How to Create a Personalized Digital Journaling Routine

Creating a personalized digital journaling routine starts by finding an interest in digital journaling. Digital journaling has become helpful for me, and I know it’s useful for most people — as well. Journaling is a way to cope. It gives you a way to recap everything you did and how you can do things better in the future. Do you want to know how to create a personalized digital journaling routine?

You’ve come to the right place! Let’s start!

First, do you have a digital journal?

To start your digital journaling routine, you need a journal. It won’t work without it. It’s time to think about what digital journal to use, or what fits your needs perfectly. Mine is Microsoft OneNote because it’s straightforward, simple, and doesn’t stress me out so much. I tried other platforms, such as Notion and Coda, but these platforms were too complex for my ADHD brain.

Choose a digital journal app or platform that makes it comfortable for you. Please don’t select a venue because an influencer or someone you know uses it. What works for them might not work for you that well. It’s nice to try out their recommendations, but you listen to what you say at the end of the day. If it makes your life complicated or gives you stress, then it might not be the right platform or journal for you.

Next, you think of what you want to write about. Usually, you write about your day, what you’re grateful for, what were your wins for the day, and details about your whole day. I forgot to include the date of the entry.

These are what I have in my digital journal. Some other recommendations would include the following:

Three goals for the day (then you possess a tick mark if you achieved it)
Three things you’re grateful for or a gratitude list
Summary of your day
How you felt during the day or the week
Photos or videos you took during the day or memorable for the day
Highlights for your day

Remember, that these are suggestions. You’re free to tweak your journal as you see fit. 😊

Now, what’s next?

After choosing your digital journaling platform and choosing which ones to include, you may now move forward to creating templates or finding one. There are plenty of templates or even journal pages on the website. Some are free, but some are sold.

These templates or pages help you write and update your journal. Most pages include prompts like the recommendations we listed previously. You can browse on Etsy, Ko-fi, or even on other apps. As a shameless plug, I sell journal and planner pages on Ko-fi that are ADHD-friendly.

Some samples of the pages that I sell are here, you can take a look:

These are all for sale in my Ko-fi shop. I sell them, so I could get some money to help me buy my meds, since living in the Philippines sucks if you have mental health issues.

So, the next thing, we talk about creating a digital journaling routine.

How to create a personalized digital journaling routine?

In today’s fast-paced world, digital journaling has become a popular way for people to record their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Not only does digital journaling offer convenience and portability, but it can also help you develop a consistent writing practice and achieve your personal growth goals.

However, creating a personalized digital journaling routine can be a challenge, especially if you’re new to the practice or unsure of where to start.

Whether you’re an experienced journaler or just starting out, you’ll find practical advice and inspiration to help you make the most of your digital journaling practice. So, grab your favorite writing tool and get ready to dive into the world of digital journaling!

Determine the frequency of journaling.

Creating a personalized digital journaling routine starts by knowing when you’ll write or recount your day. It could be once a day, weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. But, the wider the gap may be tougher to journal about because it may take a while to remember. Moreover, don’t pressure yourself to journal all the time because you might feel burnt out.

Choose a format for how you will journal

When you know how often you’ll digitally journal or write, the next thing you need to know is how you’ll do the format. It can be on a blog, note-taking app, or social media app. When you choose a blog, you’ll think of which platform or tool you’ll use. There are free platforms like Wix, Weebly, or WordPress.

There are note-taking apps that will help you journal digitally, like the native notes app on your phone, Evernote, Google Keep, Notion, Bear, or even Moleskin.

Here are some details about these apps that may give you some insight:

Evernote – It is a comprehensive note-taking app that allows you to take notes in a variety of formats, including text, images, and audio. You can organize your notes into notebooks and tags, and sync them across all your devices. Evernote also offers a powerful search function and integration with other apps and services.
Google Keep – It’s a simple note-taking app that allows you to take quick notes, create to-do lists, and set reminders. You can add images and audio recordings to your notes, and organize them with labels and color-coding. Google Keep also syncs with your Google account, so you can access your notes from any device.
Notion – It’s a versatile app that can be used for note-taking, project management, and more. You can create notes in various formats, including text, images, and videos, and organize them into databases and tables. Notion also offers collaboration features, making it a good choice for teams.
Bear – is a note-taking app designed for writers, with a focus on simplicity and elegance. You can take notes in Markdown format, organize them with tags and hashtags, and sync them across devices. Bear also offers a range of customization options, including themes and typography.
Moleskine – is a digital journaling app that allows users to create and organize their notes and ideas in a digital format. It is designed to replicate the experience of writing in a physical notebook, with a minimalist and elegant interface that resembles the iconic Moleskine brand. You can create different types of notes, such as text notes, lists, and sketches. They can also add photos and audio recordings to their notes, making it a versatile tool for capturing and organizing different types of information.

Set goals and prompts

After choosing a platform on how you’ll digitally journal, next is knowing what you will do with your digital journaling journey. It could be striving to track or monitor your progress about your reading habits, reviews about the series or movies you watched, or reflections on how your day went.

Every so often, you could give yourself some questions or prompts to help you reflect on or write to jumpstart your writing or journaling.

Some of these prompts could include:

How did your day go?
What were your roadblocks during the day?
How’s your mood?
Were there some things that hindered your goals for the day?
What do you feel grateful about the day?

Other times, your digital journal could be your creative journal which would contain your poems, musings, or short stories. Sporadically, your digital journal could work as a free-writing exercise that you allow yourself to write without any barrier.

Creating a habit of digital journaling

If you want to make digital journaling a part of your routine, you may create your habits around it. You could dedicate time within a day that’s only for digital journaling. When I journal, I create a reminder on my digital planner to help me make it a habit. I dedicate my Sundays mostly to journaling and disconnecting from the online world.

Since I take meds and have trackers for it, I include my trackers in my digital journaling habit. It helps me remember and stick to my routine if there’s a repetitive task or thing that I need to do.

Now, I’d suggest that you try these things if you only started with digital journaling:

Create a time block for digital journaling only.
Spend a few minutes of the day writing.
Use prompts to guide you on your digital journaling journey.
Make it simple, don’t let it get complicated.
Let yourself enjoy writing or journaling. Don’t feel that you need to oblige yourself to write.
Try setting a reminder on your calendar or an alarm so you remember to journal.

Creating a habit of digital journaling takes time and effort. Be patient with yourself and keep working towards your goal, even if you miss a day or two. Over time, you’ll find that journaling becomes a natural part of your daily routine.

Customize your digital journal

To help you create a personalized digital journal routine, it helps if you customize your journal according to how your personality or how you like things to be. Using templates at first is helpful, especially if you’re new to it. However, as you progress with your digital journaling routine, it’s better to personalize your journal to how it fits your habit.

When you find the app or tool to host or contain your digital journal, you can customize the following:

Fonts
Headings
Background color
Adding emojis or stickers

It may also help if you try different writing styles like bullets, paragraphs, or even a one line a day journal. A line a day journal helps you avoid the burnout.

Staying consistent with your personalized digital journaling routine

Staying consistent with your personalized digital journaling routine requires dedication and commitment. As I mentioned previously, you can use a one-liner journal to avoid the burn-out.

You can try these tips to help you remain consistent with your digital journaling:

Set realistic goals that will help you focus and feel motivated.
Use alarms and reminders.
Dedicate a space in your home solely for journaling. You may use your workspace and associate it with your habits.
Find inspiration to make it consistent. You can look at your plants or even your mood board to help you reflect.
Embrace imperfection, your journal should not be perfect. Imperfections are what makes thing perfect.
Celebrate your small wins!

Remember that consistency takes time and effort. Be patient with yourself and keep working towards your goals. Over time, you’ll find that your personalized digital journaling routine becomes a natural part of your daily routine.

Final thoughts

A personalized digital journaling routine is a valuable tool for personal growth, reflection, and self-expression. By finding a system that works for you and committing to consistent journaling practice, you can gain valuable insights into your thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Whether you choose to use a note-taking app or a dedicated journaling app, there are many options available to suit your needs and preferences. By setting specific goals, using prompts, and finding a dedicated time and space to journal, you can create a routine that works for you.

Remember that journaling is a personal practice, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. The most important thing is to make it a habit and to approach it with an open and curious mind.