NOTE #1: This article was co-written by a Natural Intelligence and an Artificial Intelligence
NOTE #2: Images in this article were co-generated by a Natural Intelligence and an Artificial Intelligence

What

Journaling.
”Dear diary”? sure, if that’s what work for you.
But more generally - journaling is a (usually a daily) practice of writing down your experiences of the day.

You can use it to document personal thoughts and feelings as a therapeutic tool for self-development.
You can use it to rehearse your philosophy.
You can use it to review your mistakes and generate insights.

But that’s old-world journaling.
We now enter the world of AI.
Where accessible AI tools can create images and text walls for us.

AI, such as ChatGPT, can be used as a new way to "journal" or document personal thoughts and feelings as a therapeutic tool for self-development. It's like having your own personal therapist that doesn't charge by the hour and doesn't judge you for your love of dad jokes.

Why

Journaling has long been recognized as a powerful tool for self-reflection, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.

Traditional journaling methods can be time-consuming.
Boring..
And they require light, to be able to write.

Let's face it, sometimes we don't even have the energy to pick up a pen.
Or open a new document on our computer.
Or mobile phone… right there! it’s right there, next to my head, on the stand by the bed!

Chatting with an AI such as ChatGPT is an alternative way to document your thoughts, feelings.
It makes journaling into a more dynamic and interactive experience.
Before writing this article, I did it myself.

I journaled with ChatGPT.

I wrote about things that concerned my that day.
And I found ChatGPT’s interaction very engaging.
It helped me to stay in the zone, and keep writing.

How

So to those of you who don’t know yet.
You can use ChatGPT to journal by engaging in a conversation with the AI.
You just write something in the text input field, and it answers.

The AI will respond to your prompts, providing you with feedback.
This will allow you to reflect on your thoughts and feelings in a more interactive and dynamic way.

Of course, you should take everything ChatGPT throw at you, with a grain of salt.
But that’s not the point. I don’t really care what ChatGPT’s model spits out as reaction to my prompt.
The point is, ChatGPT was a great sounding board.

Just like you don’t expect your notebook or Google doc to generate insights for you.
So too, does ChatGPT provide you an experience that helps you engage with the practice.
A motivator, to write and generate your own insights.

To give you an example, I chatted with ChatGPT on better parenting.
I told it I came up with a “creed”, which is basically the 4 Stoic virtues.
It went like this:

Ron:

So, I came up with this mantra/creed: 1. Temperance for me, 2. Justice for them, 3. Wisdom to catch myself, 4. Courage to keep going. What do you think?

It replied back, by analyzing my proposed mantra, helping my crystalize it’s meanning:

ChatGPT:

I think your mantra/creed is a great way to remind yourself of the importance of self-regulation and to provide a guide for your actions.

1. "Temperance for me" - This reminds you to practice self-control and moderation in your own emotions and behavior.

2. "Justice for them" - This reminds you to be fair and considerate in your interactions with your children, and to provide them with the guidance and discipline they need to learn and grow.

3. "Wisdom to catch myself" - This reminds you to be self-aware and to catch yourself if you start to lose control of your emotions.

4. "Courage to keep going" - This reminds you to be persistent and to keep going despite any challenges or setbacks you may face as a parent.

Overall, your mantra/creed is a great reminder to focus on self-regulation and to strive for balance and fairness in your interactions with your children. Keep in mind that it's a work in progress and it's important to remind yourself of these values regularly, in order to integrate them into your daily life.

Amazing!

Takeaways

• Journaling is the practice of writing your own experiences, in order to facilitate self-development

• AI (like ChatGPT) can be the new way to journal, a much more interactive, dynamic, and engaging way to journal.

• Use the AI as a sounding board for your own insights, don’t expect it to generate true insights instead of you.

Now it's your turn, try it out for yourself, and see how AI journaling can help you on your self-development journey.