9 Reasons a Digital Journal is Better Than Pen and Paper

Some of us are old school — you know, the “pen and paper will always be king” type. So it’s no secret that journal writers often fall into this category. The feeling of the pen against paper can be a magical, cathartic experience like none other. There’s something deeply intimate about writing something down by hand that pen and papers writers swear cannot be replicated by typing something online. There’s no denying it — writing in your physical journal is special, but today we’re diving into the world of digital journaling and exploring the other side. Grab your laptops because you might actually find that the world of digital journaling is where you belong.

Here are our nine reasons why digital journaling can be better than pen and paper:

1. Digital journaling makes it exponentially easier to edit on the fly, spell check your words, and rearrange your entry. Erasing and rewriting in your journal can get messy — typing into your journal allows for a clean look with less confusion.
2. Journaling online can give you access to your journal on multiple different platforms. JRNL’s online service allows you to access your journal from the web, your mobile phone, or tablet.
3. Organizing your journal entries can be a breeze. Sometimes you want to order your entries by a connecting theme or symbol that runs throughout multiple entries. Digital journaling makes it easier to shift these entries and place them with their new group.
4. Digital journals are easier to share online with a community of your choosing. You could always type up your paper and pen entries, but having them digitally allows for a quick and easy copy and paste.
5. For those who have been journaling for years and have an extensive collection of entries, it can be hard to easily locate a very specific entry in a sea of paper. With a digital entry, you can categorize an entry so that you can easily locate it.
6. With a digital journal, you’ll never have to worry about damage from the elements. Paper is extremely fragile and can wear easily over time. If you have your digital journal backed up, there is a very slim chance of it ever being destroyed or lost completely.
7. You don’t need to physically hide your journal. No more stacking entries under your bed or in your closet. Most online journals will also allow you to set a passcode to unlock your journal digitally.
8. You can include different media in a digital journal. Import from Instagram or upload photos to enhance your entry.
9. The final reason to journal digitally is that it can always be transcribed to paper if you choose to! JRNL’s publishing platform even makes it easy to turn your online journal into a physical hardcover book to keep forever!

Digital journaling doesn’t sound so bad now does it? Well, that’s a matter of personal preference. Journaling is unique to each individual, but we hope we have at least illuminated some of the benefits of digital journaling.