---
title: How to Actually Use DearDiary
date: 2026-03-26
author: Konrad Lother
excerpt: Stop writing essays. Start capturing moments.
---

# How to Actually Use DearDiary

Here's the thing about journaling: most people don't do it because they don't have time to write paragraphs at the end of the day.

I built DearDiary because I wanted to remember my life. Not write essays.

## The Core Idea

You capture events throughout the day. In seconds. Then AI writes your diary.

That's it.

Not "write down your thoughts." Not "reflect on your day." Just: what happened?

## Step 1: Capture Everything

Press **Ctrl+J**. Type what happened. Enter.

Examples:
- "Coffee with Marcus at that new place downtown"
- "Finished chapter 5 of the ML book"
- "Got caught in rain walking back from the station"
- "Argument with Sarah about the project direction - she's probably right"

Three seconds. Done.

Don't think. Don't edit. Just capture.

## Step 2: Keep Going

Throughout the day, whenever something happens that might be worth remembering:
- A conversation that mattered
- Something you learned
- How you felt
- What you ate
- Where you went

Short notes. Bullet points. Voice memos if you're driving.

A short note beats no note.

## Step 3: Generate Your Diary

When you're ready, click **Generate**.

AI reads all your events and writes a narrative diary entry. Not a summary. A story.

## Step 4: Make It Better

Not happy with the result? Add instructions and regenerate.

> "Focus on the conversations I had"
> "Make it more concise"
> "I want more detail about the technical work"

Or don't. The AI diary is a suggestion, not scripture.

## The Secret

Be specific.

Bad: "Had lunch"
Good: "Lunch with Anna at the Italian place, she mentioned moving to Berlin next month"

Bad: "Meeting"
Good: "Project kickoff meeting - new client wants delivery by June, seems doable"

Specific notes = interesting diaries.

## Why This Works

Traditional journaling asks you to reconstruct your day from memory at 11pm when you're tired.

DearDiary asks you to note things in 3 seconds when they happen.

3 seconds beats reconstructing from memory every time.

## What You Get

At the end of the week, you have:
- A diary entry for each day
- The actual events, not reconstructed memories
- Locations, times, context
- Something you can actually read and remember from

Not perfect. But real.

That's the point.