How to Keep a Private Journal or Diary on Your Computer
By Ahmed Mahmood
A journal works best when you feel free to write anything in it.
That is hard if you wonder who might be able to read it.
Many people try journaling on paper, then give up because the notebook is never with them or the writing feels slow. Others try an app and worry about where their words end up.
If you want to keep a journal or diary on your computer, here is what I would ask of the tool.
Privacy first. Your entries should stay on your computer, with no account to create and nothing sent to a company's servers.
A page that invites you to write. Ruled lines, a cover you like, and a name and a start date on the front make it feel like a real diary instead of a document.
A way to look back. Bookmarks for the days you want to find again, a contents page, and search across the whole notebook.
A copy you control. Backups should go where you choose: a file, a folder, or your own Google Drive.
PaperStyle: Digital Notebook was made with this in mind. Your notebooks stay on your own computer, and we do not keep your data: we never see, read or store them. There is no account, no cloud and no tracking.
You choose a cover from nine colours, put your name and a start date on it, and write on pages you turn like a real notebook. Add a photo from a day you want to remember, a list or a table, or a sticky note. Use the highlighter to mark the lines you want to come back to.
It works on Mac and Windows, with a free 14-day trial and no card needed. After that it is $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year.
A few tips for starting: write for five minutes, at about the same time each day. Do not edit while you write. Date every entry. Decide where your backups live, and keep them somewhere only you can reach.
The best journal is the one you keep writing in. 📖