Candle ritual
A dark screen with a candle and a timer for 3, 5 or 10 minutes. Sit in silence or follow a breathing pattern: two breaths in through the nose, one long breath out through the mouth.
Journal app for iPhone
Journal, plans and habits in one app
In the morning you write down three main tasks, during the day you check off habits, and in the evening you note how the day went. Alba shows what's working for you and doesn't scold you for missed days.
Coming soon to the App StoreFeatures
The iPhone and iPad version comes first, then Android. The journal is free.
- No sign-up
- 6 languages
- No ads
Care
Week
Goals
Ritual
How a day in Alba works
Morning
Candle and three tasks
Set a timer for 3, 5 or 10 minutes and sit in silence or breathe. Then write down your three main tasks for today.
Day
Habits
Check off what you've done. If you don't have the energy for everything, count the mini version: one page of a book instead of ten.
Evening
End of the day
Rate sleep, energy and mood from 1 to 5, add a few words about how you feel and one good thing that happened today.
Week
End of the week
At the end of the week you can see how many days you journaled, how you slept and what worked.
What's in Alba
Five sections: Today, Habits, Care, Week and Goals. You don't have to fill in everything. Use what you need.
Today
Three main tasks with a reminder at the time you choose. This week's steps toward your goals are here too.
Habits
Workouts and habits. You set a weekly target, like “3 workouts”, instead of a daily one.
Sleep and mood
In the morning, log sleep and energy. In the evening - mood, feelings and food with checkmarks. Your cycle too, if you want to track it.
First aid kit
What to do when you're anxious, out of energy or can't fall asleep. Each case has 2-3 simple steps. This section is free.
Week
A 7-day summary and goals for next week. Tap a button and AI writes a short review, only if you allow it.
Season goals
Every three months, rate 8 areas of your life and pick the 2-3 that matter most. Steps toward a goal show up on Today in the right week.
My 4
Four small daily actions for six months: for money, body, mind and discipline. A missed day doesn't reset your progress.
Money plan
Work out how much you need each month and how much to save to reach your target amount. It's a calculator, not financial advice.
A letter to yourself
Write a letter to yourself six months or a year ahead. Alba opens it on that day.
What Alba is based on
Each section is based on psychology research. In the app, every section has an “i” button with links to the sources.
- Deciding in advance when and where you'll do something makes you noticeably more likely to do itGollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006 - review of 94 studies
- 5 minutes a day of breathing with a long exhale improved mood more than meditationBalban et al., 2023, Cell Reports Medicine
- A habit takes 66 days to form on average. Missing one day barely affects thatLally et al., 2010
- Putting a feeling into words makes it weakerLieberman et al., 2007
- People who are kind to themselves after a mistake are more likely to try to fix itBreines & Chen, 2012
- Mondays and the first day of the month make it easier to start overDai, Milkman & Riis, 2014
Only you can see your entries
No sign-up
Open the app and start writing. Your entries are stored on your phone.
Cloud if you want it
Sign in if you want to see your entries on a second device. The server is in the EU.
No ads
We don't show ads and we don't sell data.
Delete in one tap
A button in your profile erases all entries from your phone and the server.
Questions and answers
Is Alba free?
Yes. The journal, habits and the first aid kit are free. The Pro subscription adds programs, detailed summaries and weekly reviews.
Do I need to sign up?
No. You only need an account to sync entries between devices. You can sign in with email or Apple.
How is Alba different from a regular habit tracker?
A missed day doesn't reset your progress, and if you don't have the energy for the whole habit, the mini version counts. In the evening Alba asks what went well, not what you didn't get done.
When is the app coming out? Will there be an Android version?
Alba comes to the App Store for iPhone and iPad first, then to Android.
What languages is Alba available in?
Russian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and French.
Is Alba a medical app?
No. It's a journal. It doesn't diagnose anything and doesn't replace a doctor or therapist.
Start tomorrow morning
Alba is coming soon to the App Store.
Send questions and suggestions to: hello@albajournal.com