Over the past year, I've experimented with keeping an audio and written journal. I've found both versions of journaling helpful for reflection and eliciting experiences of Wonder in my daily routine. They each have different qualities that make them useful. Which one is right for you?
Tradeoffs to consider when deciding whether to use an audio or written journal format:
Audio Journal:
Advantages: Keeping an audio journal using any voice notation system (through your phone or another device) allows you to journal while on the move. I've recorded audio journal entries while walking, hiking, driving, on a break during a run, and riding on bumpy public transit buses. It can be difficult to get alone time, and audio journals help get around that obstacle. If you are a stream-of-consciousness writer, the audio journal can handle everything you have to say without your wrist getting tired or your pages getting full. I can share these recordings with my devices and transcribe them to have a written copy of my thoughts.
Disadvantages: The transcription of my audio journal entries can be sloppy at times. This occurs if background noises obscure my voice or because spoken thoughts don't always translate well into written grammar. For some individuals, the sound of their own voice is a distraction that interferes with the reflection process. It took me a while to get past the initial feelings of self-consciousness.
Written Journal:
Advantages: Keeping a written journal is a time-tested tradition for training your mind to think reflectively. Writing is work, and that effort forces us to choose our words economically. For many individuals, writing down their thoughts elicits a different kind of contemplation than simply talking through their impressions. When we settle our minds and allow the pen to flow, we are sometimes surprised by what emerges. I don't know if keeping an audio journal facilitates the same experience.
Disadvantages: The written journal requires undisturbed time for reflection AND no other physical demands requiring your attention. This requires discipline and building alone time into your daily/weekly habit that is sacred to you. For some individuals, writing is a physically taxing exercise.
Key Takeaway: Whatever format keeps your reflective journal going is the right choice (or keep an audio and written journal). Remember, keep a reflective journal; don't just record the day's events. A journal is fertilizer for growing Wonder in your life, a resource for transporting meaningfulness from the past into the future.