Basic AF #47: The Journaling Guide with Joe Moyer
I was pleased to return to the Basic AF Show and discuss journaling. This is my second guest spot with my friends Tom and Jeff (the first one here), and once again, they made me feel welcomed and valued. From the episode page:
_ Ever wondered if journaling could make a difference in your life? This week’s guest, Joe Moyer, believes it can. Joe shares his personal journey with journaling and practical advice on how to build a habit—even if you only have five minutes a day. We cover gratitude journaling, the benefits of recording daily thoughts, and how to avoid the “perfect journal” trap. He also provides tips for those who are new to journaling, with simple techniques to get started._
This was a fun conversation, and I hope you’ll listen. I think everyone, particularly young men, needs to hear some of what was said on the show and pay particular attention to the productive struggle, where we talk about being kind to ourselves, working through complicated feelings and emotions, and growing.
The Ugmonk Pen
I’ve never been a fancy pen guy. I always used a Pilot G2 or a Uni-ball 207 for my writing, but lately, I’ve found them to be a little lacking.
I wanted a pen that felt more significant but had a similar gel ink output, so I began casually looking. When I got an email last month from Jeff Sheldon announcing The Ugmonk Pen, made in collaboration with Leuchtturm1917, it was an easy buy for me.
I also picked up the walnut pen tray, which is a thing of functional beauty and is where my Apple Pencil often lives as well.
The pen and tray combo arrived just in time for some heavy use, not for writing or journaling but for a bunch of lengthy insurance-related documents that, due to poor design, needed to be printed out and handwritten. It took hours to do it all, and it was made more pleasurable and easier with the Ugmonk Pen. I’ve since used it for some print journaling and to-do list building, and it’s really delightful to write with.
I believe that the message matters most, and the tools we use, particularly in journaling, should serve that cause. This pen does that for me, and I’m pleased to have finally spent a little bit more money for something of much greater and lasting quality.
This reflection originally appeared in The Journaling Guide. Delivered every two weeks and packed with real-life stories of history's greatest journalers, reflections from my own experiences studying how journaling helps improve our lives, and actionable insights for you, it's like having a close friend guide you on your journaling practice.
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Charlie Deets Releases Quick Journal for iOS
Charlie Deets, a product designer at The Browser Company, has released Quick Journal.
From Charlie on Threads:
"It is a simple journaling app without any gimmicks, suggestions or distractions.
It is highly customizable and has widgets to help you keep track of your entries.
It also features custom icons from design friends such as @gabrielvaldivia and @cshdllr."
Quick journal is a beautiful, simple text based app with a nice level of customization. I like the option to auto open the composer window, so when you open the app you're immediately ready to journal. There are no suggestions, no photos, no frills. Quick Journal is all about text.
One important note—the entries are saved locally for now. I thought I saw Charlie mention on Threads he was looking at adding cloud storage, but I can't find that comment now. He's had lots of positive feedback!
I’ve been on the TestFlight for a few months and it’s been fun to watch the development evolution. Check out Quick Journal if you’re looking for a simple text based journaling tool for your iPhone, just remember that, at least for now, there’s no backup of your data. I hope Charlie adds that feature soon.
MacSparky Journals to 5,000
Speaking of hitting journaling milestones, my friend David Sparks hit a big one. 5,000 digital journal entries. Well done!
New Features Coming to Apple Journal in iOS 18
At WWDC last month, Apple announced some new features coming to Journal with iOS 18 this fall. They include:
State of Mind Integration
State of Mind was released last year and is most easily accessed via the Mindfulness app on the Apple Watch. It can also be accessed through Health on iPad and iPhone.
I’ve been waiting for them to add this feature since they released it last fall. It just makes sense to integrate with a journaling app.
Insights
Insights will provide a calendar and stats like your current and longest streak, as well as general stats like how many entries you’ve done in a given year and how many words you’ve written. Based on the screenshots, Journal will also keep track of places you visit frequently and share that information.
I like to nerd out on insights like this, although I’m also a bit weary of streaks and urge people not to become too fixated on them. Streaks do have a place in helping you keep your journaling habit going.
Search
It’s hard to believe that Journal didn’t have this before. Search is kind of table stakes for making an app like this useful. I’m glad it’s being added.
Small Improvements Matter
I’ve recommended Journal to friends and family who are iPhone users and want an integrated tool for which they don’t have to pay extra. While not as advanced as third-party apps like Day One, features like the ones coming this fall will make Journal a better app and easier to keep recommending to people looking for a simple iPhone first journaling app.
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.
Your Story Matters: Overcoming the Perfect Journal Fallacy
Let me set the scene.
You’re at your favorite bookshop. You’ve had your coffee, done some people-watching, and have picked up a few books that will be coming home with you, and as you walk toward the counter to pay for your haul, you see a shelf with journals on it.
You are transfixed. The journals are beautiful and rife with endless creative possibilities. In a flash, you envision yourself writing your deepest thoughts, sketching ideas for that next big project, planning your novel, your adventures to Europe, writing your most important lists, and recording your secrets in this new place.
You carefully select the journal that most appeals to you, perhaps based on color or size. Happily, you pay for it and head home to use it to unleash your creativity.
You come home, set the journal on your desk, and move on with your afternoon.
The next day, you glance at the journal. You think of something you’d like to write in it but feel noncommital. It’s so beautiful and clean, I’m not sure this thought is worth it. You walk away.
A day later, you’ve finished work early and are tidying up your desk. There’s that journal again. You sit down, open it up, and reach for a pen. You think, Oh, I’m not sure this is the right pen for this journal. Is it fancy enough? You put the journal down and go to grab dinner.
Weeks pass, and the journal is now under a pile of work papers or perhaps has taken a spot on your bookshelf. It may even sit next to another forgotten and unused journal you received as a gift during last year’s holiday!
If this has happened to you, don’t worry; you aren’t alone.
Most everyone with a journaling practice has experienced something similar. It’s what I call the perfect journal fallacy, where we convince ourselves that using the journal for its very purpose, recording our ideas and thoughts, is somehow a bad thing to do.
So, how do you overcome this?
Open the journal and write something.
Anything.
Even just a sentence or two is a good start.
Don’t worry about the pen you use, the time of day, the music, or the mood. While all of those aspects can be a part of an established journaling practice, the most essential role of someone who journals is to write down what’s on their mind.
If you’re still struggling with getting started, remember this: Someone created that journal for you, and you can use it however you wish. Your thoughts and ideas are worthy of being recorded within its pages, as are your most mundane notes, todos, and doodles.
The journal on the bookshelf collecting dust is yours; you can do what you want with it. Use it as the tool it’s intended to be, and allow it to help you unlock the benefits of writing down your thoughts. Your story matters. Start writing it down today.
Weekly Quote: Seneca on Reviewing the Day
I've been banging the drum especially loud about journaling lately, and this week's quote from Seneca is another reason why. Journaling is a tool that can help you authentically review your life.
The idea of the daily review and its value has mostly stayed the same since Seneca walked the streets of Rome a few thousand years ago. Sure, your journal entry might seem different initially, but the concerns that occupy your mind are similar to what an ancient person worried about so long ago.
Journaling works best when you commit to honesty and are most willing to keep a "constant watch" over yourself. That may be made easier when there is no intention to share what you write with anyone. You do so much for the benefit of others. Journal for yourself.