Journaling With Google Keep [en]

During my holiday in Spain last May, I started journaling. I had two weeks “off”, sailing, and days quickly started to run into each other. So before going to sleep, I’d pick a photo of the day, and jot down where we had gone, what notable things happened, etc. Actually, the thing that got me started was being hit by a nasty wave of grief about losing Tounsi. And then I kept going.

I first used Apple Notes, but Google Keep quickly seemed more appropriate. It’s my main note-taking app. I also like the way it displays notes, with the photo(s) visible, and a snippet of text. I created a “Journal” label, so that I can easily filter all my journal entries if I want to.

I like the practice of taking a few minutes to sum up my day. I keep it short, avoiding the dive into stream-of-consciousness meandering around what I’ve been thinking, sticking to the factual. I think that’s what has allowed me to keep it going.

Lately, I’ve also used Google Keep to take notes during an outing to discover edible plants. Snap a photo of the plant, put the name in the note, and jot down relevant info. I remember missing out on taking notes like this during a previous “mushroom” outing: I ended up with a pile of photos and a pile of notes, but insufficient memory of which name went with which photo.

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