I began journaling in 2019. It isn’t that I really like keeping a journal, precisely. It is extra that I discover my mind works higher if I spend somewhat time dumping its contents onto paper each morning. This apply obtained me via 2020, a particularly tough 12 months, and I’ve saved it up ever since.
My journal is not superior. I’ve obtained just a few sections beneficial by my therapist from across the time I began—there is a part I fill in each day with issues I am wanting ahead to, for instance. I exploit one other part to assume via what I will eat and different issues I am going to try this day. All of that is simple; I simply use a template that features headers for these issues.
However there is a bit of data I like to collect and embody. Every day’s climate, for instance. I’ve seen that I am usually in a nasty temper on wet, grey days, so recording the climate together with my ideas provides me some useful context after I’m reviewing entries later. I additionally wish to know what time I wrote my entry, the place I used to be after I wrote it, and—if doable—embody a quote of the day or one thing else to replicate on.
I may collect the entire above info myself manually, each morning. However I’ve discovered it is so much quicker to make use of Apple Shortcuts for the job. This software, which comes preinstalled on each Mac, iPhone, and iPad, can robotically pull in every kind of data and format it properly for my journal. I run a customized automation each morning. This is how I constructed it.
The Date, Climate, and Location
Hearth up Apple Shortcuts in your machine of alternative and make a brand new shortcut. This software program generally is a little complicated, however don’t fret, I will discuss you thru every little thing. In the best column you will notice numerous totally different tiny automations you possibly can run. Drag as many of those as you wish to the primary column, which is on the left. I wish to seek for what I am on the lookout for, however for those who favor, you possibly can manually discover the choices to get a way of what Shortcuts can do.