journaling.place

This project started when I wanted a way to automate the habit of journaling. I’ve tried a few journal apps before, and each have their unique strengths, but none of them had me coming back every day to keep on journaling.

When trying to establish a regular journaling practice, things can get monotonous very quickly. Writing about what you’re grateful for or what you did that day, while helpful, can get repetitive.

I started this project in late 2022, around the time when ChatGPT was starting to get a lot of attention. What if I could use AI to make things interesting? Adding an element of randomness and the joy of discovering something new would help a lot to keep me engaged with my journaling practice, so I started to generate a library of journal prompts.

The app started as a way to serve the prompts through an API, which can be accessed through the note-taking app NotePlan. I integrated the journal prompt API service into my daily note template and started journaling regularly by hooking into a habit I had already established — planning each day in NotePlan.

From there, I thought it would be helpful to have a dedicated app for journaling with the prompts I was generating, so I started to work on the web app.

One thing I was very concerned about was privacy. Since people (myself included) would be using the app to record their innermost thoughts, I wanted to make sure that it was built from the ground-up with end-to-end encryption. The Web Crypto API has been very helpful to that end.

The project has turned out to be very personally rewarding. It reminds me to focus on the things that matter most and keeps me working towards my goals by gently nudging me into a habit of daily reflection.

You can try it out for yourself at journaling.place. I’d love to hear your feedback and how it has helped you on your journaling journey.