The bullet journal method, or BuJo, is a tool to help us to declutter our minds.

BuJo is a mindfulness practice with the goal of intentional living. It is weeding out distractions and focusing your time and energy on what's truly meaningful in your work and personal life. All you need to get started is a blank notebook.

• Ludwig van Beethoven was rarely seen without his notebook. Even when he was enjoying a beer with friends, he might suddenly pull out his notebook to jot down an idea that just occurred to him, creating a treasure of ideas.
• Pliny the Younger wrote that even on a hunting trip, he would think something out and make notes. He said that one should not look down on a mental activity of this kind, as "it is remarkable how one's wits are sharpened by physical exercise."

Write down what strikes you, quotes that motivate you, stories that inspire you for later use in your life, business, writing, speaking, or whatever it is that you do.

Tobias Wolf wrote that he had a separate journal he called a "commonplace book" that is a collection of quotes, ideas, stories and facts he wanted to keep for later. He said it made him a much better writer and a wiser person.

Marcus Aurelius seems to have done his journaling first thing in the morning. He would note what he was likely to face in the day ahead.

Putting his own thinking down on paper let him see it from a distance. It gave him objectivity amidst anxiety and frustrations that flooded his mind.

• Seneca did most of his journaling and reflection in the evening. He examined his entire day and would go back over what he said and done, hiding nothing. Then he would ask himself whether his actions had been just and what he could improve.
• Winston Churchill would not go to bed having not created, written or done anything that moved his life forward.