Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Types of Diaries

There are many different types of diaries. Here are some of them:

Diary
Photo by by Magic Madzik

Travel Diaries, aka Road Diaries or Travelogues


Travel diaries include many records made by voyagers. Generally speaking, these diaries are centered specifically around the courses of where a person has traveled, usually including experiences that occurred along the way.


Creative Diary
Photo by sushi♥ina

Food Diaries, aka Diet Diaries


This type of diary is basically a daily record of all the types of foods and drinks consumed by a person, usually in order to estimate calorie consumption; while tracking calorie consumption, a person can see how far he has come in his weight loss struggles.


Workout Diaries, aka Exercise Diaries


Workout diaries are the type of journals where one explains the exercise he has recently done, including the duration of the workout, and possibly other information, such as how many calories he believes he has burned, or how he felt after the workout.

Sleep Diaries


A sleep diary is a log of a person's time spent sleeping and waking, possibly including other information, usually done over a period of many weeks. Generally, sleep diaries are kept by a patient, having been given by a doctor, psychologist, counselor, etc. Ideally, they are used for diagnosing people with a sleep disorder, like narcolepsy or insomnia.

Audio Diaries


Audio diaries utilize spoken words, not written words. Many people use tape recorders or voice recorders to talk about parts of their lives that are most fascinating, with each event progressing to the current situation.

Tagebuch


German Tagebuchs are basically just diaries, although they could include workbooks or journals as well.

Personal writing diaries


In these diaries, people can write about their thoughts about anything they want. For example, someone may write about a crush he has on a girl.


Creative Diary
Photo by sushi♥ina

Creative Writing Diary


Creative writing diaries are used to record stories, poems, lyrics to songs, or drawings. Often times, for example, people get thoughts that come to mind spontaneously, and they record them in these types of diaries.

Memory Diary


Memory diaries allow people to place precious photos, log details about their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions for events that are most important to their lives. The topics that are put into this diary are things that will want to be explored in the future.

Prayer Diary


A prayer journal diary is something that holds a person's thoughts and feelings concerning life, with the hopes that a greater being (i.e., "God") will look at it.

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Learn Why writing a diary of any type is better on Mac.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Why Write a Diary on Mac

mac-diary.jpgKeeping a diary is a time-honored tradition that allows us a safe and secure outlet for sharing goals, passions, dreams and secrets. As a rule, diaries and journals have been maintained in a very simple manner: in a paper journal. What if there was a better way? What if you could further simplify the process, while making your diary more robust and powerful? With today's technology, this is not only possible but also available. If you have an Apple computer, you can keep your own Mac diary. Here are several reasons why:

Simplicity of Mac OS X


It is widely accepted that Mac OS X is by far the simplest operating system out there. Apple has gone out of its way to offer a simple, yet robust system for managing our digital lives. As a result, you can keep your diary where you browse the internet, check your email and keep in touch with family. Rather than keeping things in separate places, everything can be consolidated into one spot.

Easily Return to Memories


How much time do you spend flipping through your journal trying to find a specific memory or event? How often has there been an entry that you search for that you just cannot find? The process of search through a paper journal (or volumes of paper journals) can be both tedious and frustrating. When you keep your memories digital, however, entries can be easily organized and retrieved. By utilizing the search feature, you can look for certain words, names or dates. To make things even easier, each entry is organized by date allowing you to sort through them in several different ways.

Versatility


Take your memories with you everywhere you go, and fill your diary up in ways you never have before. Very frequently are memories best described with words alone. There are sounds, smells and images that come to mind. Why not include as many of these when you put them into writing? While smells and some sounds cannot be replicated in your computer, images surely can. Is there a certain image you want to include with a memory? Place it right alongside your entry!

Easy Backup of Diaries


With the use of a digital diary, keeping a backup is easier than ever. Imagine backing up your paper diary. How long would that take? With a simple press of a button, you can create a backup of your memories that you can transfer and save forever.

Easy Encryption/Security of Entries


While some diaries have built in locks, are they very secure? When you use a Mac diary, security is easy. Simply designate a password for you journal, and your memories will be protected by that password. To further protect them from prying eyes, the words you write will be encrypted so that nobody can read your inner thoughts without permission.

When you take all of these factors into account, it is easy to see why a digital diary is better than on paper. While it may take a little time to transition from journaling by hand, the security, reliability and simplicity will definitely make your new journal the best place to keep your thoughts.

Read more: Mémoires 3, diary software for Mac released

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Hiding Diary

Interesting! I found an article on hiding your personal diary that suggests a few places where you can hide it. One of the suggestions:
"Put your diary inside a desktop computer. Most computers have lots of empty space inside the case, and very few people think to look inside them. People, and parents especially, may not be very good at dealing with technology and not even realize it can open or that there is any space inside. Just be sure not to store it somewhere where it will damage your computer, start a fire or block airflow to components that need cooling."
It's funny that they thought about computers, but didn't notice this simple fact: if you keep your diary on your computer, using diary software, you don't even need to hide it! Especially considering the fact that good software, such as Mémoires for Mac, can encrypt your diary, so only you can read it.

Please don't hide your diary inside a computer, literally. Use a better tool for a job — a software application.

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Exclusive deal: Use coupon code MACDIARY5 to get $3 off when purchasing Mémoires, easy-to-use diary software for Mac. Valid until June 10, 2010!

What to Do If You Haven't Updated Your Diary in a While

If you haven't written anything in a while in you diary, and start writing again, you may feel the urge to write about every little thing that has happened since you last updated the diary. Resist that urge, because blank spots in your diary have just as big a story to tell as your daily entries do.

Maybe you were busy. Maybe you were lazy. Or something happened. That's okay. You don't have to chronicle those lost days with recap of the events.

If you want to write about what happened, do it, but fight the obsession to describe every little detail.

Why? Mostly because this will keep you from procrastinating. When you want to write again next time, you won't be held by thinking that you'd have to write a lot to describe the past events.

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Exclusive deal: Use coupon code MACDIARY5 to get $3 off when purchasing Mémoires, easy-to-use diary software for Mac. Valid until June 10, 2010!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

How to Write a Diary

- Make a commitment to write diary regularly.

- Choose tools that are convenient and inspiring.

- Just write.

- Add photos to your diary.

- Try different styles.

- Review your diary.

Read more in How to write a journal article, or watch this video:

Sunday, March 14, 2010

What is a Diary?

A diary is a record (originally in handwritten format) with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries undertaken for institutional purposes play a role in many aspects of human civilization, including government records (e.g., Hansard), business ledgers and military records. Schools or parents may teach or require children to keep diaries in order to encourage the expression of feelings and to promote thought.

Generally the term is today employed for personal diaries, in which the writer may detail more personal information and normally intended to remain private or to have a limited circulation amongst friends or relatives. The writer may also describe recent events in his/her personal diary. The word "journal" may be sometimes used for "diary," but generally one writes daily in a diary, whereas journal-writing can be less frequent.

(from Wikipedia)