I’ve always loved writing since I was a kid.
No, I don’t have any talent for writing stories nor poems. Sure, I love reading, but being a reader doesn’t equate to being a good story teller.
What I mostly write about is about my thoughts and feelings. I’ve had several diaries throughout the years, and all of them are still well-preserved up to this day. I even had a journal that retold the each episode of two of my favorite TV shows back in the day. However, as I grew older, I got distracted with studies and work that keeping a diary was simply not an option.
Fortunately, a previous boss of mine gave me a Starbucks planner as a Christmas gift which kick started my renewed interest in writing in general. Thus, I gave it a shot and I succeeded. During this time, I noticed that I wanted to record some happenings during the day because I might forget them to write in my diary. Hence, I looked for an app that would help me fulfill this need, and I came across Daylio on Google Play. Ever since then, I never looked back.
To tell you the truth, I use Daylio more than my diary these days. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have a 9-month backlog on my diary. Since the Daylio app serves as a record of my every day life, I use it as reference whenever I do find time to update my diary. So far, I’ve successfully done it for a 2-month worth of diary entries.
What makes me continue to use the app after all these years?
- There are various Moods and Activities to choose from, thus allowing me to customize the app based on my interests and usual moods.
- There is no excuse to miss an entry because it has an “alarm” setting that reminds me to post something – at least one.
- Putting an entry doesn’t feel like a chore. The interface is user-friendly.
- Daylio has an Achievements section where you earn badges based on the moods, activities, and streaks you have. I’m often motivated more whenever I get badges – and I’m not even consciously thinking about them. I just continue using it.
- Besides the date, I can also edit the time when an entry is posted. It is actually a big help especially when I want to record a previous incident, and I want to make it appear based on when it actually happened throughout the day.
- The Search function is also one that I like about the app. It enables me to search for specific information just by typing a keyword. For example, if I type English Club, all the entries that has that word will appear. Moreover, I can also search for Moods and Activities which is quite neat.
- The Stats section is informative and provides a summary of my entries, moods, activities, and achievements. It also shows monthly and yearly achievements. Moreover, it also shows my average daily mood and activities and moods that often appear together in entries. Below is a screenshot of my 2019 Yearly Stats:
- It allows me to edit my entries. Regardless if it’s the mood, activities, time, or even the entries themselves, I can modify them just fine.
- Whenever I update my diary, I find it easier to recall the details of my day because the moods, icons, and its feature of having multiple entries per day really help. These detailed entries bring me back to those moments which makes writing them in my diary more fun and I guess, more emotional (depending on the entry, of course).
- The best of all? I can create PDF backup files of my entries and send them straight to my email. How cool is that?
I’m actually in the middle of updating my diary, and I’m using Daylio as reference. When I took a peek at my very first entry in the app, I realized that it’s actually my third year of using it this June 2020.
Overall, I am satisfied with this app, and I’m already at the point where I feel incomplete if I skip a day. Of course, having a physical diary is still important, but having something easily accessible that organizes my thoughts daily is a valuable tool in my life.
Hyphenized Changjo 