Help centre
How to use DaysWeeksYears
Everything you need to know to get started and make the most of your journaling experience.
Getting started
Signing in
DaysWeeksYears uses email-based sign-in. Enter your email address on the sign-in page to receive a one-time code, or use the magic-link fallback if you prefer signing in from a link.
Your first journal
After signing in, head to the Journals page. Click "Create journal" and give it a name. Your journal is private to you from the start.
Writing your first entry
Navigate to the Entries page and click "New entry". Select a journal, pick a date, write your entry, and add any tags. Each entry is anchored to a specific date.
Managing journals
Creating journals
Create as many journals as you need — one for personal reflections, another for travel, a third for work notes. Each journal maintains its own timeline, and stays private to you.
Editing journals
Click the edit button on any journal to change its name.
Working with entries
Date-based entries
Every entry is tied to a date. You can write entries for today, backfill past dates, or plan ahead. The date is the primary way entries are organised and retrieved.
Tags
Add tags to entries for cross-journal organisation. Tags let you find related entries quickly — filter by tag to see everything you've written about a topic.
Photo attachments
Attach multiple photos to any entry. Images are stored in dedicated object storage for reliability. Each photo maintains its original quality.
Filtering and browsing
Browse by date
View your entries as a timeline. Jump to specific dates or browse through date ranges to revisit past entries.
Filter by journal
Switch between journals to focus on a specific area of your life. Each journal has its own independent timeline.
Filter by tag
Select one or more tags to see matching entries across all your journals. Useful for following a thread across different parts of your life.
Your data
Storage
Text and metadata are stored in PostgreSQL. Photos and media files are stored in S3-compatible object storage. Both are standard, well-understood technologies with decades of proven reliability.
Backups
The platform supports automated database backups and object storage replication. Your data is never stored in a single point of failure.
Import
DaysWeeksYears supports Day One ZIP imports and Foursquare / Swarm archive imports. Use the Imports pages to backfill older entries into an existing journal or a new private journal.
Foursquare / Swarm sync
Connect Foursquare from Settings > Integrations to keep new Swarm checkins flowing into a journal automatically. Checkin Sync reconciles with archive imports, so imported and synced checkins do not duplicate each other.