To Journal, or Not to Journal?

29 Aug, 2025

Yesterday I showcased some of my many notebooks -- it was great to get your interaction and share your own notebooks and stories.

And now to journaling!

Believe it or not, I do not keep a journal. Say What?!

I'd love to keep a journal. Nothing too deep, but maybe it would be. I think I would keep track of some daily thoughts, random facts, musings.

Digital

The natural choice would seem to be keep a digital journal. Something I can access at anytime, on any device, to update. It also has the added advantage of instant searching.

My concern has always been personal digital security. It would be awful if I was using an online service that one day was compromised and someone else had access to my notes.

I need to have a digital solution which I can host myself, on my own computer, but I can still access anywhere. I've looked at self-hosting a few solutions but they are all very mediocre. It would seem the self-hosting options are slim pickings.

Traditional Paper

This would be my preferred choice, with all my fabulous paper notebooks. I would love doodling in my paper journal.

However, my concern is similar to the above. There's zero security. Anyone could simply lift it and read it -- assuming they were in my home.

As stated above, I don't believe I will put anything too personal in it, but I don't like the idea that it is so accessible.

Conclusion

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. There seems no easy answer to my dilemma. I want to be paper based, but it's too easy to be read.

Do you journal? What medium do you use? What's your views on safety?

#Life #blaugust2025