Skip to main content

Journaling

Journaling​

Clarus is designed to be a quiet place to explore your thoughts. We believe in giving you a dedicated area to write without expectation – a digital equivalent of grabbing a pen and letting your ideas flow. It’s less about publishing and more about processing. This means you’re in control of how much (or how little) assistance you receive.

Getting Started​

First, create a dedicated folder for your journal. Something like “Journal 2024” works well. This helps separate your reflective writing from other projects. We recommend establishing a consistent naming convention. Using the date followed by a short description – “2024-01-15 morning thoughts” – makes finding past entries much easier.

Consider your environment. Choose a theme that suits your mood. Many people find darker themes helpful for evening reflections, providing a less visually stimulating experience.

Write Freely with Sprint Mode​

For pure, uninterrupted thought, try Sprint Mode. It's perfect for capturing everything that’s on your mind. You can temporarily disable the backspace key, set a timer, and just write.

This practice, called “free writing,” is incredibly valuable when you’re stuck, dealing with difficult emotions, or simply want to bypass your inner editor. Forget about perfect grammar or elegant phrasing. The goal isn’t to create a polished draft, but to simply maintain momentum. Keep your “pen” (your keyboard) moving.

The Optional Writing Coach​

While Clarus includes a helpful Writing Coach, it’s entirely optional when working in your journal. You absolutely do not need to open it. The app does not judge your thoughts.

If, after reviewing, you find yourself wanting constructive criticism on a longer entry, or perhaps a seed of an idea that might become a larger piece, then by all means, engage the Writing Coach. Simply open the panel, and it will provide its usual feedback. But if you only want to write freely, simply close it. It remains hidden until you choose to bring it back.

Staying Organized​

Your journal remains neatly contained within its dedicated folder. Everything is saved as a simple, standard Markdown file. That gives you complete control. Your writing is easily accessible, highly portable, and completely private.