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WAYS TO JOURNAL

How to start journaling.
One step at a time.

Keep a little of today in three simple steps.

  1. Pick a moment

    A conversation, a feeling or a small detail from today. What would you like to remember?

  2. Capture it your way

    Write a sentence, record a thought or add a photo in memoir. Start with whatever feels easiest.

    Try an entry below

  3. Save. Come back.

    Save your entry in memoir. Return when something is worth keeping, or set a reminder.

Prefer a little structure? Write or print a daily template or browse journal templates.

Try your first entry

What small detail would I like to remember about today?

Keep it in memoir: add your saved image or paste your text. Drafts don’t transfer automatically.

Download on the App Store

Types of journaling you can try in memoir

What could your first week of journaling look like?

Try one small entry at a time. This fictional week shows a few ways to capture a moment, then come back to it. The app screenshots use sample content to illustrate each action. You can skip days or keep using the format you like.

Day 1: Keep one sentence

Lina called while I was making tea. We talked until it went cold.

Write a sentence in the composer and save it. The date and time give the memory a place in your journal.

Start with one line a day

Journal composer with time, photo, sketch, voice, location, mood and writing controls.
The journal composer. Write in the field below the attachment controls. Sample journal content is shown. View full screenshot

Day 2: Give a photo its story

The bakery was almost sold out, but they saved the last cinnamon roll for me.

Add a photo and a sentence about why you took it. The words keep the detail that the picture alone cannot explain.

Add a photo to an entry

Saved photo entry with a mountain image, location action, mood and written context.
A photo kept with its context. Open the image in the app to view it more closely. This is sample content. View full screenshot

Day 3: Say it out loud

On the walk home I finally worked out how to start the presentation. Open with the customer’s question.

Record a short voice note. If you use transcription, check the resulting words, especially names. Keep the recording when the way you said it matters.

Try voice journaling

Voice Notes journal with a saved recording, waveform and written sample entry.
A voice memory in its journal. The audio remains available through its play control; review recognized text separately. View full screenshot

Day 4: Add a mood and its context

I felt unsettled before the meeting. A walk with Sam afterward helped me slow down.

Choose the mood that fits and add a few words about what happened. Over time, compare recorded moods with the context in your entries.

Keep a mood journal

Weekly Mood trend card with mood emojis along the plotted line.
Your recorded moods over time. A trend summarizes the moods you recorded; it is not a diagnosis. Sample data is shown. View full screenshot

Day 5: Sketch something you noticed

Tried drawing the crooked plant by the window. The new leaf is bigger than the last one.

Draw in a sketch attachment and add a note. You are keeping an observation; it does not need to be a finished picture.

Explore art and nature journaling

The app’s sketch canvas with a simple mountain drawing, clear and close buttons, and a send arrow.
Draw directly in your draft. This sample sketch was drawn in the app. The trash control clears the drawing; the close control hides the canvas. View full screenshot

Day 6: Notice one thing you appreciated

Sam asked how the presentation went. I appreciated that he remembered it mattered to me.

Name one specific thing and why it mattered. There is no need to call the whole day a good day.

Try a gratitude entry

Day 7: Return to what you kept

I had forgotten that the idea came to me on the walk. I want to leave room for that again next week.

Read back through your entries. Search for a word you used, such as “presentation”, to bring related moments back into view. Write a new thought if something stands out.

Find a saved entry

Full memoir Search screen showing a coffee query and matching sample entries.
Search results in context. Review the query and result context before adding more filters. View full screenshot

Journaling prompts for your first entry

Use a question that gives you something to say. Explore beginner prompts, the gratitude journaling guide or the journal prompts library when you want another starting point.

Choosing where to journal

Is digital journaling the same as online journaling?

A digital journal can be an app on your device; an online journal usually means an editor you use in a browser. Memoir is an iPhone and iPad app with an Apple Watch companion. Its journal is not a browser editor. You can try the separate website journaling tools online, but they do not synchronize writing into memoir.

Do I need a notebook or special journaling supplies?

You can begin on paper or in an app. In memoir, you can write a note on your phone without buying pens, stickers or a journaling kit. Choose paper if the physical page is part of what you enjoy; choose an app when keeping audio, photos and searchable entries fits your routine.

How do I choose a journaling app?

Think about what you want to capture, how you want to revisit it and the devices you use. Then check storage, export and plan details. Compare digital journaling and paper or voice journaling and writing if you are choosing a format. Our journaling app comparison explains several approaches, and memoir+ help explains access to memoir’s features.