Today's engram

Today marks the end of Mental Health Awareness Month. I shared some of my own mental health struggles earlier this year. In the spirit of this years theme #Tools2Thrive, I would like to share engram, a tool I’ve been building to promote better mental health.

engram is a note taking app that prioritizes getting the essense of a thought stored as quickly as possible. It is inspired by the main principles behind bullet journaling and works well as a companion to whatever journaling technique you are currently using.

I’ve been on a quest for self-improvement for my whole life but only recently became intentional about it. A strategy that works for me is the simple act of capturing my thoughts. I have always maintained a notebook for work or school related stuff, but realized the value of also gathering personal thoughts.

Handwritten notes were (and still are) a huge part of my journaling repertoire, but could not keep up with my thoughts. I slowly introduced some digital note taking apps, but found something off about each of them. The way one captures thoughts is deeply personal, but the existing tools are incredibly generic.

This all started brewing before COVID, but once lockdowns started I knew that I would need some kind of a hobby to get me through the days. This project has had compounding effects on my mental health. The act of building it has brought me all kinds of joy and using it has helped me better prepare for the future, reflect on the past, and (most importantly) be present in the current moment.

This is the start of a journey and I have no idea where it goes. I take a lot of comfort in the fact that I have full control of my data and what functionality is available. If nothing else, I have a tool that I will use for the rest of my life and slowly refine it along the way. Maybe it’s useful for you too or maybe hearing this inspires you to do the same.

If any of this piques your interest, please sign up and give it a go. This is a hobby project, so set your expectations accordingly. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to shoot me a message or email.