{"id":1287,"date":"2014-03-05T16:54:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T22:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dayoneapp.com\/?p=1287"},"modified":"2023-04-21T13:50:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T18:50:34","slug":"the-way-i-journal-matt-alexander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dayoneapp.com\/blog\/the-way-i-journal-matt-alexander\/","title":{"rendered":"The Way I Journal: Matt Alexander"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

[Day One]<\/strong> Who are you and what do you do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

[Matt]<\/strong> My name is Matt Alexander and I\u2019m the founder of Need<\/a>, a refined retailer and lifestyle magazine for men. I\u2019m also the co-host of Bionic<\/a> with Myke Hurley on 5by5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When and why did you start journaling?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re truly looking back, I suppose I was really rather young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you\u2019d expect, I never wrote consistently, nor did I have too much fun<\/em>. Instead, the allure of journaling resided solely within the novelty of having a private\u2014sometimes secretive\u2014document of some kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that light, I frequently bought different books to serve as repositories for my thoughts, but I did little in the form of useful, cathartic reflection. Naturally\u2014without an emotional connection\u2014I steadily grew more-and-more distant from the prospect over the years. Whether for lack of time or interest, journaling stopped coming to mind as an outlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until I began writing online\u2014many years later\u2014that the prospect reasserted itself. Writing OneThirtySeven<\/a>, my sometimes-active weblog, shared many characteristics with journaling. It was an intensely personal outlet for my thoughts\u2014albeit one with a present audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I was engaged in writing and sharing, I became increasingly conscious of precisely what I did not want to share. I tested the boundaries of comfort and public accountability and, in doing so, illuminated the topics and ideas that were best suited for a more private medium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was around that time, poetically, that Day One was originally released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in other words, I started journaling properly<\/em> because I needed a place to confront my innermost thoughts. I could share my opinions regarding business and the like on OneThirtySeven<\/em> or Twitter, but I realized I was in equal need of a repository for myself and no one else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your journaling routine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with so much else in my life, I have little structure or routine around my journaling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I frequently skip several days without a thought. In the aftermath, though, I\u2019ll find myself committing 2,000 words to an entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, with the launch of Need<\/em>, a good friend encouraged me to begin journaling much more. She explained that these memories would prove to be extremely important as my life progressed. That these early days of pursuing a passion would inform much of what I do in later life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I\u2019ve been actively trying to write at least once per week. Or, failing that, whenever I feel something important<\/em> has happened I\u2019ll immediately seek to commit it to Day One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you focus on longform writing, or in capturing small memories of life?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Typically longform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I\u2019ve said, the allure of journaling comes in the form of catharsis. Rather than reflecting on inconsequential elements of my day, I often use Day One to parse my way through the complexities of a relationship or a discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was raising money for Need<\/em>, for example, I used Day One as a means to review discussions I\u2019d had with investors. In doing so, I\u2019d turn over the quality of the various personalities, their business leanings, and, ultimately, I\u2019d be able to uncover whether they were genuinely interested in an investment or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s obviously value in capturing small moments, but, for me, I\u2019m typically focused on more therapeutic conversations with myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have a favorite spot you like to journal from?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m writing this early on a Sunday morning\u2014fresh coffee at my side\u2014in my dark apartment. My girlfriend is reading quietly in the next room, whilst I\u2019m sifting through some early-morning thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d say that precise scenario is broadly indicative of my typical habits (i.e., early, dark, and secluded).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only variable that changes is the precise location, which oscillates between my apartment and my office. For the former, as with today, it\u2019s exclusively early in the morning. For the latter, it\u2019s exclusively late at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was your first entry in Day One?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was, apparently, August 3, 2012. (Although, upon reflection, I think I may\u2019ve started and restarted\u2014literally wiping the slate clean\u2014several times prior.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was in London\u2014my home\u2014visiting my friends and family. I was going through a fairly tumultuous year and, at the time, was meeting with various different companies about ongoing relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this particular date, I was reflecting on two projects I\u2019d been approached to run and, later, an evening out with friends. Sadly, it wasn\u2019t anything particularly remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following day\u2019s entry\u2014more interestingly\u2014was my reflection on my visit to the London 2012 Olympics with my family. I was resoundingly hungover\u2014likely from the aforementioned \u201cevening out with friends\u201d\u2014but documented much of the emotion and pride of that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many entries do you have in your journal?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not too many given the time I\u2019ve been using the app. Roughly 100, I believe. Today, it\u2019s increasing rather rapidly, though. (And, fortunately, the average length of entry is decreasing.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m currently writing about three entries per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your favorite, or most used feature from Day One?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The integration of photography is what first made Day One invaluable for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not much of a photographer, but I do take quite a few photographs of inconsequential aspects of my day-to-day experiences\u2014the vast majority of which are not up-to-par to be published anywhere publicly. They are, however, useful indicators of what I\u2019d been doing on a particular day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day One allows me to provide context for those fleeting moments. And, these days, I often find myself looking back over former entries and seeing the photographs I included. That\u2019s, more often than not, my most favorite part of the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll stumble across a photo of the exterior of a restaurant before a meeting and then read about the details of that discussion. Or, I\u2019ll happen across a photo of a coffee I had on a quiet, reflective morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I truly love that aspect of Day One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you write mostly on the iPhone, iPad, or the Mac?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Almost exclusively on the Mac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the notion of writing on my iPad, but that\u2019s used for little more than some light reading these days. Equally, I have Day One on my iPhone\u2019s home screen, but don\u2019t often think to write with that form factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With my Mac, on the other hand, we\u2019re rarely apart. It\u2019s the medium through which I feel most comfortable writing and working and, in that instance, I\u2019m only a click away from Day One at any given time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, I\u2019ve always had the menu bar icon switched off. More recently, however, I\u2019ve found that to be a great means for logging quick thoughts and reflections. That has really made a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you follow any journal organization rules?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Again, as with so much in my life, I love the idea of rigid organization and structure, but I\u2019m more realistically living in some semblance of mild chaos at any given time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who are familiar, the best explanation I can provide is the feeling when you visit a Container Store\u2014an American shop for organizational products\u2014and suddenly feel an infusion of confidence that you can become so much better and more efficient by simply seeing<\/em> (or buying) these products. That\u2019s precisely how I feel when I think about applying some sort of structure to my journaling and productivity. In reality, though, I cannot function in such a fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, no. There are no rules to my journaling whatsoever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever relied on Day One for something unexpected, or used it to recall details about a specific event or date?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned, I\u2019ve been using Day One to keep track of my various business relationships. From investors to photographers, I often reflect on various personalities within Day One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, recently, I was approached with an investment offer and used Day One to remind myself of the particular gentleman\u2019s personality before accepting anything. (I ended up not accepting the offer as I\u2019d remarked to myself that I ought to never go into business with him several months ago.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, people frequently ask me about the genesis of Need<\/em> as a concept. And, truly, much of what Need<\/em> has become was committed to a Day One entry in December 2012\u2014one that has proven to be invaluable for the past year or so. I often find myself returning to that entry to remind myself about the early moments of the concept and the values that informed its inception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You recently said that you went through a long period without journaling, only to miss it immensely. What made you come back to writing in Day One?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The reason is twofold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first\u2014and much less poetic\u2014reason is that Day One is fundamentally a beautiful piece of software. I\u2019m drawn to quality products\u2014particularly those that are able to instill an emotional connection\u2014and Day One is at the forefront of that pack in my digital life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second reason is that I felt out of touch with myself. 2013 was a whirlwind. I went from deciding between two job opportunities to raising funding in a matter of two weeks. Similarly, I went from working quietly from home to being apart of a community at WELD<\/a>. My schedule changed, my friends changed, and I was suddenly being drawn to go to far more events, meetings, and parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I rarely found a moment to reflect about what it was, exactly, that I was doing with my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, somewhere along the way, I started committing huge chunks of my day-to-day life to Day One once again. And I\u2019ve stuck with it since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for your time, Matt\u2014It\u2019s been a pleasure talking with you!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n