What you'll use depends on what you plan to achieve.
The first big decision is using pen & paper vs. digital. This decision has consequences only if you write. Before you start, it doesn't matter. If you cannot access a phone or pc, write on paper.
Nothing forces you to keep writing in the same way you started.
Give yourself a week to try which solutions work for you.
I have a tip, though:
| Journaling Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Digital | • Easy review | |
| • Quick search | ||
| • Database like structure |
◦ Roam Research
◦ Notion
◦ Obsidian (Dataview)
• Easy to transform into second-brain • Linking notes • Easy access to all digital resources ◦ Photos ◦ Links ◦ Documents • No need to carry around the journal • Free indexing • Templates | • You need an electronic device • Easy access to materials tempts one to save everything for later, never diving into the material | | Recording | • You see your facial expressions and where you look • Hand movements • Talking to the camera is a skill you improve by practicing • You can modify how fast you speak ◦ Tone ◦ Language ◦ Breaks | • Harder retrieval of information ◦ You could use an AI to transcribe but at an additional cost • It may get cumbersome to store as videos require a lot of disk space • Hard to index • No templates | | Pen&paper | • The feeling of writing • Improved memory • No electronics ◦ Good for writing before sleep ◦ Break from technology ◦ No battery | • You can lose it • If you write like my girlfriend, it can get unreadable :D • Indexing is tricky • Not interactive ◦ No dynamic links ◦ No batch data collection • Harder to keep the same structure • No templates |