You’ve made a great decision to start journaling at work as it wil improve your performance in more than one way: enhance focus, fortify discipline, boost motivation, and even alleviate stress.
And pen and paper is all you need to start a work journal.
But using work journal apps can certianly take it to the next level.
There are many different ways to keep a work journal, as well as various apps for building a journaling habit.
Finally, we’ll list eight other work journal apps, to help you make a well-rounded decision and find the best tool for your needs.
Best Work Journal Apps
Note: Click here to create a free Geekbot account and set up your work journal today.
1. Geekbot
Price: free for solo use or teams up to 10 members
Platforms: Slack, MS Teams
One of the most popular work journaling methods is to answer different types of work questions throughout your day or week.
For example, you can:
- Answer forward-looking questions, like “What’s the most important thing I have to do today?” or “What are my priorities for today?” before you start working.
- Answer reflective questions later in the day, like “Was today a success and why?” or “What’s the most important task I completed?”
Having pre-made questions makes journaling much easier, as you don’t have to start with a blank page.
Geekbot can help you keep a work journal by answering questions directly in Slack or Microsoft Teams. Plus, we’ll explore how Geekbot was designed to overcome the biggest problem with journaling — actually remembering to do it.
Click here to create a free Geekbot account, so you can follow along and create your work journal.
How Geekbot Ensures You Don’t Forget to Fill Out Your Work Journal
Instead of relying on you to remember to write in your journal, Geekbot proactively sends you work journal questions via a Slack or Microsoft Teams DM.
With each DM, you get a notification, which significantly increases the chances of developing and maintaining a work journaling habit, as opposed to remembering to write without any prompt. Plus, having pre-made questions means you won’t be staring at a blank page wondering what to write about.
In the above screenshot, we used three work journal questions:
- What will make today a great day at work?
- What’s the most important thing I have to get done today?
- Is there a task I’ve been putting off that I can complete today?
However, Geekbot is fully customizable, and you can enter your own work journal questions. Also, there’s no limit to the number of questions you can ask.
Optionally Set Up Automated Follow-Up Notifications
Now, in some cases — e.g., when you’re mid-task — you may want to postpone answering the questions for a few hours.
In that case, Geekbot can help you remember to fill out your journal later with optional reminders. Per the below screenshot, reminders can be sent to you via a Slack or Microsoft Teams DM every hour, every three hours, or any other frequency you want.
Note that the reminder feature is completely optional, so it’s not intrusive to your workflow.
With Geekbot, You Get Full Control Over When Your Journaling Prompts Get Sent
Besides customizable and unlimited questions, Geekbot lets you schedule when you receive them in Slack or Microsoft Teams.
You can select any frequency you want:
- Daily (e.g., receive questions and a notification every day at 9:00 AM to prepare for the day ahead)
- Weekly (e.g., each Monday to organize your week or Friday to recap it)
- 2 Week Period
- 3 Week Period
- 4 Week Period
- First week of each month (e.g., to organize all important tasks for the month)
- Last week of each month (e.g., to recap everything you accomplished during the month)
- And any other schedule you want
You can even create different types of work journal questions and adjust the schedule so you receive them at different times.
For example, you can have one batch of forward-looking questions (like “What’s the most important task I have to work on today?”) sent to you every morning to prepare for the day ahead. Then, you can also have another batch of reflective questions (like “What did I accomplish today?”) sent to you late afternoon to recap your day.
Geekbot Bonus: Go beyond Journaling & Run Standups, Retrospectives, and Much More
Again, Geekbot is more than a work journal. You (and your team) can also use it for asynchronous standup meetings, retrospectives, polls, and other remote work check-ins in Slack and Microsoft Teams.
You can see how some of our customers use Geekbot to improve their daily workflows in the case studies below:
- Zapier: Why We Replaced Our Standups with a Robot
- GitHub: Why & How GitHub’s Services Programs Team Runs Asynchronous Standups in Slack
- GitLab: How to Increase Team Camaraderie Remotely
To learn more about Geekbot, watch our product tour.
Lastly, if you feel that Geekbot suits your needs, sign up for free here.
2. Day One
Price: Premium Plan ($2.99/month or $24.99/year)
Platform: iOS, macOS, Android, Windows (via web app)
Day One is another free-form journal with a sleek design and the ability to add photos, videos, or audio recordings to your journal.
Day One is only available for Apple products, i.e., iPads, iPhones, and Macs.
Free version limitations:
- Limited to one journal
- No access to end-to-end encryption
- Limited photo, video, and audio entries
Highlighted premium features:
- Cloud sync across all devices
- Access to all Day One apps (iOS, Android, macOS)
- Customizable themes and app icons
- Advanced export options (PDF, etc.)
4. Diarium
Price: basic free, $4.99 for Pro
Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
Diarium is a journal app for iOS, macOS, Windows, and Android devices. It’s packed with interesting features, like the ability to add photos and videos, hands-free text input via dictation, adding locations and tags, and more.
Their Cloud Sync feature also helps you keep your digital journal updated on all devices using your cloud storage of choice — Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, or WebDAV.
Free version limitations:
- Limited media entries (photos, videos, audio, files)
- No automatic activity logging
- No password protection
- Limited export options
Highlighted features:
- Export options (HTML, DOCX, PDF)
- Integration with calendar and social media accounts
- Advanced search and filtering options
5. Daylio
Price: free basic version, $4.99 per month pro verson
Platform: iOS, Android
Daylio is an unorthodox journal app for Android and iOS devices. Instead of relying on long-form writing, Daylio lets you express how you feel and what you’ve been up to by clicking on icons (e.g., smiley faces and different work activity icons). You can add short-form notes, but those aren’t necessary.
Daylio also analyzes your entries and displays them in stats, charts, and correlations.
Free version limitations:
- Limited moods and activities
- Basic statistics and trends
- Limited themes and icons
- No customizable reminders
Highlighted features:
- Customizable reminders
- Additional themes and icons
- Backup and restore via Google Drive
- PIN lock for privacy
- Advanced statistics
6. Dabble Me
Price: free basic, $3 per mont for pro
Platform: Web (via any browser), Email (entries submitted via email)
Dabble Me is an email-based journaling app. It sends you regular emails (that act as prompts, similarly to Geekbot’s DMs), which you then reply to to keep your journal. As with all emails, you can attach a photo, as well as tag entries with hashtags, and set up reminders.
Plus, the PRO version also has features like daily inspirations, rich text formatting, calendar view, and more.
Free version limitations:
- No photo attachments to entries
- Basic email journaling only
- No custom email reminders
Highlighted version:
- Custom email reminders
- Daily, weekly, or monthly email prompts
- Searchable archive of entries
- Export entries (PDF, DOCX)
7. Five Minute Journal App
Price: Annual Journaling Premium $39.99
Platform: iOS, Android
This app is based on the hugely popular physical five-minute journal. The app (available for iOS and Android) sends you journal questions and prompts throughout the day. For example, in the morning, it sends questions to instill gratitude and help you set a purpose for the day ahead.
Overall, the app was designed to help you develop a habit of expressing gratitude and gaining a positive outlook on life.
Free version limitations:
- Limited journaling prompts
- Basic daily reminders
- Limited customization
- No access to previous entries
Highlighted features:
- Daily quotes and weekly challenges
- Cloud sync across devices
- Mood tracking and insights
- Export entries (PDF)
8. Daybook
Price: free basic, $3.49 monthly, or $89 lifetime
Platform: iOS, Android, Web (via any browser), Windows app
Daybook is a free-form journal with a minimalistic UI that helps you focus on writing without distractions. It has different fonts and themes (including dark mode) and can work with digital voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Bixby.
Lastly, Daybook is available as a native mobile app for Android and iOS devices and as a web app that can be accessed via a browser.
Free version limitations:
- Lower quality media (image) uploads
- No custom templates
- Limited personalization
Highlighted features:
- Unlimited entries with rich media (photos, audio, video)
- Password protection and fingerprint lock
- Custom templates
- Advanced search and filters
- Export options (PDF, DOCX)
- Automatic backups to Google Drive
9. Grid Diary
Price: free basic or $2.99/month premium version
Platform: iOS, Android
Grid Diary offers a unique way to keep a diary, as it’s separated into a grid format. You can name and organize each grid of boxes around a topic — like work tasks, fitness goals, and gratitude — which makes it easier to start writing each day.
Grid Diary is available for Android, iOS, and macOS devices.
Free version limitations:
- Basic grid-based journaling
- Limited customization options
- Basic templates
- No sync between all devices
- No passcode lock
Highlighted premium features:
- Advanced grid customization
- Unlimited journals and entries
- Additional templates and prompts
- Cloud sync across devices
- Password and biometric protection
- Advanced search and filter options
Geekbot Makes It Easy to Keep a Work Journal in Slack and Microsoft Teams
If you feel Geekbot is the best journal app for your specific needs, visit our site and create a free Geekbot account.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there a tool for a daily work journal?
Geekbot (our free tool) lets you answer daily work journal questions inside Slack and Microsoft Teams.