My Instagram feed is filled with stationery and journal photos, animals, and posts from my friends – plus, of course, an overwhelming number of ads disguised as stories. Today, I came across a question about journaling: Does using a keyboard or an app somehow diminish the experience? I believe the idea that true journaling requires pen and paper needs to change. Although I once thought only handwriting counted as real journaling, I now see that typing can be just as meaningful.
Of course, this comes from someone who owns far more pens and notebooks than she could ever possibly need. I have drawers full of inks and fountain pens, and I’m familiar with the differences between various paper types and their GSM weights. There’s something deeply satisfying about the feel of a good pen gliding across quality paper – the tactile rhythm, the slight scratch of the nib, the permanence of ink soaking in. So yes, I’ll always love the traditional pen-to-paper experience.
That said, I’ve also come to appreciate the ease and flexibility of digital journaling. Typing lets my thoughts keep pace with my mind, allowing ideas to flow freely without getting bottlenecked by my handwriting speed. Plus, digital tools make it easy to organize, search, and revisit past entries in ways that a notebook can’t.
In the end, journaling isn’t defined by whether it’s written in a notebook or typed on a screen – it’s about the act itself: the quiet reflection, the honesty, and the simple commitment to put thoughts into words.
When people insist that “real journaling” has to look a certain way – beautiful handwriting, fancy notebooks, or perfectly curated spreads – they’re unintentionally creating obstacles and hurdles. That mindset turns journaling from a simple act of self-expression into something exclusive and performative. It stops being a tool for mental clarity or emotional processing and starts feeling like a luxury hobby that only some can “do right.” But journaling isn’t about aesthetics or rules. It’s about honesty, reflection, and connection with yourself. It should be accessible to everyone, no matter what form it takes – scribbles in a cheap notebook, voice notes on your phone, or digital entries typed at midnight.
Speaking of browsing through past entries, I really need to update my site’s layout to make older posts easier to find. Right now, the only way to revisit past entries is by endlessly scrolling, which isn’t ideal. I want to add a search bar and start tagging my posts properly so everything becomes more searchable. A friend’s mom mentioned she wanted to read about my trip to Europe, but at the moment, it would take some effort to track down those entries. Adding a search function and organizing my tags would make it significantly simpler for readers and me to find what they’re looking for.
Okay, I went ahead and added tags to all the posts about the trip, and I also added a search bar to my site. That should make things a little easier to find. The only problem is that the search function doesn’t search the tags – just the post content itself. I’ll need to figure out how to make it include tags in the search results. For now, though, at least my site finally has a search bar!
I’m studying cybersecurity right now, but my mind keeps wandering to my website’s layout. It definitely needs a refresh. I’ve had the same design for quite a while. Adding the search bar also created a horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the page, and I really don’t like how that looks. For now, I’m focusing on studying and adding a few things to my site.
Ok, I worked on my site for a bit and made a few changes – I even gave it a new layout. I ended up putting my picture up, too. I’m not sure why, since I usually don’t care to have my picture on my site, but I thought, why not? So I made myself some hot tea and got to work. There’s now a search icon that lets you look through posts. It doesn’t search tags, but it does search within entries. I also added a drop-down menu for the archives, making it easier to browse through groups of entries.
I think I need to start adding pictures to my posts. Not all of them, though – just the new ones that feel like they should have a photo. I don’t plan on going back to add pictures to the old entries.
Tommy has band practice tonight, and Kel will be home from work soon. The house is quiet again. I’ve been feeling a little anxious, though I’m not sure why. Maybe I’ll read for a bit or watch some YouTube. I can’t quite decide. For now, I think I’ll make another cup of tea and settle in with a book for a while.
I’m still reading The Truths We Hold. I’m not sure when it’s due back to the library, but I should probably spend some extra time reading tonight.
