This Journal Shortcut for iOS makes it even easier to write in your journal—and it automatically organizes it for you, too!

You can set this shortcut to remind you to journal at a specific time of day, or you can just access it when you need it. Either way, you’re sure to make lots of progress this year by writing down your goals! (Or maybe your goal is to write in your journal more this year—problem solved!)

Achieving New Goals Can Be Difficult

“For more than a century, the national bicycle racing teams of Great Britain had been the laughingstock of the cycling world” (“One Percent Better,” Michael A. Dunn). They hadn’t even been close to winning anything at the Tour de France or Olympics. Even some bike manufacturers refused to sell bikes to the UK team because they worried it would ruin their business reputation!

But in 2003, a new coach—Sir Thomas Brailsford—was hired. “Unlike previous coaches who attempted dramatic, overnight turnarounds, Sir Brailsford instead committed to a strategy he referred to as ‘the aggregation of marginal gains’” (Dunn).

“The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by 1 percent, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together.”

Sir Thomas Brailsford

And it worked! After constantly working to get one percent better in all areas from training regimens to kit fabrics, the UK team improved and has been the top cycling team overall in the past 4 Olympics and won the Tour de France 6 times!

How the Journal Shortcut for iOS Can Help

If we apply the same strategy to our own goals, imagine what amazing things were could accomplish! “Acclaimed author James Clear says this strategy puts the math squarely in our favor. He maintains that ‘habits are the “compound interest of self-improvement.” If you can get just one percent better at something each day, by the end of a year … you will be 37 times better’” (Dunn).

If you can get just one percent better at something each day, by the end of a year … you will be 37 times better.

James Clear

No matter what thing you want to work at being 1% better at each day this year, you’ll need a way to track it. You’ll need to “constantly [measure] key statistics and [target] specific weaknesses” in order to make progress and stay on track. And one of the best ways to track your progress and keep yourself accountable is by keeping a journal!

How to Build the Journal Shortcut for iOS

Set Up

1. Open Notes app.
2. Create new folder Journal Entries.
3. Open Shortcuts app.
4. Tap the + to create a new shortcut.
5. Give your shortcut a name, and choose the color & icon.

Start Building

1. Tap + Add Action to add a new action.
2. Search for and add the Choose from Menu block.
3. Type whatever prompt you want in the Prompt field (ex Have you written in your journal today?).
4. Rename the menu options Yes and No.
5. Tap done.

Prompt Sequence

1. Search for and add the Text block.
2. Move it above End Menu. (**You’ll do this every time you add a new block from now on.)
3. In the Text block, type a journaling prompt for yourself (ex What did I get 1% better at today?).
4. Search for and add the Change Case block.
5. After **moving it above End Menu, it should automatically fill with the Text block. Leave it at UPPERCASE, too. (This is the prompt as it will appear in your Notes.)
6. Search for and add the Ask for Input block.**
7. Leave the first field as Text.
8. Select the Prompt field, then choose Select Variable in the scrolling menu above the keyboard. All the magic variables will now appear below their respective blocks. Select the Text variable under the first Text block.
9. Search for and add another Change Case block.**
10. Leave the first field as Provided Input, but change the second field to Capitalize with sentence case. (This is your answer to the prompt as it will appear in your Notes.)
11. Repeat the Prompt Sequence for as many prompts as you want.

Format Dates

1. Search for and add the Format Date block.**
2. Tap on the field to remove the variable Updated Text and replace it with the Current Date variable. (You can find this variable in the scrolling menu above the keyboard.)
3. Tap on the drop down arrow to view more options for the date. Set Date Format to Medium and Time Format to None.
4. Search for and add another Format Date block.**
5. Repeat steps 1–3, but set Date Format to None and Time Format to Short.

Finish Shortcut

1. Search for and add the List block.**
2. Use the Select Variable option from the scrolling menu to fill in the list options as follows:
   1. Formatted Date (first of the two)
   2. Formatted Date (second of the two)
   3. Updated Text (first one; the one made UPPERCASE)
   4. Updated Text (second one; the one Capitalized with sentence case)
   5. (Keep adding UPPERCASE prompts Updated Text and Sentence Case answers Updated Text for as many prompts as you made.)
3. Search for and add the Combine Text block.**
4. Leave it automatically filled with List and New Lines.
5. Search for and add the Create Note block.**
6. Leave it automatically filled with Combined Text.
7. Tap on the drop down arrow, and turn off the Show Compose Sheet option. Now the Folder field will appear. Tap on it and select the Journal Entries folder you made at the beginning.
8. Click the play button to run your shortcut!

Variations to Journal Shortcut for iOS

Notes Location

Saving your journal entries in a notes folder keeps them organized. But you don’t have to name their folder Journal Entries. Make the folder whatever you want! Just make sure to choose that folder in the Create Note block.

Different Prompts

You can use whatever prompts you want in your shortcut—and however many you want! In my example video, I used two prompts: What did I get 1% better at today? and What am I grateful for? But you can customize your shortcut with whatever prompts you want! Ask yourself questions related to your goals this year, or find some fun journaling prompts online.

Automation Trigger

In the Automation tab of the Shortcuts app, you can set your journaling shortcut to run automatically. You can choose a trigger based on time, on your coming from or going to a place, or even any time you pay with your apple wallet (tapping an NFC tag)!

I set my journal shortcut to run when my Wind Down starts. That way I can write in my journal to start getting ready for bed at night. But you could choose to write in the morning, at lunch, or even when you leave work! Alternatively, you could also just leave your shortcut un-automated and just manually tap it any time you want to add to your journal.

Journal Shortcut for iOS Video Tutorial