Keeping your journal in the cloud comes with a lot of pros. For one, it frees up space on your hard drive. Text doesn’t take much space, but if you add things like pictures, video, audio, or use a machine like a basic Chromebook, storage might be an issue. Keeping your journal in the cloud provides the perfect solution. And with all the things that have already moved that direction, like photos and word processor documents, it makes for a natural next step in the evolution of journaling.

Journaling in the cloud gives you the flexibility to add entries from anywhere. Maybe your day starts busy and ends busy. Mornings seem hectic for most of us, and by the time you have a moment to yourself, you just want to relax and go to bed. But you do have time on breaks, lunches, or while waiting for the kids to finish soccer practice. Five minutes and a few quick lines in a journaling app or Google Docs, and you’ve made memories, gotten a few things off your chest, and had a little fun.

Cloud journaling comes with undeniable convenience. At home, you have to turn on your computer, wait for it to boot up, and navigate to whatever program or page you use. And if you have a family, you have to wait while the kids do homework, everyone checks email and social media, and deal with any of the other challenges that come with a shared computer. But most of us have our phones on and with us all the time. We use them so much, we can do things on them in our sleep. While it’s best to set a little time aside for yourself and your journal when you can, this lets you take advantage of those stolen moments when necessary.

Always remember that you are keeping your entries on someone else’s server when you journal in the cloud, but don’t worry about it too much. The same common sense you use with your email and other apps will keep it safe:

• • Keep your journal on password-protected sites and apps.
  • Never share your journal password with anyone, no matter how close.
  • Don’t record your intimate thoughts on social media sites or your web page. If you want to share things, make a separate, public journal, or keep a blog.
  • Use an app like ByteLyfe, that works to protect your privacy and keep your information safe.

You can also make micro journal entries to keep your most personal thoughts safe and make the most of your diary time. While an entry like, “Work – upset stomach,” may mean something particular to you, someone who sees it won’t know if you came to work with a tummy ache, fell victim to the delicious food at the work café, or if some sort of turmoil has butterflies doing dances in your stomach.

So give it a try. Start with something safe if cloud journaling worries you, like, “Had the large fries for lunch.” Whatever method you try – an app like ByteLyfe, Google Docs, email – keeping your journal on the cloud may be the perfect solution to maximize your time, get the best access, and save space on your phone or computer.