You have downloaded Journly. Now you need somewhere to put the thing on your mind: a good afternoon you want to remember, a conversation that unsettled you, or a decision you are still making.
Start with an entry. The covers, reminders, and other options can wait until you know how you like to journal. This guide walks through a first session, then the features you can add when they become useful.
1. Make a mood check-in
Choose the mood that comes closest to how you feel. Journly’s check-in lets you add more detail through feelings and areas of your life, so a broad mood can become a more specific account of the day.
You do not have to find a perfect label. “Tired” and a few words about the meeting you have just finished can tell your future self more than a long explanation written out of obligation.
A check-in records how you felt at that point. Over time, it gives you something to compare with your entries. Treat any pattern you notice as a question to explore, rather than a diagnosis or proof that one event caused a feeling.
2. Write a first entry you can finish
Open a new entry and choose whether to write freely or use a guided starting point. A useful first subject is one small moment from today.
For example:
“Lunch with Amara. I nearly cancelled because I felt behind at work. I’m glad I went. We laughed about the holiday photos, and for an hour I stopped checking the time.”
That entry has a subject, a feeling, and a detail worth keeping. You do not need to summarise the whole day. If starting feels difficult, try: “The thing I keep coming back to today is…”
You can format the text or keep it plain. Add a photo when it helps you remember something: the meal, the view, a note someone left you. The entry can be two sentences long.
3. Choose a template when you want direction
Journly has templates for different subjects, including gratitude, goals, relationships, friendship, travel, and venting. Choose one because it suits what you want to write about today.
For gratitude, you might describe a specific thing someone did and why it mattered. For a relationship entry, you might explore the conversation you wish you could have. A vent entry can hold the first messy account while you work out what you think.
You can return to free writing whenever you prefer. If the question does not fit your day, you do not have to find an answer just to complete it. Our How to Start a Mindfulness Journal: A Two-Minute First Entry includes a short exercise you can use in any entry.
4. Try voice when you have words but do not want to type
A voice entry is another way to record a moment. Find somewhere you can speak privately, say what happened, and leave room for the pauses you would normally edit out of a message.
Journly supports voice journaling and transcription. Transcription uses online processing, so keep that in mind when deciding what to record. Read our How to Start a Voice Journal: What to Say When Typing Feels Like Too Much for first-entry ideas and privacy considerations.
You can alternate between typing and speaking. There is no need to settle on one format for every kind of day.
5. Set up privacy before writing more personal entries
In More, open Privacy & Security to review the available protections. Journly offers PIN and biometric locking on supported devices, plus optional encryption before cloud syncing.
These settings serve different purposes: an app lock controls access on the device; encryption concerns how journal content is protected. AI reflections and voice transcription use online processing. Review the Privacy Policy and choose settings that fit what you intend to keep in your journal.
Privacy is also practical. Consider where you record voice entries, who can access your phone, and what appears on your screen while you write.
6. Add a reminder that fits an existing moment
Open More → Reminders to choose the reminders you want. Morning and evening reminders can be set to times that suit your day. Affirmation and streak reminders have their own controls.
Start with one reminder if you want one at all. A time after dinner may be more useful than an ambitious early alarm. Notification delivery also depends on the permissions and settings on your phone.
If a reminder starts feeling like another demand, change the time or turn it off. You can still open the journal whenever you need it.
7. Make it yours, then come back for the next entry
Journals and covers let you give different parts of your life a place to live. You might keep travel memories together or choose a cover that makes you want to open the app. Customisation can happen gradually; it does not need to be a project before you start writing.
When you return to an earlier entry, add what happened next. Did you make the decision? Did the worry change? Did the ordinary afternoon become a memory you are glad you kept?
The first useful habit is simple: notice something you want to remember, open Journly, and give it a few words.
Download Journly on the App Store
Explore Journly’s guided journal features, or review app locking and privacy options.
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How to Start a Voice Journal: What to Say When Typing Feels Like Too Much · How to Start a Mindfulness Journal: A Two-Minute First Entry
