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Philo’s daily timeline view makes journaling natural and effortless. Write freely in markdown, track tasks that carry forward automatically, and embed custom widgets to enhance your daily reflection practice.

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Typical daily workflow

1

Morning review

Start your day by reviewing yesterday’s notes and any tasks that rolled over to today. Check off completed items from the previous day that you finished after journaling.
2

Plan the day

Write your intentions and priorities for today. Add tasks with - [ ] Task name for items you want to track. Tasks left unchecked will automatically move to tomorrow.
3

Throughout the day

Return to Philo whenever inspiration strikes. Add notes, check off tasks, paste in images, or jot down thoughts. Your journal is always one click away.
4

Evening reflection

Review what happened today. Write about wins, challenges, and lessons learned. Plan tomorrow by writing under the Tomorrow section at the top of your timeline.

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Example journal entry

Here’s what a typical daily entry might look like: 
# 2026-03-04

## Morning thoughts

Slept well last night. Feeling energized and ready to tackle the presentation.
Remembering what Sarah said yesterday: "Don't overthink it, just be yourself."

## Tasks for today

- [ ] Finish presentation slides
- [ ] Review quarterly goals
- [ ] Call dentist to reschedule
- [ ] Meditate #daily
- [ ] Evening walk

## Notes

**10:30 AM** — Presentation came together quickly once I stopped fiddling 
with the design. Key insight: focus on the story, not the slides.

**2:00 PM** — Great 1:1 with Alex. He suggested we prototype the new 
feature before committing to the full build. Smart approach.

**Evening reflection**

Productivity: 8/10
Energy: 7/10
Mood: Content

Win of the day: Presentation went better than expected. The team asked 
good questions and seemed genuinely excited.

Tomorrow: Start the prototype. Keep momentum going.

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Useful widgets for journaling

Generate these widgets by typing the description and pressing ⌘↵:
Prompt: “Mood tracker with emoji buttons for happy, neutral, sad, anxious, excited. Shows history of past week.”Track your emotional patterns over time and notice what affects your mood.
Prompt: “Gratitude list where I can add three things I’m grateful for today. Shows past entries.”Practice daily gratitude by recording what you appreciate. Review past entries for perspective.
Prompt: “Energy level tracker with slider from 1-10. Plot energy levels throughout the week.”Identify your natural energy patterns and schedule important work accordingly.
Prompt: “Rate my day from 1-10 with optional note. Show average rating for the past month.”Quantify your daily experience and track overall life satisfaction trends.
Prompt: “Track daily word count for journaling. Show progress bar toward 500 word goal and weekly totals.”Build a consistent writing habit by tracking how much you journal each day.

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Tips for consistent journaling

Start small: Don’t pressure yourself to write essays. A few bullet points about your day is a great start.
Make it a habit: Journal at the same time each day. Many people find morning or evening works best.
Use templates: Create a daily template with sections you always want to fill out (mood, gratitude, priorities, reflection).
Review regularly: Scroll back through past entries weekly or monthly. Patterns emerge that aren’t visible day-to-day.
Don’t edit yourself: Your journal is for you. Write honestly without worrying about grammar or making it sound good.

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Task integration

Tasks in your journal entries aren’t just static lists — they work with you:
  • Automatic rollover: Unchecked tasks from past days move to today when you launch Philo
  • Recurring habits: Add #daily to tasks like meditation or exercise to have them repeat
  • Flexible scheduling: Use #weekly, #monthly, #2days, or any interval that fits your routine
  • Check anywhere: Mark a task complete in any day’s entry — it updates everywhere

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Image support

Paste or drag images directly into your journal entries. Perfect for:
  • Screenshots of inspiring quotes or ideas
  • Photos from your day
  • Sketches or diagrams
  • Visual goals or mood boards
Images are stored locally in your journal directory alongside your markdown files.
  • Go to Today button appears when you scroll away from today’s entry
  • Timeline view shows Tomorrow → Today → Past entries in one continuous scroll
  • Search to find specific entries or topics across all your journal entries
  • Press ⌘J to open your widget library and reuse saved widgets

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Next steps

Habit Tracking

Learn how to use recurring tasks to build consistent daily habits.

AI Widgets

Discover how to generate custom widgets for your journal.

Task Management

Master task rollover and checkbox tasks in Philo.

Markdown Guide

Learn markdown formatting for rich journal entries.

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