same way that blogging is different from writing a diary. The difference is that vlogging and blogging are predominantly public activities with the purpose of sharing, whereas diary and video diaries are private for personal storage and use.

It’s important to make that distinction since if you were looking to make a video diary for public sharing, for whatever reasons, then platforms like YouTube and Vimeo are perfect for the job, after all that’s their purpose!

One of the newer platforms for private video diary recording is DiaryMemo, but first let’s discuss what makes video different, perhaps even better than writing.

An Introduction to the 5 Levels of Digital Journaling

Posted on Mar 8, 2013 | 6 comments

I’m not a terribly organized person, but I try to be. I like order and love to boil complicated processes into the most simple parts whenever possible. For this reasons I have separated all of the types of digital journalers into 5 different levels. Yes, this may be an over simplification of digital journalers the world wide, but I believe it will be very helpful to you so that you can know where you are and where you can go. It will also help me know how to get more of you into higher levels of journaling.

It has only been in the past few months when my personal experiences, conversations with app developers and communication with fellow digital journalers have combined to help me develop a near perfect process for keeping a journal electronically. It is a process that is application agnostic (it doesn’t really matter which app you use as long as it has the fundamental features), secure, optimized and fulfilling. It is a process based on simple principles that are flexible enough for nearly anyone from any background to use.

eBook Review: The Ultimate Guide to Journaling

Posted on Feb 23, 2013 | 1 comment

Most books on journaling typically focus on a single aspect of the practice and the two I have written are no exception. Modern Journaling is the digital perspective on journaling and 101 Reasons to Write a Journal focuses on the motivation side. I’ve just finished reading a book that encompasses a little bit of everything you need to know about keeping a personal journal- The Ultimate Guide to Journaling by Hannah Braime.

If you were new to journaling or wanted to get the most out of keeping a personal journal or diary you could browse bookstores and pick out a half-dozen books to get you started. The great thing about The Ultimate Guide is that it is an all-in-one ebook that you can read and get a very good understanding of the entire journaling process without needing all of the other books you would typically need. The suggestions and advice given within aren’t vague or broad either. Instead you get practical advice and ideas that you can apply the next time you open up your journal. Take, for example, Part 2 of the book that lists 30 written journaling ideas. This isn’t 30 individual ideas but rather 30 sections with many ideas within each one! Where other journaling books give you a long list of prompts, The Ultimate Guide gives you different journaling exercises (body evaluation, free association, gratitude journal…) and then even adds many prompts divided up by the varying types (springboards, stepping stones, unsent letters, lists…).

The Story Behind 101 Reasons to Write a Journal

Posted on Feb 12, 2013 | 0 comments

If you receive the Easy Journaling updates, you recently learned that I have just released my latest book, 101 Reasons to Write a Journal. This ebook goes in depth on over a hundred different reasons why you should pick up journaling (if you haven’t already) and mixes some suggestions, stories and inspiration to go along with the motivation. It turned out better than I could have hoped and I am grateful for all of you that helped me on this project. The following is the story behind 101 Reasons which you will find in the forward of the book.  -Sam

For more information on this ebook, go to www.101reasonstojournal.com

The little one was finally snug in his crib, and the newly expecting wife had crashed after a long day of chasing him around. I was left with a few rare hours of peace and quiet. Quiet except for the constant swishing of cars on pavement that had become a mainstay ever since we had decided to rent a place right next to a minor arterial roadway. The cars didn’t bother me, though. Not anymore, especially not on this night.

Finding the Right Digital Journal for Beginners- Vince’s Journey

Posted on Feb 7, 2013 | 0 comments

Vince Doss recently reached out to me asking a few questions and explaining his journey attempting to find the right digital journal in his busy life. I was inspired and educated by his story enough that I encouraged him to write it out for all of you to enjoy as well. As you will soon see, Vince is on the right track and his careful selection process will increase his chances of an enjoyable and fulfilling journaling experience.

Take it away Vince!

I am an IT support professional and I have just taken up journaling in the past month. I set out to find a tool to help me gather my thoughts, a compensatory strategy for ADD. I enter repair tickets (only PC based); do network management and email from my PC laptop. I also have an iPad (but find typing on it is not fun with/without stylus) and an iPhone5. I was looking for something to quickly enter notes from the time I wake and throughout the day to both chronicle my day’s activities, for ticket entry later if needed, as well as my goals, thoughts and musings. After trying for a couple weeks I think the iPhone has won out as the primary input platform. I first stumbled upon EJ when searching for “the best journaling apps” and found Sam’s eBooks and PDFs. These were pivotal in helping me arrive at a few conclusions.

The 7 Benefits of Keeping a Journal- Podcast by Michael Hyatt (I’m On It!!)

Posted on Feb 1, 2013 | 0 comments

I listen to a ton of podcasts. It helps keep me sane and I feel that it helps me learn and grow while I do other things.

About six months ago I heard about this guy named Michael Hyatt. Then I heard about him again and again and how wonderful his podcast was. It didn’t take me long to tune in to the This is Your Life podcast and quickly grow to appreciate his wisdom and passion for leadership and deliberate living.

About a week ago I was listening to his podcast and he mentioned that his next podcast would be on journaling! He also said that he wanted to talk about how keeping a journal on his Mac for the past few months has changed his life. If this isn’t up my alley, I don’t know what is!

The best part was that he wanted people to call in and ask questions. I had a great question and I gave it a shot.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Digital Journaling

Posted on Jan 31, 2013 | 0 comments

I’m proud to share some wonderful insight from my friend Hannah Braime. She is a growing voice in both the journaling and wellness communities and I am very much enjoying her book The Ultimate Guide to Journaling which is available on Amazon (more on it when I am done!) As you will see, she shares many of the same feelings I have about the benefits of digital journaling. I hope that her words will help you as much as they have helped me.

Take it away Hannah!

5 Ways to Enhance your Digital Journaling

The internet has changed our lives in a multitude of ways, including how we record our innermost thoughts and feelings. Digital journaling has been on the up over the past decade, to such an extent that you can now find numerous websites and software packages that offer one kind of digital journaling service or another.

How To Restart Your Journaling Habit In 6 Steps

Posted on Jan 23, 2013 | 1 comment

How to Restart your Journaling Habit

Guest post by Nathan Ohren from www.write4life.us

Toward the end of January, has your exciting New Year’s Resolution already run out of steam?  It’s not your fault; this is normal.  Instead of developing a sense of cynicism about resolutions, there are some pragmatic actions to jump-start (or re-start) the habit of journal-keeping.

 1.  Make a definite date with yourself.  Reserve at least 30 minutes.  Say tomorrow, at 3:35 pm.  Or next Saturday, at 9:15 am.  Look at your calendar, choose something you will keep without fail.  Honor this appointment as you would if it were made with the most important person you can imagine (the President, your dream celebrity, whoever)!  After all, it REALLY IS an appointment with your Highest Self!  Set reminders, and schedule other appointments around it.

We Suck At Setting Goals

Posted on Jan 8, 2013 | 0 comments

Have you ever made a new years resolution only to give up a few weeks later? If so, you are not alone. This infographic gives a good visual description of how you are the exception if you make and keep goals at the new year.

Keeping Your Children’s Journals from a Mother of Eight (and Sam’s Mom!)

Posted on Dec 30, 2012 | 2 comments

I was raised by goodly parents. They loved me and my seven other siblings beyond what any child could have hoped and nearly all of my growing up memories are fond ones.

One of the traditions the instilled in us from an early age was that of keeping a journal (surprise!) Even before we could read and write my mom would do the reading and writing for us. This left a reverberating impression that has largely led me here today.

In brainstorming about the upcoming Journaling Expo I knew I wanted a contribution from this amazing lady. She quickly responded to my request with this post irregardless of the fact that she is in central Peru on a church mission!