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Write down your thoughts in a digital journal on your phone

    Still looking for a New Year's resolution for self-improvement? Consider keeping a journal. Research has shown that this can help with a person's mental well-being and anxiety issues, while also providing a creative outlet for personal expression.

    There are lovely paper-based diaries and notebooks available if you want to go the screen-free sensory route, but if you prefer a more multimedia approach to journaling, turn on your phone. Free apps that come with Apple's iOS software and Google's Android system let you add photos, audio clips, and more to organize your thoughts — and set electronic reminders to write regularly.

    Here's an overview.

    Keeping a digital diary requires a few basic steps: choose an app, write something, and add new posts regularly. And don't let the fear of typing long contemplative messages on a small screen deter you. Just dictate your thoughts on your iPhone or Android phone with the transcription tools, but check the privacy policy if you have any concerns about your data.

    Don't feel like picking at a small keyboard? You can dictate your journal entry by tapping the microphone icon on the keyboard.Credit…Googling

    Apple released its Journal app in December 2023 and added new features in the iOS 18 update last year, including the ability to print entries. (The app isn't yet available for the iPad.) To set it up, just find the Journal icon on your home screen or in the app library, open it, and follow the onscreen instructions.

    To create a journal entry, tap the plus icon (+) at the bottom of the screen and select the New Entry button at the top of the next screen or under a suggested topic. Go to the text field to title your entry and start writing – or tap the microphone icon in the bottom corner of the keyboard to dictate.

    In the row of icons above the keyboard, you can format the text in bold, italic, or other styles; get more topic suggestions; add photos from the library or camera; add an audio recording; and note your location. You can describe your current mood with the State of Mind screen, which can be shared with the Health app (if you allow it).

    With your permission, the app will show you a list of topic suggestions based on your photos, locations, and activities. You can turn off the suggestions by opening the iPhone settings icon, selecting Apps, choosing Journal, and tapping the button next to Skip Journaling Suggestions.

    You can bookmark and edit your compositions by tapping the three-dot menu icon in the bottom right corner of each item. The Journal app has a search function that allows you to look up older entries if you don't feel like scrolling back in time.

    Google hasn't released a similar dedicated diary app yet, but the 12-year-old Google Keep can do the job, organizing notes, audio clips, web pages, photos and drawings. To use it, you need a Google account and the Keep app. The app is available for Android and iOS (including the iPad), and Keep's content is backed up online where it can be viewed in a web browser.

    Once you install the Keep app, open it and tap the plus (+) button in the bottom right corner to start an entry. For example, using the icons at the bottom of the text input screen you can add a photo or give the text a background color.

    Creating and adding a 'diary' label will filter your messages from other notes or lists you may be using in the app. And while, unlike Apple's Journal, Keep can't bombard you with suggestions, you can ask Google's Gemini or your favorite artificial intelligence assistant for topic ideas.

    Samsung Galaxy users have the Samsung Notes app as another diary option, and keeping a diary on one of the company's pen-based tablets recreates the pen-to-paper atmosphere for the electronic age.

    If you want a diary app with extra features (like automatically adding the day's weather conditions), you have plenty of other choices, but you'll probably have to pay for the premium product. Among the many apps that work on most platforms are Day One (about $3 per month), Diarium ($10 to buy), and the ambitious AI-powered Reflectary (about $7 per month).

    Journal apps make it easier to write about your life without the performative aspect of social media. And when you pay less attention to what everyone else is doing, you can spend more time on yourself.