Media I use(d) for journaling in the past year
When I received a box of old notebooks and documents from my brother in Manila, I realized that I had been journaling on all of them way back 2015. It was only until recently did I decide to make it a habit.
I have been journaling even before I decided to journal.
In this blog, I’ll discuss how I have been journaling for the past year, the issues I encountered and solved them, and how I’m journaling now.
Gmail
I started journaling through Gmail. I got the idea from the blog, The Art of Manliness. I’d send myself some email with the Subject as highlight of the day.
While the number of emails grew, it was getting tedious for me to move the entries from my Primary inbox to my Journal folder.
I would sometimes reply to a previous entry in a thread. This would later on re-arrange the entries already existing in the Folder and (again) in my Primary inbox.
The only thing I enjoyed about emailing is it’s as if I’m writing on pen and paper. No takebacks once you hit SEND.
This system lasted for two months.
Pen and Paper
Next, I ventured using just pen and paper. I had two notebooks at the start of 2025, which I bought online from Shopee. One small (I got four) notebook for the doodling and organizing my finances and daily tasks; and a big notebook for my daily highlights.
The small notebook would be replaced every two weeks due to the size and spacing of my penmanship. This made me write on the big notebook, which is two inches thick. I’d find myself tearing off these pages because I didn’t want to bring the whole notebook when running errands.
The problem I had with this setup is that I literally have to bring them for me to write on them. They’re bulky and I don’t want to bring a bag for every errand I have everyday.
I sometimes forget to journal, which led me to binge-reflect on events that happened in the past 2-3 days.
Local text editors
I always have with me three things: phone, wallet, and keys. To lessen the friction in building the habit of journaling, I thought of using tools that are always within proximity.
Any smartphone has a built-in text editor. So I’d make my entries on my phones, locally. And then paste my entries on Self-notes on Viber, Beeper, Messenger, and Line.
This was a time when I was de-googling myself, so I refrained from using Google Keep.
At work, I had access to several desktops and laptops.
I installed Notepad++ and Git on those devices.
When I’m done, I’d git push my files to my GitHub.
A problem occured here when one of the PCs at work suddenly malfunctioned. It was brought back to the main office for inspection.
My journals were scattered. But I’m making up for them now using an infinity journal.
Obsidian (what I’m using now)
August 2025, I discovered this app while watching some programming videos. I fell in love with it because of the hotkeys and templates that I could use. In my entries using NPP, I’d record macros to make templates in my journals.
This app made me appreciate Markdown a lot.
I didn’t want to have to copy paste my entries, so I bought a year’s worth of Sync for all of my devices. I have it on my iPhone, Android phone and tablet, and MacBook.
Although there were some work-arounds for a free sync setup, I just thought that I could afford Sync and went on with an annual purchase.
Bear
Around October 2025, in my attempt to learn more about Obsidian, Bear would also be listed in the Recommended videos. In my curiosity, I downloaded it on my iPhone—and I was surprised to see how intuitive it is to use.
The annual subscription was even cheaper than Obsidian!
I used Bear Premium for the next two weeks (under Free Trial). I have overspent on my digital tools, and I’m going to give Obsidian a chance until its expiry on August 2026.
Apps for capturing notes
I still use the built-in tools of Apple Notes and Android. I’m swallowing my pride to use Google Keep again for sync purposes.
If I’m using Google Sheets to monitor my finances and inventories, it’s hypocritical of me to not use Keep.
I use these two apps to as a buffer of ideas, thoughts, and notes. I suggest the Zettelkasten Method if you want to take your note-taking skills to the next level.
In addition to these apps, I still use pen and paper for taking quick notes, which I review on a later date to test if it's something worth keeping or writing about.
In a nutshell
How I journaled in the past year:
- Emailing
- Pen and paper
- Built-in text editors (and Notepad++ for Windows devices).
- Obsidian
- Bear
- Obsidian, again
If you’re interesed in journaling, I suggest you start writing (on any form of medium) and find a system that has the least friction for you to keep on writing.