Notebook and a pen
Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
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Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#12If all you do is write, you are missing half the benefits of journalling. The key to journalling is to write, and then periodically review what you have written. The most effective way is to create a system for this periodicity.
For your daily entries, start by writing down a bulleted list of all the notable things you can remember happening that day. Then write about whatever you want - it can be a stream of consciousness, thoughts on the various events you just wrote down or it can be simply "nothing of note" if it was a boring day.
At the end of the week, create a weekly note with a heading for each day that has passed e.g 2025-01-01, 2025-01-02, 2025-01-03 etc and write down any thoughts or observations you have as you go back and read that day's entry. Then at the bottom of the page create the following headings:
### Summary of the week
### + (Positives)
### - (Negatives)
### * (Things to improve)
### ? (Open Questions)
### → (Most Important Tasks for next week)
### ! (The single most important task to focus on)
### 3 Things You're Grateful For
### . (Final thoughts)
Repeat this each week. Look back at the previous weekly entry and see if you now have the answers to resolve the open questions from before. If not, carry them over.
When you get to the end of the month, create a monthly note. For this note, write headings for each of the weeks that has passed e.g Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. Now do the same again, reading through your weekly notes and writing down any observations you have, patterns you've observed etc in the weekly notes. Finish off with the same list of headings mentioned above, but now thinking on a monthly timeline rather than a weekly one. When you are reflecting think, of how your progress is fitting in to medium term picture of the projects and goals you are working on.
Repeat this each month.
After three months, create a quarterly note. As you have probably guessed, Month 1, Month 2, Month 3 and the headings above. As you are now at the three monthly review, you should now be reflecting and thinking on the larger term picture of how this quarter is fitting into your 1 - 3 year goals.
After a year, create a yearly note. Repeat the process with the quarterly notes, but also read and review anything else from the year that you want to reflect on. Think about how the year went and how it fits with your values and the type of life you want for yourself.
One caveat on the above: if you are going through a frustrating period where nothing is working out despite all your best efforts, sometimes an incessant feedback loop can just make things worse. If that is the case, you may want to stop journalling for a bit, focus on relaxing and enjoying life and come back to it when the storm has passed.
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#13I use Obsidian for daily thoughts and a paper journal for morning reflections.
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#14Vim - see [1]
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#15I don’t stick to one tool. I rarely go back to what I wrote in the past but I found that the process od journaling is valuable enough. If I have my paper notebook at hand, I’ll use that. I sometimes write something in Apple Notes or Apple journal app.
If I were to recommend one: go with paper. But regardless of the tool: don’t treat it as “one precious journal that have to be perfect”. Missed a note? Don’t feel shame. Don feel like writing? Just note a one sentence.
Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#16I just started using paper again and it feels great
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#17I keep coming back to a text file in my home folder, and a shell command that opens that file in a text editor and scrolls the cursor to the line for a new entry.
Also +1 for paper and pen if that's viable. It's a lot easier to do diagrams, symbols, formulas, simple maps, and other visual media that way.
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#18Leuchtturm 1917 dot grid journal, Uniball Jetstream pen, and a minimalist version of Ryder Carroll's bullet journaling advice. (https://bulletjournal.com)
I like the Leuchtturm journals because they have page numbers and they don't fall apart.
I record todos, appointments, significant events, and detailed notes on anything I'm studying or thinking about in detail. Each successive journal gets a number, so that so I can easily and unequivocally reference any page in any journal.
Knowledge-base-stuff goes in Obsidian.
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#19For real "journaling" it's pen and paper. One dated journal [0] and one "idea file"
I post a lot and on both desktop and phone/ipad, so the "no thinking needed" route is Apple Notes, and I just spent some time exploring how difficult it is to export these. But it works cross-Apple-device (mini-rant deleted)
Obsidian requires extra synchronization, or $$$.
I dumped Evernote when it was bought and the entire U.S. staff was fired.
[0] the semi-dated one that CVS sells.
Re: Ask HN: How Do You Journal?
#20Writing on pen and paper - away from a screen
Screens include your phone/tablet/laptop, TVs, and even your smartwatch - so if you want to listen to music while you journal, just start a playlist beforehand
There are great journaling tools on devices today, but your brain stays somewhat engaged with using the device and you don't get to that blissful peace of mind dumping and introspective journaling and teasing out ideas