Traditionally, people have used a personal book to jot down thoughts about the day. You can pick up a specific book made exclusively for journalling or you can find a ring binder or any other type of empty book that you can fill with your thoughts each day. It's never a good idea to journal onto loose pages or pages that can easily be torn from a notebook or ring binder.

The first few pages may be difficult as you discover your "voice". I have even gone so far as to skip the first two pages in a new journal, because it somehow made me feel less exposed and vulnerable. I promise you, as soon as you make it a habit to write in your journal, you'll lose all sense of self-consciousness and treat it as a very close friend.

Keep your journal on your personal computer, if that works for you. You might want to get in the habit of reading the journal through at the end of each year and recording the insights you get from such a process and then deleting the diary file itself. For active journal entries (ie. the present year's diary) password protect the file on your PC so no one can access it but you.

Remember, if you are still having trouble, don't be afraid to ask a professional to help you identify your problems areas and help you make adjustments. Most gyms have a dietitian on staff or a personal trainer that can look over it with you. So many people overlook this aspect and jump right in with a personal trainer and workout regimen. Don't forget, nutrition is at least half the battle.

Spend 10 to 15 minutes each night looking over your To Do list, appointments and projects and prioritize and schedule the most important items for action the following day. Take this one step further by actually assigning the completion of these priority items as an appointment on your calendar. This is an appointment you must keep with yourself. Make sure you factor in some down time and procrastination time (you know you do it).

The next thing smart personal trainers do is invest in continuing education in both exercise physiology, as well as business, and marketing. Continuously re-investing in yourself should be one of your main goals when starting a personal training business.

Your website is the cornerstone of your marketing activities. Instead of an "old school" corporate site, think about using a hard-hitting sales letter approach. Use rich media and integrate a personal video into your site. Also, be sure to include a "squeeze page" asking for visitors' e-mail addresses.