in defense of digital journalling

so recently i watched this video on journalling and i noticed it fell into a trend that many articles/videos/posts about journalling have where the focus is on physical journalling. i'm a digital journaller, so i wanted to provide my perspective on how i do things. i think digital doesn't get much traction online because it's simply not as aesthetically pleasing as physical (which i totally agree with, i get jealous sometimes...) but it's so underrated! i would like to prove i'm a reliable pov for this by saying that i have avidly kept a journal that i am happy to say is 1.5 years old. i guess that might not sound like much, but it feels like a long time, and i mean that in a good way. i can look back and smile at my progress, and that's what most people envision when they think of themselves having a journal.

pros and cons

PROS

CONS

if you're quicker at typing than writing (likely) digital is a lot faster, letting you get down your thoughts more efficiently and authentically. also means less hand cramps. everything is pretty safe and not vulnerable to having something spilt on it, being lost, being burnt (?), being stolen, etc. very portable. you can access from multiple devices, and don't have to bring a bag and supplies like pens. more focused on the content. easy to find past entries by date/tag/search etc. if necessary/wanted, can be password protected.

it's less pretty the process feels less "cozy." harder to implement ideas like sketches or patterns, etc.

when physically journalling, whether it's the collage washi tape type or just writing by itself, digital is more focused on your words-- even if you do a digital collage, you can just use different font sizes and move things around easily. you don't have to account for space, neatness/mistakes (if that matters to you), formatting, etc.

i mentioned this earlier, but one of the main reasons people advocate for physical is the "prettiness/coziness." but when it comes to it, the reason you are journalling is to get your thoughts down. (or at least that's how i do it. everyone does their own thing etc etc.) trying to make things look nice can take away from writing your thoughts authentically. i strongly believe that journalling is so great because it makes your mind less loud, and it makes you less loud too. getting your thoughts down is important to keep yourself calm. and looking back on how you were feeling at a certain point in time is cathartic, for me at least. sometimes embarrassing but that comes with the territory, it's always embarrassing, you just get used to it!

using dreamwidth
i first found dreamwidth through various neocities. if you don't know, it's like livejournal. here are a number of advantages to using dreamwidth i haven't already mentioned that you don't tend to get elsewhere (physical, or other digital like notes apps, google docs, etc.)

• privacy is malleable. what i mean by this is that you don't have to choose between being completely private or completely public. you can adjust privacy by post! and it's not just private/public either; you can also make them only available to your access list. if you have friends on dreamwidth, you can make it so that they can see it, but random people can't.
• if you're the type of person who's into the idea of multiple journals- a diary, a movie/book/music journal, a scrapbook, a dream journal, etc... dreamwidth uses a tagging system. you could have a tag for diary entries, a tag for entries about dreams, or be even more specific! tags for specific people, places, fandoms, states of mind... and a tag system is even better than a folder system in that tags can overlap. if you have a post that talks both about your day and a dream, for instance, you could tag it for dreams and for diary! i think this organisation structure is incredibly useful.
• other journals! if you're someone who loves hearing about strangers' lives, like myself, dreamwidth is for you. you can add people to your circle and get updates for their entries in your inbox. not only that, but you can also add rss feeds! if you like a certain blog or comic or something, you can add that too.
• customizability is pretty good on dreamwidth. of course, not as good as physical, but you can still play around. there are hundreds of presets which you can edit to your liking. or if you are good at css, you can create one from scratch.

spreadsheets
maybe you like to track a lot of things, and do so in your journal, but find it annoying to keep going back to one page/entry to edit or check boxes? maybe you like to track your habits or the shows you want to watch. personally, i find spreadsheets very useful, and i think they are also underrated (in the online journalling sphere.) i have a sheet for the media consume (different tabs for shows, books, movies) where i can set each piece of media's status by dropdown box (something like, "watching", "to watch", "dropped") and write descriptions if necessary. you can order a-z if you're looking for something in particular... i use mine a lot, so if you're someone who struggles with keeping track of those things, i highly suggest just using a spreadsheet. i also use spreadsheets as calendars, to do lists and habit trackers. i think those things are just way to finnicky for journal format.

my personal tips (regardless of medium)

• just do it!!!!!!! it's what everyone says because it's true! i think a lot of good habits come from consistency, so the sooner you start practising, the easier it will become.
• as mentioned in the video i linked at the start, i agree that it's super important not to set huge goals for yourself, like journalling every day. when i was younger i really wanted to keep a journal but had this mindset, so i never got to hold one down for a week at least. journal when you have something to say, even if it's short or ends up being an unworkable idea, or just a rant. it will come together.
• you do you.... ultimately everyone's thoughts and minds are different so you might not enjoy what i do. do it however you want. whatever other people suggest is advice and nothing more!

thank you for reading,

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ callalillie ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆