Want to become a journaler this year? A digital diary could help.

A smartphone shows a mobile journaling app with a split screen, displaying a photo of food and a text entry box open to a QWERTY keyboard. The phone rests on a light purple surface with notebooks and pens.

Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter

Happy 2026. If you’re feeling inspired to start anew today, you don’t need to overhaul your entire life. Picking up even a single, small habit can go a long way toward making this year a productive, healthy one.

One idea? A digital journal, which makes it easy to write about and reflect on your day (and track the bright-eyed resolutions you’re perhaps setting today) — anywhere, anytime. After testing more than a dozen apps, our favorites make documenting your thoughts less intimidating and, dare we say, fun?

The 3 best journaling apps→

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Plus: The best pens

Six of our favorite pens, shown on a notebook.

Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter

We scribbled, jotted, and doodled with nearly 40 pens and walked away with seven favorites, including a smudge-free gel option that produces dark, crisp lines.

Up your pen game→

More for a fresh start

A composite image shows two screens from the "Brick" app. On the left, text reads, "You've turned Instagram off"; on the right, a hand holds a phone with the app's timer.

“I bricked my phone for 2 weeks. My brain feels much better.”

This physical device restricts access to the most addictive parts of your phone→

A grid of colorful rectangles and three product photos: a broom, a pair of cleaning gloves and a bottle of clorox.

Our favorite cleaning supplies

Including a hard-working all-purpose cleaner, a foaming grime fighter, and the best microfiber cloths→

An illustration shows a phone being held. On the lefthand side, the phone is cluttered, crowding out a bird on screen. On the righthand side, the phone is decluttered, and the bird is free.

An easy hack for decluttering your phone’s camera roll

Delete your photos one manageable, bite-size chunk at a time→

The right shoe of six of our favorite running shoes, shown in a semi circle.

How to choose the best running shoes for you

Plus, our favorite pairs→

One last thing: Sorry, but it’s probably time to replace these things

A broom, smoke detector and surge protector on a purple and blue background

NYT Wirecutter

There are plenty of household essentials that need to be replaced regularly to keep your home clean, safe, and comfortable. If you have a spare moment this first week of 2026, might we gently suggest sweeping even just one room of your house for anything that’s past its prime?

14 household essentials you should be replace regularly→

Happy New Year.

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