Journaling Apps?

Journaling Apps?

PRFL

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I'm looking for suggestions/recommendations of any journaling apps or programs that I could use. I tend to type best on my desktop PC windows 7, I do have an iPad Pro but I really don't like typing in it. I have some note-taking apps in the iPad that supposedly would let me write by hand but I don't have an Apple Pencil (too expensive) and their handwriting capabilities leave much to be desired, besides, my handwriting is illegible even by me at times, and I do get hand pain when trying to write for too long. So far I've been simply typing stuff on word and printing my entries, then delete the original, but I think I need to start saving ink and get whatever app or program might help me better journal what I'm going through. So, what do y'all use for electronic journaling, if anything?
Thanks!
 
Great question. Here's my basic set-up now:

  • I create a Word doc on my laptop, and give it a topical title as well as the creation date.
  • Do some writing, and save it. I may come back to it for a few days and write some more on that topic.
  • When I am done, eventually the doc gets moved onto a password-protected SSD drive.
  • The other trick I use is a Windows Speech Recognition app. It is a speech-to-text app that looks like a microphone.
If I have a lot of stuff going through my head and it would be quicker to speak it out, I speak into the app and it spits the words onto the page of the Word doc. The translation is not perfect and I have to go back and tweak it, but it is still saves a lot of time and typing.
 
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Thanks!
What I'm hoping for is a journal format that can be password protected but would allow me to print individual entries. Speech recogniton doesn't work for me because of my heavy accent (non native English though fluent speaker) and it NEVER seems to understand me.
I'm also wondering if, in the future, there could be a journaling function at this site, obviously now is not the time with the recent transition and bugs to be worked out, but I would love to journal privately in this site, share whatever I need in a post, or print for my T. I have no idea if this is even possible but doesn't hurt to ask and maybe some of the Tech Gods could come up with something. I bow in reverence of the Tech Gods for making this site possible, even with current bugs and all!
 
I use Notes app on the iPad Pro, using a bluetooth keyboard that also serves as a cover attached to it.
In the Notes app, you can Pin, Password protect notes, and organize in folders. I learned the downside of apps when the one I used for journaling went out of business. I had to print all the pages out, which was tedious to say the least. I figured Apple's Notes app was part of their platform, therefore should be around, and back-up into the cloud.
 
You sparked my interest, I may have to look for an annoying app. that keeps asking me to write (I know goggle calendar might work)
 
I think I found an iPad app, it's called "Journaling" and although it's not free, it's only $1.99 USD, very reasonable, and it's a beauty. I can change the backgrounds, the fonts, insert pictures and make drawings (this last one is kinda clunky but I'm no artist anyway). I can paste links, including You Tube links (I can't embed a video, however), and what's more important to me, I can print individual entries for my T. It has a reminder feature to remind me to do an entry but I most certainly don't need that as I already write too much! The one thing I don't think I can do is to assign tags to the entries, so it may be hard to find an entry on a particular recurrent topic, like, say, "triggers". It has the capacity to syncrhonize to Dropbox and Google docs and this can be a bridge to synchronize the entries between multiple devices. I choose not to use this feature because I don't trust that my very sensitive entries won't get hacked, that's why I dont' feel comfortable simply keeping a private online blog. As far as I understand it, what I enter in my iPad stays in my iPad. It has a 4-digit password lock which I feel is kind of weak but my iPad has also a password lock, so maybe having two separate passwords (one for the ipad, one for the app) might work.
The one thing I don't like is that I hate typing on the iOS "keyboard", so I need to find a relatively cheap physical keyboard that will work with the iPad.
Anyway, I'm still open to whatever other ideas or suggestions on what technology solutions can help our journaling needs.
 
I like Evernote - free version is multi-platform and saves to the cloud.
 
I used Evernote for many years, but now their free-version only allows for two devices, while before I could use it at my PC, iPhone and iPad. Right now I can only use it on my PC and iPhone but it won't work on my iPad unless I drop one of the other two. I could use all 3 if I paid the Premium. Bummer.
 
I never noticed since i only use the app on my phone, then i used the website on the browser everywhere else - no problems.
 
I'm also leery of putting extremely sensitive information on platforms like Evernote, Google docs, Dropbox, etc because of privacy, so I prefer to just having an ipad only app as i fear too many things can go wrong in transit when syncing with other devices or platforms, but that's just me. And yes, I know MS is online but at least I have a username not my real name.
 
Update:
Following a suggestion above, I got myself a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and I’m now happily typing away into my iPad by the kitchen window. I already tried it with my new Journaling app and I think it will work just fine. I’m happy.
 
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