Have you ever had the experience of reading a book, underlining a favorite quote, promising yourself you’ll revisit that quote, then tucking the book back into your shelf and never looking at that quote again? While Post-it notes and dogeared pages can be great ways to mark sections of books you want to come back to, they’re not always the most organized methods. What did the pink Post-it mean again? This book is six hundred pages, where did I underline that part that I know was important?
For book lovers who want to seamlessly integrate their literary discoveries into their digital life, Day One’s scanning tool can help you track your favorite quotes and passages. In this guide, we’ll explore the step-by-step process of scanning text into Day One.
Step 1: Create a New Journal
To keep your book notes separate from your primary journal, consider adding a separate journal.
Step 2: Navigate to “More” in the Entry Editor
Step 3: Choose “Scan Text” or “Scan to PDF”
Choose “Scan to PDF” if you prefer to convert the text to a PDF and store it on your phone, or “Scan Text” if you’d prefer free-form text as a journal entry. In either case, you’ll be able to share the text elsewhere, if you want to.
Step 4: Position your phone’s camera over the text you’re trying to capture.
Step 5: Wait for the text to populate.
You won’t have to wait long—it happens almost instantaneously!
Step 6: That’s it!
From here, you can choose how you want to organize your notes:
- You can develop a tagging system that suits your needs, like creating tags for genres, authors, or themes. For book-specific entries, consider adding tags like “quotes,” “literature,” or the genre of the book. This will make it easier to search for and retrieve entries related to specific books or topics.
- You can also make use of Day One’s location and date features. Attach the location where you discovered the text, whether it’s a cozy bookstore, a library, or your place of work. Assigning dates to entries not only helps you track your reading journey but also allows you to revisit your thoughts at different points in time.
Bonus: Enhance Entries with Your Thoughts & Reflections
Don’t just stop at the text—provide context to your entries by adding personal reflections, thoughts, or connections. Share why a particular quote resonated with you, how it relates to your life, or any insights it sparked. When you look back at it a year from now, you’ll be able to reflect on what was happening in your life at that point, how things have changed, and how you’ve grown.
Happy journaling!
Start Journaling Today in Day One
The Day One journaling app makes it easy to build and maintain a daily journaling habit. Daily journaling reminders, daily writing prompts, and journal streaks are designed to help keep you motivated and consistently journaling.
About the Author
Phoebe Kranefuss is a freelance writer and marketer based in Madison, Wisconsin. She’s a lifelong journaler and (almost) daily writer. She studied English Literature at Bowdoin College, is currently pursuing her MFA in fiction at University of Wisconsin–Madison, and has written for and worked with healthtechs including Monument, NOCD, and more.
