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 · Pay what you want · Future updates included
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.
When you want the specifics
All the useful detail, easy to find.
The complete feature list, who the journal suits, the daily loop, setup steps and
answers to common questions. Open any heading for the full answer.
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
How the main features work
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 Ikigai Journal is for
Anyone burnt out on "find your purpose"
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.
Quiet journalers
You want a reflective practice that takes a minute, not an hour, and doesn't
guilt you for missing a day.
People feeling stretched thin
Notice what's creating friction, name it, and commit to removing it one step
at a time. Subtraction, not another thing to optimise.
The privacy-conscious
No account, no cloud, no tracking. Your reflections, especially the private
ones, stay on your machine.
Thoughtful AI sceptics
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.
People at a crossroads
Considering a change but not sure what you actually want more of? Let the
pattern reveal itself from your real days.
The daily loop
Friction
What created friction today? Naming it is the first step to removing it.
Spark
What gave you energy? The small moments that are easy to miss.
Today's lens
A rotating prompt drawn from the four ikigai lenses — what you love, do well,
can offer, and are valued for.
Commitment
One small commitment. "If a meeting has no agenda, then I decline it."
Subtraction, one friction at a time.
How do I get started?
Start with a single entry — the journal is the front
door. Write your first friction and spark in under a minute. No setup required.
Let the map grow — after a few entries, your purpose map
begins to show what recurs. Star the moments worth remembering as highlights.
Go deeper when ready — take the optional discovery across
ten areas of life, one question at a time, whenever you feel like it.
Add AI if you want it — bring your own key for an
optional reflection and ikigai portrait. Everything works without it.
First time installing one of these apps? The
Installing an app
guide walks through downloading it from your Gumroad Library and installing it on
your Mac.
Do I need an AI key, and where is my data?
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 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.
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 it safe to install, and what does it run on?
🛡
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.
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.
Does it work on Windows?
Currently macOS only (12 or later). A Windows version may follow based on demand.
About ikigai and the journal
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.
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.
Pricing, updates and payment
Do I need a subscription?
No. Ikigai Journal is free, and you can pay what you want if you'd like to support
it. Get it from this page and it stays in your Gumroad Library with free updates,
whether or not you are a member. If you use the optional AI features, you bring
your own API key from Anthropic or OpenAI and pay them directly at their usage
rates.
How is payment processed?
Prices are in USD and payment is processed securely by Gumroad. Gumroad may show
the price converted to your local currency as a guide, but your card is charged in
USD, so your bank may add a small foreign transaction fee.
What's changed in the latest version?
If you buy the app, every future update to it is included at no extra cost.
Members get updates while their membership is active. You can see the full list of
changes on the
changelog page.
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.
