Ikigai Journal
A reason to get up in the morning.
A quiet journal built on ikigai, found in small everyday things. Note what gives you energy and what creates friction in under a minute a day, and watch a living purpose map grow from your own words.
Free
Free · Pay what you want · macOS
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There's more than one way to think about ikigai, and Ikigai Journal makes room for both. Mostly it keeps things simple. A minute a day, one friction, one thing that gave you energy, one small thing you'll do about it, and meaning accumulates from your real life.
Two sides of ikigai
What it really means
At its heart, ikigai (生き甲斤) means "a reason to get up in the morning." It's usually small and ordinary — a morning ritual, a craft, being useful to someone, a good conversation. It's spread across your whole life, and you already have some of it.
How it's known today
In recent years, ikigai has become widely known through a four-circle framework — what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. It's a useful lens for seeing where those overlap.
Ikigai Journal takes both into account. The everyday side comes first — a minute of journaling a day, growing into a living purpose map of what lifts you and what costs you. The four lenses are here too, through the optional discovery and an optional AI portrait. It won't score you or tell you who to be — it just helps you notice where your energy goes, and protect more of what's worth getting up for.
What it does
A One-Minute Daily Entry
Each day, jot down a friction (what got in your way), a spark (what gave you energy), and an optional commitment — one small thing you'll do about it. That's it. No streak pressure, no blank-page dread.
A Living Purpose Map
Your entries quietly accrue into a map of what recurs — the sparks that keep lifting you, the friction that keeps showing up, and the commitments you've made to remove them. It grows from what you actually said.
Ikigai by Subtraction
Instead of chasing one grand purpose, you clear what creates friction. A rotating daily prompt draws on the four ikigai lenses — what you love, do well, can offer, and be valued for — so meaning emerges gently over time.
Optional Discovery
When you're ready, a deeper self-discovery walks through ten areas of life — not just work, but rest, creativity, movement, connection, and more — one question at a time. Pause and return whenever you like.
AI Reflection (Optional)
Bring your own Claude or OpenAI key — the AI runs through your own account with your chosen provider, not ours, and nothing is sent unless you choose to. It's there to reflect your own words back: an optional reflection and an "ikigai portrait" that maps where your lenses cross.
Gentle Reviews
Look back over a period — since your last review or by month — to see the patterns in your sparks, friction, and commitments, and how your follow-through is going. Works with or without AI.
Your Data, Your Machine
Everything runs locally on your Mac. No account, no cloud sync, no tracking. API keys are encrypted at rest. The app snapshots your data automatically each time it opens, on top of full manual backup and restore with a safety backup before any import.
Who it's for
If the four-circle version never quite clicked, this brings ikigai back down to earth — meaning built from small daily noticing, with the four lenses there when you want them.
You want a reflective practice that takes a minute, not an hour, and doesn't guilt you for missing a day.
Notice what's creating friction, name it, and commit to removing it one step at a time. Subtraction, not another thing to optimise.
No account, no cloud, no tracking. Your reflections, especially the private ones, stay on your machine.
AI is strictly opt-in, and you bring your own key, so nothing goes anywhere unless you decide to send it. When you do, it's there to reflect your own words back, not to take over.
Considering a change but not sure what you actually want more of? Let the pattern reveal itself from your real days.
See it in action
The daily loop
What created friction today? Naming it is the first step to removing it.
What gave you energy? The small moments that are easy to miss.
A rotating prompt drawn from the four ikigai lenses — what you love, do well, can offer, and are valued for.
One small commitment. "If a meeting has no agenda, then I decline it." Subtraction, one friction at a time.
Getting started
Screenshots
Signed & notarized by Apple
Ikigai Journal is code-signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, for both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. It opens cleanly with no security warnings, and Apple has scanned the build for malicious code. Combined with a fully local, offline design, you're installing software you can trust.
What's included
- macOS desktop app (Intel + Apple Silicon)
- Signed & notarized by Apple
- One-minute daily journaling (friction, spark, commitment)
- A living purpose map that accrues from your entries
- Rotating daily prompt across the four ikigai lenses
- Optional discovery across ten areas of life
- Highlights — star entries worth remembering
- Search across your full journal history
- Connection tracking — note who you spent time with (private, never sent to AI)
- Gentle reviews of patterns over time
- Optional AI reflection & ikigai portrait (bring your own key)
- Dark mode
- Fully local — no account, no cloud, no tracking
- Encrypted API key storage
- Automatic backups on startup, plus full manual backup & restore
- Backdate journal entries to catch up on days you missed
- Free updates
FAQ
Isn't ikigai that four-circle diagram?
The four-circle framework — what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for — is how ikigai has become widely known in recent years, and it's a useful lens. Its older, everyday meaning is simpler: "a reason to get up in the morning", often found in small things across your whole life. Ikigai Journal takes both into account — the everyday side through quick daily journaling and a living purpose map, and the four lenses through optional discovery and an optional AI portrait.
Do I need an AI API key?
No. The journal, the purpose map, discovery, and reviews all work fully without AI. If you want it, you bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI key — the AI runs through your own account with your chosen provider, and nothing is sent unless you click. It's there to reflect your own words back: the structured map prompts and recent entries you choose to share.
Is the app safe to install?
Yes. Ikigai Journal is code-signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, for both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. That means macOS verifies it opens cleanly without security warnings, and Apple has checked the build for malicious code.
Is my journal stored in the cloud?
No. Everything stays on your Mac — entries, your purpose map, discovery answers, and reviews. There is no account and no sync. If you use AI, only your structured map prompts and recent entries are sent to your chosen provider, and only when you click.
Do I need a subscription?
No. Ikigai Journal is a one-time purchase. If you use the optional AI features, you bring your own API key from Anthropic or OpenAI and pay them directly based on usage — typically a fraction of a cent per reflection.
Can I back up my data?
Yes, in two ways. The app automatically snapshots your data each time it starts, keeping your last 10 backups as a safety net. For a portable copy you control, Settings also has a full manual backup and restore — export your profile as a single JSON file and import it on another machine or after a reinstall, with a safety backup saved automatically before any restore. API keys are excluded from backups. If it's been a while since your last manual export, the app will gently remind you.
Is this therapy or mental-health advice?
No. Ikigai Journal is a reflective journaling tool, not therapy, counselling, or medical advice. The optional AI is there to reflect your own words back — treat it as a reflective aid, not advice. If you're struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional.
Does it work on Windows?
Currently macOS only (12 or later). A Windows version may follow based on demand.
How is payment processed?
Payments are processed securely by Gumroad in USD. All prices on this site are shown in USD. If USD is not your local currency, your bank may apply a small foreign transaction fee.
What's changed in the latest version?
All updates are free for existing customers. You can see the full list of changes on the changelog page .
Built by David Tiong
I have worked across product management, agency ownership, SaaS support and product enablement, and I am the person behind davidtiong.com . I built Ikigai Journal because most "find your purpose" tools start and end with that one four-circle diagram. The lenses are useful — but ikigai, at its heart, is quieter: it's in the small things you'd get up for anyway. I wanted a journal that noticed those first, and kept the bigger framework as a gentle backdrop.
Free · Pay what you want · macOS