On This Day: why rereading old journal entries matters

Most journals have the same fate: written faithfully, then never opened again. Entries pile up, and the value everyone promises — perspective, memory, seeing how far you've come — never quite arrives, because nobody goes back to read.

The fix isn't discipline. It's making the past come to you.

Why rereading matters

Writing helps you process today. Rereading is where a journal starts paying you back:

• You see change you couldn't feel. Growth is slow enough to be invisible day to day. A year-old entry makes it obvious.
• You get perspective on today. The thing that felt enormous last year often turned out fine. That's worth remembering when this year's enormous thing arrives.
• You keep the small stuff. Big events get remembered anyway. It's the ordinary Tuesday — what you cooked, who called, a joke — that disappears unless it's written down and found again.
• It keeps you writing. Knowing today might come back next year makes today's entry feel like it matters.

The problem: nobody scrolls back three years

Rereading sounds great until you try it. Where do you even start? Scrolling back through hundreds of entries is a chore, and searching requires knowing what you're looking for.

"On this day" solves that with one simple rule: show me what I wrote on this date, in every past year. No searching, no deciding. Just today's date, a year ago, two years ago, five.

How On This Day works in Daykept

In Daykept it's called Throwback, and it lives in More — with a badge when there's something new to read. Open it and you'll see entries from this date in past years, grouped by year: "A memory from 1 year ago", or, for long-time journalers, "5 years of memories on this day."

Once there's a past self to answer, Throwback asks you one question worth answering: What would you say to your past self? Tap write to answer it in today's entry.

No history yet? It starts today

If you're new to journaling, Throwback has nothing to show — yet. Instead it tells you: write today, and it comes back here as a memory on this date next year.

That's a surprisingly good reason to write on a day you don't feel like it. You're not writing for now. You're leaving something for yourself a year from now.

Bring your old journal with you

If you've been journaling somewhere else, you don't have to wait a year. Imported entries keep their original dates, so Throwback can show them straight away. Coming from Day One? See how to import your Day One journal.

How to reread without getting stuck

Rereading can bring up a lot — not every memory is a happy one. A few habits help:

1. Read, then write. Answer the past-self question. It turns rereading into reflection instead of dwelling.
2. Notice the gap. What's different now? What's the same? Both answers are useful.
3. Skip when you need to. Some days aren't for looking back. The memories will still be there.

Want to see the whole story?

On This Day shows one date at a time. Coming in Daykept 1.7, Notebook Timeline lays out an entire notebook from its first entry to today — by day or by month, with your milestones marked. See what's new.