Dream journaling....digital, or old-school, or does it matter?

[FOATL]

Hello guys, I've been wondering which method of journaling i should use on a regular, consistent basis. I have success in journaling with my phone, there are journal apps...... but the drawback is when typing on an on-screen keyboard, errors in typing kinda interfere with my recall process. On the other hand, the phone is a perfect light source to journal at night in complete darkness during a wbtb session. I have a physical journal, pen and paper, but it seems more cumbersome to use, although with it i dont have to worry about typing errors affecting my recall. so which should be used for good long-term journaling? i have gone back and forth between the two, for months at a time.....i have 150 dreams in my phone, and maybe 100 in my physical journal......

[JustASimpleGuy]

I like to do it the old fashioned way. Seems more natural and connected and it 'feels' like I experience emotion better when writing with pen and paper than using a keyboard. Plus I use a keyboard all day long pounding out code at work. Maybe that skews my perception?

[Zoth]

If you can, try to record your dreams using a voice recorder app: you have the advantage of simply clicking "Record" close your eyes and recall your dream without the need of moving which can sometimes disrupt the recollection. Regarding your current method, try to minimize the writing and just noting down the key ideas that in your opinion could summarize the plot. Dream Journalling isn't (or doesn't need to be) about all the details as long as you can situate yourself in the scenario and the plot, which are important elements that can be used for techniques like reality checks regarding dream signs.

[jona]

For efficiency and convenience, nothing tops voice recording. The physical journal has the advantage that you can make sketches. I see at least one artifact or structure every night that is so abstract it needs to be sketched because a written description wouldn't do it justice.

[JadeGreen]

It's really a matter of personal preference, whatever you can stick with. So long as you do a good job of describing your dreams. I personally prefer the DJ system on this website because it offers tools for categorizing dreams. It also has the added advantage that other people can read your dreams, leave comments, give you advice, and be a second set of eyes for dream signs, etc.

[TravisE]

Some feel that handwriting is better for actually committing dreams to memory. Personally, handwriting makes my wrist sore too quickly and would take up far more time than I can afford (as well as being harder to edit/arrange), so I have always typed quick initial notes into an electronic device in bed and later rewrote the notes into a proper written entry in a computer document when I had a chance. I recently switched from the electronic notes to a voice recorder, since that's much faster and easier. I still type up the final entry, though, because while voice is great for recording data, it's far too inefficient to actually review/search/archive. But I also try to write as much detail as possible so I don't forget anything years or decades later. If you're not as obsessive-compulsive as I am, you might be able to get away with writing a lot less.

[KonchogTashi]

I think each method has advantages and drawbacks. For me the phone allows a nice combined light source/journal. additionally it allows for a comfortable body position when journaling in the middle of the night with minimum movement. The drawback of the phone for me is egregious typographical errors and slow input speed on that tiny keyboard. I loose a lot of detail when journaling on the phone. The pen/paper journal is great because I can add multiple entries at the same time on a divided page. I find I loose a lot less detail with this method. Additionally I can sketch out things like spatial relationships within the dream, etc. The drawbacks of the pen/paper journal are that it requires a light source and I can't seem to find a comfortable body position, in short its a pain in the ass. I wish I were able to use voice, but I share a bed and this would be frowned upon.

[Valinor]

Personally I find recording my dreams so much better. I feel I don't need to engage my brain as much as I do if I write it down. I can just hit the record button and start talking. I always talk with my eyes closed cause I find doing that makes it easier to recall the dream and get back to sleep. Ive started using dreamPad (phone app) which is really good. I can record my dreams when I wake up and then at some point in the day I can listen to what I recorded and type it up at the same time. Both the recording and the text are made into one dream entry so when I look back over my dreams I can read what I wrote or listen to the recording that was made in the middle of the night if I wish. Works perfect. Another app I use is Twilight. It reduces the glare and tones of the screen which cause you to awaken. It's a really good app also.

[vasiona]

I keep a paper journal (or often just separate sheets of lined paper) by my bed and write notes there as soon as I wake up from dreams. It suits me perfectly because it's comfortable - my bed is very low, barely above the ground, and I sleep alone, so I can easily put the paper on the floor right beside my bed, roll over onto my stomach/side and write that way. For light I turn on my small lamp or use the light from my phone. My phone is simple and doesn't have any great app for dream journalling, plus the light is too intense and wakes me up if I look directly into it in the middle of the night. Later (as soon as I get up if I have the time; later in the day otherwise) I use the notes to type up the dreams in full on my laptop. I go into a lot of detail and it would take too long to write more than notes by hand. Voice recording does sound like a good option for many. I don't personally like it much because I'd find it difficult to organise and simply much prefer to write; the process of writing what happened in the dream comes much more naturally to me and actually helps me with the recall but talking, not so much. It sounds like it's the other way around for some people, so it may be worth trying. In the end it's probably down to personal preference; there's no one way that it "should" be done. All kinds of dream journalling are good. If the physical diary is cumbersome I'd suggest writing notes/key parts on a loose sheet of paper you can fold up and rest on anything in the night and adding it to another journal later, when you get up. If the phone works as well and is much more convenient, perhaps go with it and try not to worry too much about the typing errors (...unless they make the words unintelligable.) Overall: whatever works for you; I don't think it matters much. Good luck with finding the best method for you.

[FOATL]

good advice in here, thanks guys.........

[Dodge631]

Personally, I use my phone all the time now. i have not wrote them on paper in a long time. some times i have time to type everything, or sometimes i only have time for a little bit, like main plot and such, but later come back to it and fill in detail in between lines where needed. and the best part is i can start typing from anywhere in the text body without needing to erase or drav dashes o show where something should have been written. also, you can copy from your phone or computer, and paste them directly into the dream journaling system here for others to read if you want them too, or just to have them archived.