Practices
Stoic journaling, the unbranded version.
Marcus didn't have prompts either.
The most famous journal in history is a Stoic one. Marcus Aurelius wrote the Meditations for an audience of exactly one — himself — as an evening discipline: what did I do today, where did I fall short of my own principles, what will I do differently. He would likely be baffled to find his private notebook taught in seminars, and more baffled by apps selling Stoicism back as quote-a-day subscriptions.
The practice itself needs almost nothing. An evening review in plain sentences. Honest accounting, which requires — this is the part the merchandise skips — genuine privacy, because an examined life examined for an audience becomes a performance of virtue rather than the practice of it.
The Sealed Journal is well shaped for the original discipline: no quotes served to you, no streaks, no community. A blank page in the evening, encrypted when you close it. What you build is what Marcus built — a long, private record of trying — minus the risk of posthumous publication.
The Typewriter Experience
The cursor stays. The text moves.
In Write mode, your cursor remains exactly at the centre of the screen. The page rises up to meet it. Past words fade into soft shadow at the edges, leaving the present sentence in clear focus. Switch to Read mode and the entry flattens into an evenly lit document — the fade is for writing; the flat light is for returning.
Radical Privacy & Encryption
AES-256-GCM, in your browser, with a key only you derive.
- ·PBKDF2 key derivation at 600,000 iterations — the OWASP 2024 recommendation. Existing journals upgrade transparently on first unlock.
- ·No accounts, no telemetry, no analytics, no cookies, no third-party scripts.
- ·IndexedDB storage with a localStorage fallback. Encrypted before it touches the disk.
- ·The file is not minified. You can read the source. We'd rather you trust it than us.
What It Does Not Do
- ✕No word counts chasing you across the screen.
- ✕No formatting toolbar wrestling your thoughts into neatness.
- ✕No cloud sync. No distant servers. Your words stay yours.
- ✕No social sharing. Your vulnerability is not content.
- ✕No AI assistant finishing your sentences.
- ✕No streak counters. No guilt. No gamification.
- ✕No subscriptions. No mood trackers. No noise.
Licensing & Gift Copy
One purchase covers up to three of your personal devices. It also includes a second untouched copy of the file — meant to be given to one person you trust. Lifetime updates. 30-day, no-questions refund. If you run a clinic, school, or workplace and want a copy for everyone, ask us about a site licence.
One Purchase. Yours Forever.
The price is $24 today. It will become $29.
One-time payment
Get The Sealed JournalQuestions
Do you include Stoic prompts or quotes?
No. The classic evening questions — what did I do well, what poorly, what's left undone — are yours to bring. The journal is the discipline's container, not its content.
Morning or evening?
The tradition favors both — a morning rehearsal and an evening review. The journal doesn't care; it opens whenever you do.
Isn't a paper notebook more Stoic?
It's a fine choice, minus the fire, the loss, and the reader you didn't choose. Ciphertext is simply a stronger seal. The practice is identical.
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The smallest journal that still counts.
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A dream journal you'd actually be honest in.
Written before the coffee, sealed after.
Shadow work needs a door that locks.
The parts you'd rather not say aloud.
A prayer journal with no third party.
Some conversations have exactly two participants.
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For Writers
A morning pages app that respects the practice.
Julia Cameron prescribed three pages, longhand, every morning. The Sealed Journal is the closest a screen comes.
Use Cases
A founder's journal that doesn't end up in due diligence.
A private place for the thinking you do about people, money, and decisions you're not ready to defend.
Core
A private, offline journal that asks nothing of you.
One file. One password. Yours forever. No accounts, no cloud, no algorithms reading your three-in-the-morning thoughts.
Answers
Are journaling apps actually private?
A bedroom with the door ajar.
The cursor will be there when you return.
Centered. Blinking. Patient.
Start Writing