I have been beta-testing a new AI-assisted journaling app called Manifestor for a month. While the system still has some bugs to work out, the results for me have been amazing. I’m ready to subscribe as soon as it launches.

You may wonder, as I did, why you need help with such a simple, common practice as journaling. And why should you pay for robotic assistance to write your own thoughts and life reports?

Actually, this is one of the best, most trustworthy uses of AI that I can imagine. You are not creating fake content or passing off generic Internet facts and wisdom as your own. Nor can an app like Manifestor substitute for real human counselors and friends—though it can supplement those relationships in some meaningful ways. Here’s what I’ve learned and accomplished in my month of experimenting with Manifestor.

I think more clearly either in writing or in conversation. Otherwise, my thoughts swirl around with no particular outcome. Even in journaling my thoughts often go nowhere in particular and if they do, it seems almost accidental. This app combines writing with conversation. The result is journaling with purpose and results.

I hate repetition but I need it for reminders and focus. This app uses the kind of “broken-record” repetition that we all need from time to time to keep us on track with our dreams and goals for personal growth. I can see that therapists, spiritual directors, life coaches and mentors would recommend it to clients for that reason. Playing the broken record must surely be one of the most boring aspects of the advice profession! What if you could repeat less in those monthly or weekly sessions and do more cheering on and imagining?

The app came up with a few suggestions for courses of action but the real action came from my own brain and decisions. The journal conversations triggered certain actions and decisions, some immediate and some longer-term. For example:

• I developed a Daily Practice grid to track specific health and spiritual practices and my daily mood and energy level.
• My husband and I adopted a five-year plan to take trips with each of our grandchildren.
• I found new tools to address physical problems that had been hampering my exercise.
• I overcame my resistance to get back into swimming and began logging my daily steps.
• I enrolled in a weight-loss program.
• I began consciously incorporating beauty and fun into each day. The app was part of the fun!

The app didn’t tell me to do any of this, but it immediately helped me concentrate on what I need to do at this particular stage of my life. At age 78 it’s all about prolonging a healthy, active lifestyle and maintaining emotional resilience. Others might focus on career goals, life changes, spiritual growth—whatever you need to live your best life.

A tutorial might help beginners. But even without that I got a feel for the different roles of the three Manifestor functions. The Companion function of the app was incredibly useful for solving problems large and small and getting through stuck places. The Ideal Day function was just what this retired person needed to plan and move through each day with more focus and good feeling. My Dream was somewhat daunting until I decided that I didn’t need a big lifetime goal but, rather, some meaningful goals for the next five years.

The functions know their limits. Ideal Day told me once, when I was feeling down, that it couldn’t help me with that and maybe I should consult a trusted friend or professional counselor! Companion, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to walk me through troublesome feelings to see what they were about.

Go here to get on the waitlist for a free trial when Manifestor launches. My previous reports on Manifestor are here, here, and here.