The 2024 Gift Guide
'm pleased to share the second annual gift guide here on 24 Letters. While this one is shorter than last year's, it still reflects items I use regularly or hope Santa will put under the tree for me this year.
Books
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
This book feels timeless. It features a daily quote from one of the ancient Stoic philosophers and a modern reflection from Ryan that compliments the selection. I read it daily and recommend it often.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
This book transformed Tony Bourdain from an unknown NYC chef with a passion for prose to an international culinary, literary and television star. I reread Kitchen Confidential this year for the first time since its release, and it holds up. I miss Tony, and appreciate his vast body of work whenever I can.
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport
The three big ideas in Cal Newport's latest book are simple: Do fewer things, work more naturally, and be obsessed with quality. These ideas are simple but not exactly easy to execute. With Slow Productivity, Newport offers a roadmap for slowing down, avoiding the overhead tax, and balancing intense focus with periods of rest.
I like the noise-cancellation features of my AirPods Pro 2, but I don't always like how snug they feel inside my ears unless I’m doing someting in a crowded area where I needed additional support in staying focused.
These AirPods seem like a happy medium, as they still sit in the ear and offer some noise cancellation with a more comfortable fit.
Somehow, my household managed to use Amazon Fire TV Sticks for our streaming for years, despite my fandom for all things Apple. Over the last year or two, motivated by aging hardware and the sudden and annoying appearance of ads that auto-played on startup, I switched us over to Apple TV devices, and we've been much happier since.
I enjoy the tight remote integration with my iPhone, the ease of connecting with the Apple devices we all own, and the pleasant and easy-to-use interface.
I've been streaming Apple TV+ since it launched and have watched many shows on the network. It's small but has released some shows that continue to be my favorites. Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, Bad Monkey, Severance, The Morning Show, Trying, and many more have made this streaming channel one that I thoroughly enjoy.
I use Day One all the time. It's been my regular digital journaling tool since 2017, and I've used it off and on since 2012. I like the ease of creating multiple journals, the cross-platform approach, the solid backup scheme, and the ability to easily add photos and metadata to any post. Day One is free to use, with subscription options to unlock more features.
I hope this little gift guide helps with some ideas for friends and family, or provides you with a few suggestions to give to that sweet aunt who always gets you socks. Send her here, maybe I can help! Happy holidays!
Note: Some of these items include an affiliate link, meaning your purchase may help support this site. I've only included things in this list I actually use, like, recommend, or hope Santa brings me. As was the case last year, there are no big screen 4K TVs or air fryers here (although my wife and I are tempted by both!).
The Day One Podcast Returns
Despite being an active daily user of Day One, I was unaware they had a podcast. It’s been on hiatus since 2021, and that’s likely part of why I hadn’t heard about it.
The show has recently launched a new season with a new episode featuring Paul Mayne, the creator of Day One. It’s worth listening to if you’re curious about some of their choices with the app, the additional resources they’ve gotten since joining Automattic, where AI fits into the roadmap, and other details on what motivates the developers to keep going.
600 Days of Gratitude Journaling
Yesterday, Day One let me know that I had written my 600th consecutive entry in my daily gratitude journal. I'm proud of this achievement and hope it inspires some of you to start your journaling practice.
Like many apps, Day One likes to celebrate streaks to stay motivated and keep going on a goal. Streaks have a place in helping us build the version of ourselves we most want to be, although I have mixed feelings about them.
I'm sending more thoughts on the pros and cons of streaks to newsletter subscribers next week. You can subscribe below, and I'll send you my quick guide Seven Thought-Provoking Prompts for Your Journaling Practice, when you confirm your email.
If you haven't checked in on the newsletter lately, you’ll note that I’m refocusing it on journaling and working towards sending something to subscribers every two weeks. I'll have more on that soon.
Day One Introduces Shared Journals
From the Day One Blog:
“Today we’re excited to introduce Shared Journals in Day One, a new way for you to safely share life’s moments with friends and family, while upholding the privacy and security you trust.”
As a long-time user, I’m excited that Day One has added this to their app, thus continuing to set themselves apart in the digital journaling space. One of the best aspects of this service is while the creator of the shared journal needs a premium membership, anyone with a free membership can join.
Shared Journals are end-to-end encrypted, and adding or removing members is easy. Members can also comment on posts, which mimics what can be the best (and absolute worst) part of social media.
I'm going to try setting up a shared journal with my wife where we can document memorable moments with each other and our family that we want to share. This may be the opportunity I've been waiting for to get her interested in exploring a regular journaling habit, too.
Apple Launches Journal for iPhone
With the release of iOS 17.2 earlier this week, Apple launched Journal. I spent some time with the new app last night, and my initial thoughts are positive. I will share more after I’ve had a chance to kick the tires.
Today, Day One, my journaling tool of choice, announced support for Journaling Suggestions. This is a keystone feature for Apple’s Journal, so it makes sense that Day One would add it as well.
Today we’re excited to announce a new way to deepen your journaling practice: Journaling Suggestions. Journaling Suggestions in Day One provide personalized journaling recommendations inspired by your photos, locations, activities, and more, bringing a whole new level of introspection and discovery to your daily reflections.
Everything I’ve read from the folks at Day One about Apple’s entry into this space has been totally classy. Last summer, I shared Day One’s founder Paul Mayne’s thoughts on Journal when it was announced.
Rather than seeing this as competition, we embrace Apple’s entry into digital journaling as a testament to its growing importance. This evolution is not just beneficial for Day One but also for our valued users.
I believe that journaling can improve people’s lives, and having an app included on a phone that’s in about a billion and a half pockets worldwide means more people will start a practice. That’s a really good thing.
Analog vs. Digital: Results From My Journaling Format Poll
I recently conducted a poll on Threads and asked folks about their preferred journaling format. I offered three options: print, digital, and hybrid.
Print was the winner with 47%. Unsurprisingly, given the results, the comments largely favored pen and paper. One user shared that writing by hand helped them remember what they had written, and another said it was about the art and connection with the tangible nature of paper.
Another respondent shared the challenges she faces when attempting to write in a new journal and said she preferred the ease of editing digital journals for that reason.
I wrote a post entitled Your Story Matters: Overcoming the Perfect Journal Fallacy for those facing a similar struggle around getting started in a paper journal. It's a common challenge, and given how popular analog journaling is, I wanted to share something encouraging.
For my journaling practice, I fall into both groups. I use Day One for most of my regular journaling practice. I use a Subtle Notebook, and a Field Notes Memo Book for my analog needs.
Whatever tool you're using, remember this: the most important aspect of journaling is doing it in whatever format most likely to help you succeed.
Paul Mayne, Creator of Day One, on Apple’s Journal App
Day One Creator Paul Mayne shared his thoughts on Journal, Apple’s new iOS app coming later this year.
From the Day One blog:
Rather than seeing this as competition, we embrace Apple’s entry into digital journaling as a testament to its growing importance. This evolution is not just beneficial for Day One, but also for our valued users.
I’m thankful that Day One and other apps will be able to access the Suggestions API. I remain curious what exactly that will look like, but it’s always fun to see how app developers take these API’s and run with them in ways that best suit their users.
You can read Paul's whole post and what I wrote about Journal earlier this week. Apple releasing this app will get more people into journaling, and that's a win. Most people I've encountered who journal are better for it, and those who don't could find so much value in starting a practice.
David Sparks on Journaling as a Maker, a Manager, and a Consumer
Last week I wrote a piece for the Finding Focus series about the benefits of waking up early and quoted podcast host and MacSparky Labs founder David Sparks' idea that, as creators, we should make before we manage.
David wrote more on this idea a few years ago and shared his thoughts about how being a maker, a manager, and a consumer impacts the purpose of his journaling process. He writes about the evolution of his journaling:
My purpose in journaling is tracking how I'm spending my time in these roles. I don't view any of them as inherently good or bad. The magic is in the balance. While making is most important to me, both managing and consuming enable making. I want to spend more time making than consuming. I need to spend time managing, but not go down the management/productivity rabbit hole so far that I don't make anything.
So with this in mind, I've been focusing my journaling lately not so much on what I had for lunch, but what I make, manage, and consume. Using tags, I can then see it on a daily, weekly, and even monthly basis. If I look at my week and realize I spent most of my time sharpening pencils and sorting tasks (manager) and not enough time producing content (maker), I know I need to make changes. You can get similar information by tracking your time, but I think there is something more concrete looking at a list of things you've made, managed, and consumed over a period of time.
David suggests using Day One and assigning a tag to each role as an effective way to aid in planning and review. More good advice from someone who, to quote another often used Sparks phrase, pays for his shoes as a self-employed creator.
A journaling practice is a powerful way to see where and what you've been doing. Of course, your journal cannot predict the future, but you can certainly use it to forecast where you might end up.
I’ll be doing more writing about journaling here and in the monthly newsletter. The April issue focused on the topic and offered some ideas on how to get started or stick with your own practice. You can subscribe here if you’re interested. Just be sure to check your email (and spam folder) for the opt-in confirmation that’ll get sent. If you're interested in the April issue, let me know and I’ll get it to you.