THE PROS AND CONS OF DIGITAL JOURNALING
(Photo by Tianyi-ma on Unsplash)
If you have ever wanted to keep a journal, choosing between a digital journal or a notebook can be more complicated than picking what to wear when getting dressed for an evening out.
Something ‘understated’ with simple lines?
Perhaps something a bit ‘revealing?’
Or do you lean towards basic black?
‘Virtual duds’ have not hit the garment industry…yet.
Digital journals, on the other hand, thrive in cyberspace. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of a digital journal.
You may have a habit of daily journaling that began in childhood, experimenting with many different types and formats– hardback or leather-bound, loose-leaf notebooks and steno pads, and sometimes scraps of paper trace your hopes and dreams across years, or even decades.
You may be totally new to journaling, wanting to chronicle a significant life transition.
Or you may land somewhere in-between, as I do.
I go through seasons (instead of days) of writing in a journal, writing bits here and there, off and on, in cheap notebooks, or fancy journals.
When I look at one of these diaries today, I may find twenty written pages and the rest of the book is totally blank.
As a happy owner of several ‘Bullet Journals’ and a ‘Five Year Journal,’ only half full after ten years of entries, along with many printed planners, I attempt to log my journey in life.
Then up steps the Digital Journal. An offering from cyberspace to collect and preserve our life-stories in the cloud. There are many to choose from online. The one I opted for is “Day One,” which offers everything I was looking for in a journal. The following are twelve reasons why such a journal may be just what you want…and a few reasons why not.
10 THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT A DIGITAL JOURNAL
1. You will always have it with you in one device or another.
A cellphone in your pocket while waiting for a concert to begin. An iPad in your backpack for wherever you go in the world. A laptop at home or at the library. Always ready to receive small, or verbose, entries throughout the day. (Photo by David-Clode on Unsplash)
2. A digital journal is confidential and password protected.
My feelings of vulnerability prevent me from writing ‘the whole Monty’ on paper. What if other people intentionally or, more likely, inadvertently, read about my feelings, peeves, or my deepest desires and fantasies?
3. If you have arthritis, you can write with less pain on a keyboard than trying to grip a pen long enough to write more than a page.
I absolutely love writing with my Levenger extra-fine felt-tip pen. It is the easiest, smoothest instrument for handwriting. Still, at my age, I experience painful joints when I grip anything for any length of time. The keyboard allows my thumb to relax and my fingers to dance lightly across the letters. There is joy in that dance, plus it is cheaper than using ink, though I do really love those pens. And typing goes faster than writing by hand. (Photo by Norwood-Themes on Unsplash)
4. There is a way to sort notes in ‘notebooks’ in digital journaling,
However, I am not very good at deciding if something belongs in a ‘journal,’ in ‘morning pages,’ or is ‘creative writing.’ There is a lot of overlap in the categories I set up. Delete keys respond to a change of mind instead of ripping pages out of a book – always a traumatic experience!
5. The sound of the keys on a laptop can be soothing.
Sometimes I use an app called “Hanx,” which reminds me of a clackity Olympia typewriter I used to hold in my lap when I was young. There is something about connecting to past memories that inspires writing and motivates us to keep typing.
6. Some journal entries may be worth developing.
They can easily be shared to Scrivner, or Evernote, Dropbox, or any of several other platforms for further work,
7. You get a word count for journaling,
which can be added to writing goals.
8. Searching past entries is easier in a digital journal
as is making edits or deleting something dumb without tearing out pages, and at the same time keep the original. Choose different fonts, and you don’t have to struggle with reading your own handwriting.
9. Photo images, and even videos, can be added with a click or two.
10. Digital Journaling takes up no more space than whatever device it is used on.
No storage boxes of memories collecting dust. And bookshelves become available for BOOKS! (Photo by Julia-Joppien on Unsplash)
WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT A DIGITAL JOURNAL?
1. The feel and weight of a journal in your hands while turning its pages may be something you don’t want to give up.
2. It can’t be seen on the bookcase where it sits with other ‘friends.’ There is an element of community and feeling loved being surrounded by books.
3. In my case, I have too many categories on the computer’s journal, and I don’t know how to simplify them.
4. The sensual feel of your favorite pen on fine paper cannot be duplicated —even with an ‘Apple Pen.’ (Photo by Noemi-Jimenez on Unsplash)
5. You can’t easily doodle on the page, but apps are available for that.
6. It can be distracting because it is so available to read from a phone when we should be paying attention to boring meetings.
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS…
In the final analysis, it is always a personal choice. If you are left-brained – rational, orderly, tech-minded, and like everything organized and available, then you probably would be happy with a Digital Journal. Check out ‘Day One’ here. (I am not an affiliate for any products mentioned in this article. I just like them)
If, on the other hand, you function from your ‘right brain’ – creative, impulsive, imaginative – then go with what makes less practical sense but offers a more sensual experience. Unless you are like me and have an assortment of each kind!
If you enjoyed this article on digital journaling, you may like to read an article about Leaving a Legacy of Story through journaling.
IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY SIGNED UP FOR WEEKLY “SEEDS”, YOU MAY WANT TO NOW. EACH SUNDAY MORNING YOU WILL RECEIVE IMAGES, QUOTES AND QUESTIONS TO PROMPT YOUR OWN REFLECTIONS.
