100 Year Diary Journal

Stories

About 100 Year Diary

Notes on the ideas behind the app, the choices in its design, and what I have learned by using it myself.

An image of choosing a moment from a video to keep in 100 Year Diary

100 Year Diary v1.7.0 — Pick a favorite moment from a video

Choose one moment from a video and save it as the photo for a diary entry. Long entries with photos also flow more naturally below the image.

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An image showing several visual themes available in 100 Year Diary

100 Year Diary v1.6.0 — Choose a diary you want to keep using

Theme Store lets you choose the look of your diary, including themes whose plants, seasons, and destinations change over time.

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An illustration of a phone showing diary entries with times as the scene changes from morning to night

Add timestamps to your diary, only when you want them

Version 1.5.0 lets you insert the current time into an entry. I also tried automatic timestamps, but kept the final design manual so writing stays predictable.

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An illustration of past diary records moving from several journals into 100 Year Diary

Bringing your existing diary into 100 Year Diary

Version 1.4.0 lets you move past entries and photos from Day One, 10 Year Diary, and Apple Journal into 100 Year Diary, with a review step that protects entries already in the app.

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An illustration representing encrypted cloud backup in 100 Year Diary

Why I added encrypted cloud backup to 100 Year Diary

A diary designed to last for years also needs to survive a lost or broken phone. Version 1.3.0 adds an encrypted recovery backup while keeping the diary local-first.

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An illustration about new ways to revisit and protect entries in 100 Year Diary

Why I added 100-day and 1,000-day views to a diary app

Some milestones only become meaningful later. I added 100-day and 1,000-day views, a yearly calendar, and app lock as the diary grows with you.

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An illustration about continuing to use 100 Year Diary for more than a month

What I learned after using my own diary app for more than a month

Paper diaries never lasted long for me. After using 100 Year Diary for more than a month, I started to understand why this format has been easier to keep going.

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An illustration about keeping one photo with each daily diary entry

Why 100 Year Diary allows only one photo per day

More photos would be more flexible, but one photo keeps daily writing lighter and makes years of entries easier to revisit together.

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