I've been writing a handwritten diary for as long as I can remember. A chic black Moleskine notebook, expensive pen, a few handwritten sentences that are important to me every day. I use it when traveling to write down my adventures, on vacation on the lounger by the pool and of course at my desk at home. Do you also keep a journal or are you considering starting journaling? If you want to take journaling - diary writing or journaling - to a whole new level, read on.

My grandmother and my aunt taught me to write when I was four. I have been writing a diary since I was seven years old. Ever since I was a child, I've filled up booklet after booklet by hand and tucked it away neatly in the closet. I have filled thousands of pages over the years. I'll only look at very few of them again. Maybe I'll skim them one day if I have time. But that's not realistic. So were my words in vain or wasted? Certainly not. In hindsight, they weren't particularly useful to me either.

In this post, you will learn how to get started with smart journaling and how to make it sustainable with the journaling—especially the one Write a travel journal – or to continue writing the journal – mind you, in a way that really brings something to life and helps you to develop personally and professionally. My approach to intelligent journaling is particularly valuable for anyone who is productive and creative, perhaps running their own blog or using social media with their own channels.

There are many definitions circulating on the Internet that try to distinguish between writing a diary and writing a journal. I'll introduce them to you later. But in the end, it doesn't matter what you call it - it's important that you practice journaling or diary writing intelligently and thereby gain an immense advantage for your life. Do not you believe me? i will explain it to you

Video – Helpful Journaling Tips for Beginners

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Write a diary – handwritten notes are stylish

My handwritten notes—hardly written—disappeared in style to nowhere. I wouldn't even say I did it to get something off my chest. Rather to express myself and not have to show it to anyone. I've been doing that since I was a little boy. Some still do that today – quietly and secretly writing a diary and the notes only serve to get your thoughts off your chest.

That's totally okay and handwriting even seems to be the best way to do this. You can absolutely do it. It is not without reason that there are what feels like a billion different notebooks that you can write in by hand. I couldn't part with it for a long time because I wanted to keep a last bit of handwriting in my life.

Journaling meets life – writing a journal can change your life

After 30 years, my handwritten journaling ended abruptly because I realized: A diary can do more - much more. Two factors came together for me. On the one hand, I had read an article that advocated journaling and encouraged writing more diaries again. The author explained why writing a daily journal is so important to him. On the other hand, I looked at how I could use artificial intelligence for my blog and my social media channels to make my content even better and more accurate - so-called experience management.

Without further ado, I linked both principles and started to create an intelligent, digital journal. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Whether traveling, on vacation or at home at my desk - I wanted to start making the most of my creative ideas. From the collection of ideas and outlining to finished articles for the blog, social media and even entire books, there are different stages of development. A few weeks have passed and a library is slowly being built up, which not only includes my existing knowledge, but also channels it into different, usable forms. You can turn it into a social media post, a blog post, or even a book—like a short guide, or even something longer.

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Journaling Tips: Why You Should Definitely Start Smart Journaling

Smart journaling is a powerful tool that you should use to your advantage. That's so valuable. If you try it, you will just be amazed. It doesn't matter whether you just want to develop your personality privately or make notes as a reminder when traveling or also want to use your notes professionally, like I do.

Journaling is an extremely valuable asset, both personally and professionally. Journaling has real, tangible impact. So why should you start smart journaling? I can tell you that very simply - and you can benefit massively from my journaling experience:

1. I have multiplied my creative output because I write down every idea immediately and no good idea slips through my fingers.
2. I write digitally and across devices on my smartphone, tablet or notebook - and pick up what I write down later.
3. The path from the idea to the finished content has become much shorter: writing outlines is much more accessible and informal than creating ready-made blog posts or content for customers. More and more often, I find myself halfway through a post in my journal before I even realize I've started—and then the finished post is just a stone's throw away.
4. Ideas can be expanded and supplemented in a playful way - completely new cross-connections are formed. Ideas connect faster and deeper.
5. You can quickly turn your ideas into social media posts, blog posts, entire books or even online courses and seminars.
6. You can supplement your journaling with AI elements and automations that make it even easier for you to generate new ideas and generate output from them. I'm still experimenting with that though. When something is ready to say, I might write a guide or even give a seminar.

Buy a tablet or notebook for journaling while traveling

Buy a handwritten journal

Intelligent Journaling – How to take journaling and diary writing to a whole new level

To start intelligent journaling, you first have to internalize the idea behind it. You would like to collect your ideas, expand them, take them up again later, formulate them and link them to even more ideas in order to develop completely new trains of thought. Once you've internalized that, you can begin to follow the steps below.

1. Journaling Apps – Which program should you use to journal?

So very specific. how do you start The first thing you need is an infrastructure for writing. Use your notebook, smartphone and tablet as an input device to record your thoughts. Download a Notes app or journaling app. I use several apps that help me to take notes on ideas and on articles that are ready to say, or even on books. Personally, I use the Day One app for brainstorming and journaling, the Ulysses app for writing longer posts or books from the diary entries, and my smartphone's pre-installed Notes app for handwriting notes with the stylus on my tablet. However, that is also a bit of a matter of taste. In my opinion, the best apps (for iOS – many are also available for Android) for writing a diary are:

• Day One app
• Ulysses app
• Simple Diary - Diary App
• Scrivener
• Evernote
• GoodNotes
• OmniOutliner
• Notes app

You can also download free trial versions of most of these apps before you decide which programs you really want to work with permanently.

2. Journaling – your first entry in journaling

All beginnings are difficult? Not in journaling. Set up different journals. For example, I have journals for journal entries, ideas, post outlines, quotes, links to useful articles, and more. There are no limits to your creativity. And then the first post: Sit down and write your first entry in your journaling app. Write an idea down. Write down what comes to mind first. Don't think too long, feel your gut - it will tell you which topics are on your mind. Congratulations - you have taken the first step.

3. Intelligent Journaling – What do you do with your journal entries?

You can of course just leave your journal entries as they are. You have already taken a big step by bringing your thoughts into the digital world. But I don't call the approach intelligent journaling or smart journaling for nothing. You wrote down ideas. Sometimes maybe just one word. Now start to implement the ideas in further journal posts or to link suitable ideas with each other. But you can also take the next step and turn your journal entries into blog posts, articles on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, or even books.

• If you want to turn your diary entries into a blog: Publish your diary entries as blog posts. You can of course edit and format them a bit beforehand, but that's not absolutely necessary if you think they're suitable. Copy them as they are into your blog's content management system and simply click "Publish" - and you're done.
• If you want to adapt your diary entries into an article for social media: Collect several entries on the same topic in one document and write an article from them. I often use my journal entries as a starting point for new articles. Even for my picture descriptions on Instagram.
• If you want to turn your diary into a book: It's a little more work, but it's definitely worth it. Either you formulate a topic into a complete guide or novel. Or what's more interesting: collect all your diary entries on a topic in one document and start creating a book that serves as a resource for your thoughts. You can even have a printing company print it for you if you like printed books like me.

It's that simple. Just start writing, drift, and see where it takes you.

4. Journal – Stay on track and write daily

Don't let your journal become a dusty diary on your digital bookshelf. Write regularly, every day if possible. This is how you can get the most out of your journal.

• Create a reminder and let yourself be automatically reminded one or more times a day to write an article for your journal. Most of the time I write three to five entries a day anyway. Sometimes the reminder helps me.
• If you don't have time to write every day, set a goal of writing XNUMX-XNUMX times a week. This way you don't feel overwhelmed and you can still get a lot out of journaling. Even writing once a week is better than none.
• If you find it difficult to start writing: Write just one word, that's enough when in doubt. You can carry out the thought around it later. Or set a timer for five to ten minutes and start writing. When the time is up, you can stop or continue writing. That way, you don't feel pressured to write a specific number and still get a lot out of journaling.

Journaling on the go – writing a journal while traveling and on vacation

A travel diary is a great way to document your trips or vacation. This way you can capture all the new places you visit and the people you meet along the way. And it's a good way to reflect on your experiences after returning home and to remember the trip more deeply in retrospect. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of journaling while traveling and on vacation:

• Bring a small notebook with you so you can write anywhere, anytime.
• In your journal, not only record where you have been and what you have been doing, but also how it has made you feel.
• Be sure to include lots of detail in your journal entries. This way you can later remember your experiences even better.
• Use photos, cards, and other memorabilia to complement your journal entries.
• If you travel with others, ask them to contribute to your journal as well. This gives you a more comprehensive picture of your trip.
• Make journaling a daily habit while you're on the go. This will help you make the most of your travel experiences.

Most important rule – journaling should be fun

There are different ways to keep a diary. You can either use a physical journal and write by hand, or you can use a digital journal and type on your computer or smartphone. If you want to take journaling to the next level, you can even use apps like Day One or Ulysses to help you organize your thoughts and entries.

The most important thing is that you enjoy writing and that it helps you. So don't force yourself to write if you're not in the mood. But if you feel like writing, then do it. And over time you will notice how writing will help you personally and professionally.

FAQs Journaling – the most important questions and answers

I have put together the most important questions and answers about journaling, writing a journal and writing a diary for you. If you're unsure whether to start journaling, the answers to the following questions will surely encourage you.

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Smart Journaling – How to write a journal?

My conclusion

I say try it out and give the new habit a few weeks to develop and solidify. Try writing every day. You will slowly but surely notice a difference. Entirely new ideas develop that were previously inaccessible. You will become more productive and mentally agile as if by yourself. Smart journaling is a powerful tool that you should use to your advantage. It's so valuable. If you try it, you will just love it.

It doesn't matter whether you just want to develop your personality in your personal life, whether you want to keep records as a memory while traveling or whether you want to use your journaling professionally, like I do. Writing a diary is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, both personally and professionally. Try it out and let me know how it goes. I hope this post was helpful for you. Maybe the ideas in this article were old hat for you - and just reminded you of them.

Are you already writing a journal or planning to start in the future? Share your experiences in the comments.

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