5 Minute Journal: Self-Care Reviews

Objectively, the update is very nice. Considering the chaos of the unexpected and ill prepared update, the loss of access to my account for a week (experienced by many), and the removal of once included features now made premium by a subscription model…the update is pretty bad. I have been a user since 2016 and have adored 5MinuteJournal, especially the feature of having a photo for each day. I have raved about it for years, even purchasing and gifting 5MinuteJournal to friends. Without a doubt, before this update any review I left would be 5 stars. The developers should graciously show appreciation to longtime users, but currently they have not. In a similar situation years ago, a wellness app I cherished and had used since 2015 changed to a subscription model. In contrast, I opened 5MinuteJournal to find I was automatically given a lifetime subscription as a token of appreciation. A page should be taken out of that book. $25 for a lifetime subscription as a longtime user I would consider, but what the current offer is…not so much. Once my one year free trial is expired I have no intention to pay monthly or yearly, even my almost 6 years of journaling could not convince me of that. In the meantime, I will be preparing to move to a different app or leave app based journaling completely. I’m so disheartened that the userbase is being treated this way because of greed by an app that is constructed around gratitude and mindfulness.

Update: moved it from 1 stars to 2 because using it more it has slightly grown on me but I’m pretty sure I’m going to change to something else due to its his yearly cost. Hopefully someone provides the simple features and layout of the old app with either a one time fee like this old app was or a lifetime fee option unlike this one.

Ok, I really did love 5MinuteJournal back with the old style but then it really changed everything with the recent update. First they added a subscription, now I’m not anti subscription model because you want to reward the developers for their time (and they did offer a 1 yr subscription to all previous owners of their non subscription app which is good) but $25 a year lol really I’m going to pass. A $5.99 or even maybe a $9.99 yearly amount makes sense but 5MinuteJournal is not worth $25 a year for something you can do in the note app or other apps do for free one time fee. Finally the new layout is not as simple as the old model. It takes more time to do your journaling which is even more sad then the change to a subscription model. Someone is going to capitalize on their old simple model and offer a one time or lifetime subscription option or a yearly $5 subscription option and will steal consumers from them. I’ll keep it maybe about month to see if I can get use to it but will probably not since I’m not paying $25 a year for 5MinuteJournal.

UPDATE: figured out my password, which was great since password reset wasn’t working. Updated again, got my journal back. New format is not great. Feeling negative thoughts towards the people that apparently asked for upgrades and changes to a free product. It was really great the way it was and I hope somebody else copies that format.

Prior: In an effort to monetize their product, without warning, they made it impossible for folks to get to their journals - albeit perhaps temporarily. I am now two weeks waiting for their very busy development team to address the fact that I think I’ve lost two years worth of journaling to an upgrade that I would’ve happily paid for - were I able to even access the account I’ve been toiling away at all this time. Somehow I have no idea which email address is affiliated with the account even though I have logged into it before. When I tried logging in and using the password reset, it failed out.

It’s been a really helpful and meaningful tool, but losing all of those memories, pictures, and thoughts has been really sucky. I hope they “find my account” so I can at least download my journal. After making a true habit and ensuring I had an update for every day through two super difficult years, it’s super lame to have these weeks be blank. I’ve converted to the notes app and you know what - it’s not so bad.

I am so disappointed with this new update. I should have read reviews prior to getting this version but I caught a glimpse of this update on Alex’s ig story last week and was excited to try. I have used 5MinuteJournal religiously for almost 2 years and can honestly say I enjoyed the simplicity of 5MinuteJournal . It got the job done and I didn’t think it needed anything extra.
Overall, I am really upset that they didn’t really think about the existing’s customer’s experience when migrating to this version. When I tried to login with my credentials it wouldn’t let me log in. I kept getting an error message that my email didn’t exist in their system. When I finally did login, none of my entries were there. I actually had to log out and log back in a few times to even get the message about getting 1 year free to pop up (which is still unfair to existing users - we should have been grandfathered in to basically get the same exact features). I should also add that I actually can’t even use the premium features on 5MinuteJournal despite the message popping up. I have been in touch with customer support but I am really frustrated with how long this is taking. Would not recommend this version to anyone looking to get it!! Way too glitchy and needs a lot of work.

This is a such a wonderful app and worth every penny! Not only is 5MinuteJournal a convenient way to input and review your journal entries, but their team is there to support you in case a problem arises.

I recently reached out to their support team because I lost my entries after updating 5MinuteJournal , but it ended up being user error (aka my fault). Patricia was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. She say my issue all the way through to a happy resolution.

Because I thought I lost my data, I created a new account and started fresh. After finding out my issue was due to a typo, I asked Patricia if there was a way to merge my accounts. After a day or two, she replied saying the developers were able to merge my accounts and I got both my previous and new journal entries combined into one account. I’m so happy I can continue using the Five Minute Journal app with the peace of mind that my data is there and if I have any additional problems, their team stands by their product!

Loved 5MinuteJournal. The new updates and the pricing structure change mean I’m deleting 5MinuteJournal and going elsewhere. It’s gone from simple, quick, easy to use and is now bloated, ugly and more complicated. 5 Minute Journal is no longer that. 1. The disaster of the update from a user account and data loss perspective was a complete train wreck. Sure, they’ve “posted” fixes now, but many of us struggled for days. And then the account update took days. Ridiculous. 2. The new UI is way worse. It’s less intuitive, more bloated and uglier. The old one was clean and simple. Made it so easy and quick to use. This…enough for me to quit using 5MinuteJournal . 3. The new icon is hideous. Color is way too bright, and the overall design is poor. 5 minute Journal - simple, clean, easy. New UI. Not that way. New Icon…a vomit of complex lines and bright yellow colors. No. But hopefully they add the option to change it as that is easy and standard in many apps. 4. Subscription model switch — I don’t like it. No one does. I get they want $$. They claim to have added new better features, but not really. And nothing 99% of us want. 5. The “free year” is mostly in hopes that you will take it, then forget about it so they can get your renewal fee next year. Pass.

Not only do I love the simplicity in the design, but the fact that it takes only a minute to update the entries means this is something I’ll actually use. 5MinuteJournal really gets you thinking about the positive things right before you start your day. I recently started cognitive behavioral therapy and one thing I am working on is positive psychology (which I initially thought was super lame and a waste of time). But in just a few weeks, it has brought an awareness to me that has already had a huge impact on my life... 5MinuteJournal takes similar concepts of positive psychology and makes it easy/doable to do every day. Sometimes all you need is a little encouragement and this does it.

I should also mention that I have downloaded probably 5-10 apps similar to this to compare, but this is by far the best one. Worth the few dollars for sure...also there is no monthly subscription or anything. I refuse to download apps that don’t have an option to just pay once and be done.

*Updated* with the new upgrade I have lost everything, several years of journaling without warning. What a breach of trust! I contacted customer service which sent me an email that said nothing was lost but still have been unable to access anything. I love having access on my phone but I have to re-evaluate whether I can trust any app with journal entries again.

I liked that 5MinuteJournal has prompts but didn’t anticipate that it didn’t have just a free area for writing random thoughts. But I have ended up liking the prompts. Two things I would change: I would enable the program to show me a list of just affirmations I have collected. Also give me a choice of which answer to show on the timeline. And yes, I would add a section to record additional unprompted thoughts. As it is, I’m using two apps for journaling instead of one.
Update: The more I have used 5MinuteJournal the more amazing it seems. It is so much easier now to be in a thankful positive frame of mind. It is incredibly easy to use and that makes it easier to use consistently. I STILL with there was an option to see my list of affirmations on their own to see what I’ve said about myself over time.

My ritual for this point in my day, I would be doing my morning entry in my 5 Min Journal. Instead I am leaving a review.
I love the five minute journal! I have been using it for years, both the book and 5MinuteJournal . A month or two ago when intelligent change requested a survey of how they might improve the five minute journal I spent time offering constructive feedback. I did not imagine that this update would be forced (I did not choose 5MinuteJournal update, I saw that 5MinuteJournal icon had changed and opened it to find that I could no longer access my account, my entries, my photos) or that the changes would be motivated by increasing their revenue. I paid for a previous version of 5MinuteJournal and was pleased with the functions that it offered.
My frustration is compounded because at this point when I open 5MinuteJournal the only message I receive is ‘account data transfer in progress’. I am unable to add any new entries.
What makes all of this feel ugly is that the change seems to be motivated by money. I feel a loss of gratitude. I feel the need to find a new resource. Which is disappointing since I buy cases of the book version of the journal to provide to clients.

My medical doctor could see I was in a rough situation. One of his prescriptions was that I purchase the Five-Minute Journal. He felt it would lessen the pain I was going through, and help me to look on the bright side of things. I went to a bookstore to find it, but they didn’t have it, so I bought a knock off of the five minute journal. It was OK, but it never did what 5MinuteJournal is doing for me now.! I use it to center myself, to plan my day, to see the good, and to add momentos and quickly give a sketch of my life. One can easily download their journal entries to a PDF file and more. 5MinuteJournal is so easy to use, and it can take very little time to make a daily contribution to a Journal. I love it so much, I’ve already given it to two other people. The price is so reasonable, and is bringing a lot of fun, joy, and comfort to others. Thank you for making such a wonderful app!

I reached out to the company after this surprise "upgrade" (aka massive money grab) because I could not access my account. After some malarkey about how I must have created another account (I didn't), they finally sent me a password reset link, only for me to hit the data transfer debacle. HOWEVER, as of this evening, I am in and can see my entries dating back to 2016. I have exported them to my email and now my computer. Chapter closed.

The only semi-positive thing I will say about this whole experience is this-if you email the developers, you will (eventually) get a response. You will have to keep at it, and they will relentlessly promote their brand in a way that feels incredibly tone deaf in light of all the trouble and heartache they have caused, but they did eventually fix everything.

Will I be keeping 5MinuteJournal? Heck no. I'm not going to pay a subscription fee to create my own content only to have it go missing for a week. But I will give credit where credit is due- they at least got my information back.

I really am thankful to have 5MinuteJournal to record gratefulness! 😉I’ve never been able to enjoy journaling, but 5MinuteJournal hits the spot. I even ask for family responses when they are around when recording my day.

The trouble started, as with most things tech, when things changed in the interface. I liked the previous version screen look better- this one is dark and the page doesn’t fit! I wonder if I can reduce the font of question prompt? It takes up the whole screen and I cannot focus wholly on my three entries.

Also, how do I add photos now? I did pay for a subscription so this should be a part of my use? I want to be able to go back and reflect on the days gone by sometimes… and a photo is a wonderful way to do this for me. My previous version photos imported, although in no particular order, but I cannot see how to insert or take a new photo. (My kids get more reflection on their past moments using Snapchat! Ugh!) if this is user error, forgive me. But help, please! Thanks so much!

Hours in social media watching what you think others value and what you should value. That’s where we are now. Used daily as part of your routine, FMJ will accomplish two things. First, you will feel better if your life. There is no entry in 5MinuteJournal for complaints or what what went wrong. Those things are still there- but you will be forced to find the positive every day. Second, over time, you will see themes start to emerge. Mainly these will reveal your values. You will probably find that things matter less than friends and family, and that the little things have a bigger impact on you than the big time social media moments that people post.

The layout of 5MinuteJournal is simple and intuitive. The display and aggregation features allow reflections and self analysis that are easy to use like a collage of all of your photos and extracts of all of your entries. You’ll find themes that make you happy. It’s so simple yet so powerful.

This is the first time I’ve ever bothered to write a review for an app, but this one is so perfect and helpful I wanted to express my appreciation to the developers. It’s simple, easy, and makes a big difference. I love it.

I‘ve been including a “tomorrow’s goals” list in the “what could I have done better” section at the end of the day (so I don’t worry about trying to remember them overnight) - while I’d appreciate having a section for that, I think the fact that it isn’t very modifiable is one of the best things about 5MinuteJournal - if it was left up to me, each section would be 50 lines, I’d stress out trying to remember everything, and it would take an hour to write each day. But it only takes a second to fill in 3-5 lines, and there is no stress, but the act of writing things down in an orderly fashion, every day, is very relaxing and it helps me get my responsibilities done more effectively.

I’ve used 5MinuteJournal for several years first thing in the morning and part of my bedtime routine. I find it easy to use, though some days I wish for more than 3 spaces to list my gratitudes for that particular day. I love the simplicity of the list and find myself expanding my writing of a gratitude with more detail and have never run out of space to more fully account something important to me.
I experienced a weird glitch that required me to sign in for the first time since I began using 5MinuteJournal 3 years ago and panicked when I accidentally created new account and didn’t see my list of entries and photos. Once I figured out my actual sign all is back to normal.A friend who also uses 5MinuteJournal had the same sign in request that day. The developer responded to my concern in a timely manner.
Thank you for an app that simply and powerfully keeps my gratitude practice alive.

Been using it top notch tool for several years-really made positive differences in my mood and my day ! Discovered today the “new improved “ version.” Really unhappy. Liked the old layout, structure, simplicity-was well crafted aesthetically, efficient, easy to reference & use/make changes as needed. This new version really really bugs me. TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED. Difficult to access all that I invested in and trusted I’d find easily accessible. Just unwieldly in several ways. And now they want $ for breaking what had been an excellent helpful uplifting tool. Tho I appreciated the free old version I’d prefer to pay for that than this. Thought was a really quality company. Now, not so much!💔☹️😢
PS hadn’t read the other reviews-now I see I’m not alone! Wondering if there can be 2 apps? The original (with or without subscription)& the new one separately with its bells & whistles requested by others!?! &all the stuff us tried & true original prefer to do without? Pretty please?😊

This is a review for the new update. I checked the email I was signed in with in 5MinuteJournal as the update said existing users will be logged out. I didn’t care to take any backup as the update info didn’t talk about that. I used google login for the same email (as I usually do google sign ups when available) and now account says total entries 1

Maybe I had signed up directly with the email and not google login. But usually the other apps just link the direct email account with the google login account or they give an error. I haven’t lost access to my direct email account so far with other apps or websites. So this is just sad :(

UPDATE:
Pro: Should have looked at reviews before updating. Deleted the google login account and now I have my entries back

Con: Also realized that I will be loosing access to some features I already paid for in the previous version and thought will have them for life as they now fall in the premium bucket.

My feeling about the update:

New features falling in premium bucket, makes total sense. Existing features becoming premium, what were you thinking! I already paid for them years ago, when you advertised to me $x is the price to have that version of 5MinuteJournal forever.

I’m not paying monthly for something that I already paid for, so no to buying subscription to have previously existing features. Will I be looking for another app or way to journal, most likely.

I’ve only had 5MinuteJournal for about a week, but I’m really liking it! It’s great for journaling, goal setting and tracking, and practicing gratitude. The inspirational quotes and encouragement are an added bonus. I appreciate the reminders I get each morning and evening so I don’t forget to do it. (You can turn these off if your memory is better than mine and you don’t like them. 😆) I’ve only tried the free version so far, but this may end up being one of the few apps I’m willing to actually pay for.
5MinuteJournal really simplifies things and helps me overcome my “I don’t have time for that!” thoughts. If you’re like me and want to, but struggle to be regular with keeping a journal, would like reminders about daily (and longer term) goals, and like to practice gratitude give it a try!

When you just drop everything, just drop the pride, drop the feeling of hopelessness for one moment, the stubbornness to continue being sad...and you just give these logs a chance, it really changes things. I won't detail my exact position, but I'm doing things everyday to just survive, and this was actually one of my first steps in truly dedicating my time and power into getting better and its has helped SOOOO much.

You start to see the details and the little or huge value in different things, start realizing what things are better than you thought, whether that be things around you or how you see yourself or other people...anything. 5MinuteJournal is really helping me change my life !!!

also the one-time purchase is soooo tight !! Makes me feel like they really care c:

Update: customers support was helpful and were able to recover my entries. However, i have still decided to stop using 5MinuteJournal . The new interface is still cluttered and bloated, causing me to spend more time than I want to staring at my screen. I have exported my entries and have moved to a different diary app. The new app is a super simple experience, but doesn’t have templates or photos. If Intelligent Change adds a classic view, I would consider switching back.

Original review: I have been using the journal for a few years and it has really helped me. But this update is rough. Now i have to recover all my entries and this interface is overwhelming. I have to see metrics that stress me out, there’s no way to hide daily quotes on my entries, and it asks about how I’m feeling in smiley faces I have no use for. The strength of 5MinuteJournal was its simplicity. Please please please add a classic view for users who want the straightforward approach that made 5MinuteJournal so great.

I’ve been using 5MinuteJournal for only two weeks and it helps me tame my morning / evening anxiety. It’s been a rather rough couple of months, and I genuinely feel like 5MinuteJournal has begun to change my life in the past 2 weeks. Every morning I wake up with anxiety (as I have for the past few months) and then before it can flare up I pull out 5MinuteJournal to journal and write my daily affirmation - I’m strong, kind, smart, and I can do it! It completely changes my perspective on the day and even my confidence in myself, and it helps me keep a grip on my anxiety and self doubt. I also love the daily pictures function - it’s fun to look for something nice to take a picture of every day and I really enjoy looking back on entries to remind myself of fun times :) Thank you so much for 5MinuteJournal!