Efficient Ways to Write an English Diary Using LangJournal

Hello, I’m Daiki Sato, the developer of the LangJournal app. I’ve been using this app myself, writing an English diary every day for six months. In this article, I’ll share how to effectively use LangJournal to write your English diary and other language studies.

Write Daily

You should write your diary every day. If daily writing is too difficult, set a rule like “every weekday” and stick to it. It might be challenging at first, but after about three weeks, it will become a habit, and you’ll feel strange if you skip a day. Writing only “when you feel like it” will not help you maintain consistency. I write every day, and it’s helpful to set a fixed time for writing to make it a routine.

Keep It Short: 10-15 Minutes

You can complete your English diary, including corrections, in 15 minutes. If it takes longer, you may find it burdensome and difficult to continue.

I also use other methods to study English, and I’m sure many of you do too. Therefore, dedicating an hour to writing a diary isn’t feasible. Instead, set a limit of 15 minutes. For beginners, 200 words is a good target, while intermediate learners should aim for about 400 words. I usually write between 350 and 500 words.

Use Multiple AI Correction Tools

When you write a diary in LangJournal, it is first corrected by an AI called “LanguageTool,” which is free to use. In addition, LangJournal offers two other correction AIs: “Sapling” and “ProWritingAid.”

To use these tools, you need to watch a 15-second ad or become a premium member. Since these AIs are paid services, I have contracted with each company to use them. Without ads, LangJournal would run at a loss, so I appreciate your understanding and support through ad views.

“Sapling” and “ProWritingAid” offer higher accuracy than “LanguageTool” due to their premium nature. They are developed by different companies and use different algorithms. While it’s hard to compare which is better, both read the context and suggest corrections.

Please give them a try; you’ll be impressed by their accuracy.

Share Your Diary with a Team

LangJournal has a team feature where you can join a group of up to five people to share diaries and chat with each other.

Since all interactions are in English, it helps improve your language skills. Sharing diaries daily with a small group allows you to understand each other better and makes conversations more enjoyable.

In my current team, we’ve been interacting almost daily for three months. Thanks to my team members, I have continued writing my English diary every day.

Advanced Learning

So far, I’ve introduced the basic usage of LangJournal. Please make use of these features.

Now, I’ll introduce some additional features of LangJournal that you can incorporate into your daily English diary routine if they interest you.

Corrections with ChatGPT

You can ask questions to ChatGPT-4. As of May 2024, the free version of ChatGPT is 3.5, but LangJournal offers version 4.0, which is much more advanced. You can ask questions in Japanese, such as “Correct this to natural English” or “What are other ways to say ‘I’m hungry’?” and receive accurate answers.

We also provide sample questions, so you don’t need to type your own every time.

Reading Aloud

I recommend reading your diary aloud. Reading it out loud three times helps your tongue get used to the words, allowing you to speak more fluently. Later, during online lessons, you can discuss the diary content during free talk time. You’ll be able to speak smoothly without looking at your notes.

CEFR Level Check

You can check your level on the CEFR scale, ranging from A1 to C2. Those preparing for exams like Eiken might need to use more advanced vocabulary and grammar. If so, use this feature regularly. However, using simple English in daily conversation is not a bad thing at all. In fact, I believe it’s essential to master simple words perfectly. If your goal is to improve everyday conversation, you may not need to use this feature often.

Pronunciation Check

LangJournal allows you to save and playback your spoken diary entries. You can also have the read-aloud text automatically transcribed.

Conclusion

These are some advanced ways to use LangJournal. I will continue to add features that I find necessary through my own use of the app. Please try writing your English diary with LangJournal.

For more information, visit LangJournal.