I started using Day One a few months ago, but not for journaling. Going by the reviews in the App Store, most people do that. They use Day One as a diary or maybe as a travel journal.
I've been using Day One to write about stuff that I’m reading and watching, and it has been working really well.
Before Day One, I kept a handwritten journal to record my thoughts and ideas related to TV shows, movies, and novels. Positive or negative reactions, why something does (or doesn’t) keep my interest. It's the Media Studies major in me—I can't help it.
I started recording those kinds of thoughts last year after I read Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. He references Michel de Montaigne, who wrote “a short critical judgment” in the back of every book he read so later he could reference what the book was about and what he thought of it. He didn't have to depend on his memory to keep track of everything he read.
I liked that idea, and it works well enough for books, but sometimes I give mine away. Sometimes I borrow books from friends or read e-books, and I can't write in those. I wanted to record my reactions to TV shows and movies too, so I starting writing all of those thoughts in a notebook. Entries in a physical notebook have limitations, though, and I’ve found that Day One remedies all of them.
1. My handwriting gets messy, especially when I’m trying to get my thoughts down quickly. On the plus side, I’m used to my messy writing so I can still read it, but it’s still sloppy on the page. Not really something that’s easy to reference afterwards. I type in Day One. Effortless neatness.
2. I like going back to add things. Writing entries back-to-back in a physical notebook doesn’t allow me to go back and add thoughts, like after the second time I watch a movie. Leaving some blank space between entries doesn’t work well either, because that’s wasted space if I never go back to it. I can edit entries in Day One, even re-write them if I want to, without affecting the rest of the entries.
3. Physical notebooks can be difficult to navigate (unless I make some kind of index). Day One is searchable, and you can tag entries. It’s easy to look for something I wrote before. It’s easy to find related entries.
4. I can’t easily back up a physical notebook. (Photocopying every page is probably my best option.) Day One lets me export my entries as PDFs, so I create back up copies periodically to make sure I don’t lose my writing.
Day One has an easy-to-use, simple interface. It stays out of your way so you can write.
Photo credit: Livro ou TV? by Lubs Mary. via photopin cc
