Ikigai Journal

Ikigai Journal is a private macOS desktop app for finding everyday meaning through journaling. The idea comes from ikigai — the Japanese concept of having a reason to get up in the morning, usually found in small, ordinary things.

Each day, you spend about a minute noting one friction (what got in your way), one spark (what gave you energy), and one commitment (something you'll do about it). Over time, your entries build a living purpose map — what keeps showing up, what lifts you, what creates friction, and the commitments you've made to change.

The map organises your entries across four ikigai lenses: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. There's also a connection field for the people on your mind — private and never sent to AI.

An optional discovery deep-dive takes you through 56 questions across ten areas of life (work, strengths, learning, creativity, rest, connection, and more) to build a structured profile. AI reflections are available if you bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI key, but the journal works fully without them.

Your journal data is stored locally on your Mac — no account, no cloud, no tracking. If you enable optional AI features, your entries are sent to the AI provider (Anthropic or OpenAI) for processing. Backup and restore included.