For years, I’ve kept a journal, using any number of word-processing programs for this. Microsoft Word, of course, and Apple’s Pages, and Mellel (a Mac-only word-processor I liked for a couple of years), Google Docs, and even SimpleNote, a note-taking tool for the web and my iPhone.
I wasn’t really looking for something new for keeping a journal — after all, you don’t need much more than a blank page — but then I heard about raves for Day One, a Mac and iOS app. I took a look, bought the Mac version ($10) and the iPhone version ($2), and now I’m a bonafide Day One fan.
Why is this? Well, I think it’s for a number of reasons:
- It’s got a simple, great-looking interface.
- I can keep the Mac and iPhone versions synced with Dropbox (or iCloud).
- A couple keystrokes, and I can “lock” the journal.
- It’s got some stylish user interface features, like the ability to hover over dates on a calendar to scan your journal entries.
- I appreciate having a well-designed writing tool tailored to one task, journal writing.
This is all something of a surprise to me — my infatuation with Day One, that is — because I almost always prefer to use just one tool for writing, rather than many. In fact, I’ve been frustrated over the past few years over the need to use so many different writing tools (Word, Google Docs, Pages, and so forth), depending on what I’m writing (and whether I’m collaborating with others). But I’m getting used to it.
ALLAN HOFFMAN 