I forget things. More every year. A day goes by and I can't tell you what I did. A week later it's a blur, even though I know I was busy. I tried keeping a diary more than once, and it never lasted more than a few days. In 2023 I read a book on record-keeping by Kim Ik-han, a Korean professor of archival studies. One idea stuck with me: even an ordinary moment becomes a record once you write it down. The method is simple. Through the day, write one line per moment. You note the special events too, but also a passing thought, whatever is in front of you, a feeling. Something like the fresh smell of rain when the sun comes back out. At night you read the lines back and sum up your day. One line from the author meant a lot to me: "Recording your days and recalling them later is a way of discovering new senses." I started building an app around this in July 2023, got it to about 70%, and then it sat in a folder for three years. I finally finished it. What it does One line per moment, and your day turns into a timeline Pick a photo and the time and place fill in on their own The app's colors follow the time of day you open it Look back on a calendar and stats Turn a month or a year into a PDF book App lock and backup iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6816426793 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allthattools.daybeats Free month for this sub The app is free to use with ads. Premium removes ads and unlocks more photos, PDF books and detailed stats. If you want to try it, here's 1 month of Premium free for first-time subscribers, until Oct 31: iPhone: open this link on your phone: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6816426793&code=REDDIT1M Android: open the app → Premium → Monthly → in the payment sheet, tap ▼ next to your payment method → Redeem code → REDDIT1M It renews monthly after the free month, so cancel before then if it's not for you. What I'd love to hear If you've tried journaling and dropped it, what made you stop? For me it was the pressure to write something worthwhile every time. It felt like homework. Writing one line often and looking back on the day at night suits me much better. I'm the developer, and I use it every day :) Any feedback on the app is welcome too. Website: https://daybeats.allthattools.com   submitted by   /u/Last_Paint [link]   [comments]