We record our everyday lives in a way that would have seemed unimaginable even 20 years ago. We take photos and videos on our phone. We share those images, and our thoughts, on Facebook and Twitter.

What a contrast with my childhood. I have just a handful of photos of my first 10 years, plus some prized cine film.

Yet in many ways it’s the trivia that proves of enduring interest years later. That’s where Day One is brilliant. It’s an incredibly simple app for iPhone, iPad and the Mac that creates a journal of your life. At first, it was just text, but it now lets you add photos, locations and even temperatures.

I discovered Day One a year ago , some 12 months after starting weekly entries about our weekends with Owen, then two, in my normal calendar. Day One was far better as it meant reminiscences weren’t mixed up with mundane things such as dentist appointments. Day One is now integrated with Apple’s iCloud service so you can add entries on iPhone, iPad and Mac and they’ll be automatically synced.You can add a snapshot of your day – in words or photos – in seconds.

I love looking back on old entries, such as this gem from Owen when he woke one morning last March:

“There’s a wolf at the door and he’s got a glass of wine for you. And I’ve got blueberry juice.”

In similar vein, I love Timehop. (Credit to former colleague Jon Bishop for telling me about it.)  It sends you a daily email replaying your Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Instagram entries from a year before. I smiled at one quoting Owen the week he started his nursery school in September 2011:

“I cried a lot. And there are too many children.”

I should add that he soon settled in to love it!