---
title: Quick Start Guide
date: 2026-03-26
author: Konrad Lother
excerpt: How to get started with DearDiary in 5 minutes
---

# Quick Start Guide

Getting started with DearDiary takes about 5 minutes. Here's how:

## 1. Create an Event

Press **Ctrl+J** anywhere in the app to open the Quick Add widget. Type your event and press Enter.

That's it. It takes 3 seconds.

Try these:
- "Had coffee with Sarah at the new cafe downtown"
- "Finished the chapter on machine learning"
- "Rain started around 3pm, got soaked walking back"

## 2. Add More Events

Throughout your day, capture anything that feels worth remembering:
- Meetings and conversations
- Meals and what you ate
- Exercise and how you felt
- Thoughts and ideas
- Photos and voice memos

Don't overthink it. A short note is better than nothing.

## 3. Generate Your Diary

When you're ready, click the **Generate** button on today's page. AI reads all your events and writes a narrative diary entry.

You can:
- Regenerate with different instructions
- Add context by including previous days' diaries
- Edit the generated diary (but the events stay locked)

## 4. Review and Reflect

Read your generated diary. Does it capture the essence of your day? If not, regenerate with instructions like:

> "Focus more on the interesting conversations I had"

or

> "Make it more concise, highlight the key moments"

## Pro Tips

- **Be specific**: "Lunch with Marcus, talked about his new hiking trip to Patagonia" beats "Had lunch"
- **Capture emotions**: "Felt anxious before the presentation" is more interesting than "Presented to team"
- **Use voice**: Record voice memos while driving or walking - very efficient

That's it. Happy journaling!