A Journal or Diary means different things to different people.
What used to be a practice of recording personal encounters, events, or challenges of the day in one’s diary is largely referred to as journal-writing, a new term used by many today.
My idea of writing a Journal is a two-part sequence. On one part, I record all the significant daily happenings, from my appointment/event schedules, the type of food & beverage that I consume, to the exercise routine and sleep pattern of the day and how my day turned out, overall. Not by any means paranoia, it’s a private way of monitoring my routine - to endeavor to draw a balance on living the life and lifestyle I designed for myself, and well, also living life to the fullest! My mantra is and has always been - Health, Happiness, and Wealth, in that order; and my Journal helps me to keep things in check. How so? Whenever I input data, it is a process of reviewing what I have done, and whether I have been disciplined enough to keep within the perimeters of my indulgence.
The other part of my diary contains my thoughts - creative thoughts that check on the progress of development of my aspirations - a creative thinking process exploring and examining my personal life and career goals - whether I have achieved them yet, if not, how much more effort I need to put in to realize those goals. It’s a personal checklist and reminder, and sometimes a wake-up call when I re-read old journal entries.
My journal is my friend, companion, and confidante. Depending on how creative and indulgent you are - writing a journal need not be bland text input as in word processing. You can include image clips, videos, and hyperlinks, to make your journal-writing experience more engaging.
Always keep your journal PRIVATE - it is sacred. If you word-process, encrypt your files with password access.
If you are writing pen-on-paper, keep your diary under lock and key.