In 1838, Charles Darwin had a problem. He was almost 30 years old and had to make an important decision — whether to marry. The naturalist took a scientific approach to coming up with an answer. It was a personally revealing moment. He made a table, with the left-hand side outlining what it would be like to be married (“constant companion & friend in old age”, “charms of music & female chit-chat”) while the other dealt with remaining a bachelor (“freedom to go where one liked”). He then came to a conclusion: “Marry — Mary — Marry Q.E.D.” Ultimately, on November 11 he wrote in his journal: “The day of days!” This was after his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, accepted his marriage proposal.

Of course, most of our thoughts remain private and not become a book like The Correspondence of Charles Darwin. I have known a few couples who have managed to pull back their marriage from the brink of no return, thanks to a well-maintained diary. And there are quite a few acquaintances who maintain their everyday lucidity because of the habit of jotting down thoughts. The problem is many people fall out of the habit of journaling because “that” diary is personal and doesn’t want to be brought out every day.

Journaling may become a regular habit because of a new app that has come to the iPhone. Simply called Journal, the iOS 17.2 update is necessary for you to be able to use it. The idea is to be reflective whenever you have time. Since the phone is almost always on you, it becomes easy to note down thoughts.

The app's biggest advantage is its simplicity

A panacea of modern life, journaling boosts mindfulness and self-confidence besides improving communication skills. Before going any further, it is important to note that at the foundation of journaling is the concept of privacy. Face ID is required to access the app or you can opt for an iPhone passcode to access Journal. Whatever you do on your phone, remains on your phone. Further, there is the option to set a timer before it requires the passcode to be keyed in again.

What do I write about?

The whole point of the app is simplicity, which, in turn, brings clarity of thought. The app is just one screen, with a reverse-chronological timeline of entries. At the bottom of the screen is a ‘+’ button that gives way to a new entry. Alternatively, you can respond to one of Journal’s “reflection” prompts: “Is there anything today that you’d do differently?”, “When was the last time you laughed out loud? What was it about?”, “Write about a time when someone was unexpectedly kind to you” and “What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received today?” These are a few examples and you can reply, add a picture or a voice note and even your location. This helps to filter entries after you use the app for a few weeks. If an entry is special to you, bookmark it.

Apple seems to have a couple of reasons behind developing the app. First, health and awareness are cornerstones of whatever the company does. Second, a phone is a great place to maintain a journal because, like I mentioned earlier, it’s with you more or less the entire day. You don’t have to go back home at night and pull out a diary, thereby forgetting the essence of the thought you wanted to jot down.

The app takes care of the first question a journal writer may have: What do I write about? Well, the mind is a maze and thoughts keep jumping at you. You don’t know what it could be hiding until you start expressing your thoughts. There is a beautiful self-help book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in which the writer says “the morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness”. Journaling is not an art or a need to be deep unless you want to be deep. Cameron has said that writing down thoughts can be considered something like a “brain drain” to put aside “all that angry, petty, whiny stuff”. It can also put into “clear” sentences traumatic experiences, which then can help you get help.

Now, Apple’s Journal is not the only app out there. Day One is brilliant and it helps you keep on top of your goals and reminisce about the past. The 5 Minute Journal is about guided gratitude. Momento can be used as a personal life journal or as a work journal. What makes the simple Journal app brilliant is that it’s free and it’s on your iPhone. There are many who like to buy Moleskine journals but, like many apps, it attracts a deterrent called “cost”. We are living in weirdly troubled times. After the pandemic, lives have changed and challenges of a different kind have set in — fears around losing jobs because of AI, fears about retrenchments, fears about relationships failing after two-three pandemic years of being constantly under one roof… it could be the loneliest of years. The last thing you need is pay for another service.

Life course correction

A journal also is where you can capture the small but important joys of life — a kind note from a colleague, an outing with your sweetheart, getting over a tiff with your school friend, something nice that your children may have said about you or when your cat snuggled up to you after a few weeks… life is not bad at all. Journal can re-establish a friendship, keep life on track and even help you understand the importance of reaching out to people.

A problem with traditional journaling is writing too much and you can’t always find what you wrote two years ago. Journaling can be somewhat of a life course correction that requires a few minutes of your time now and then. In the past, people have used recorders and colour-coded pens to note down thoughts.

Since Journal is part of your Apple system, it has the potential to know you better. Perhaps playing Leonard Cohen for 10 hours straight is not something natural (though I love the singer). Perhaps giving up on your exercise routine for a few weeks is not natural. These are simply signals. We don’t know how Apple is bringing it all together but, in theory, the prompts you get could be more relevant than on any other app.

Let’s be honest. Our Facebook or Instagram feed doesn’t mirror our real lives all the time; it’s just a slice of life we want to make public. Journal can be the app where you can be you and your thoughts, naked. And it’s private. There is the option to set a journaling schedule, so that you are regular with entries. The app simply tries to create a space that’s approachable and there is not even the option to have tags or folders. Who knows how or if it would help the Apple Watch in the future?

Life always has ups and downs, some of which are notable and many hilarious. But words always outlive a moment. Being a believer in the power of words, Journal is where life gets the focus it deserves.