Every word you ever wanted to know concerning Bullet Journaling. If you want to put this list to use, I have a 5 minute Bullet Journal post that will get you using this terminology in just 5 minutes!
- Migrate forward to next daily log
< – Migrate Backward to monthly or future log
/ – Thread, used to show the continuing page e.g. “55/” (Continues page 55)
2 Bookmarks – This refers to a notebook with 2 ribbons for bookmarking
Alastair Method – A method for Future Logs and Todo Lists created by Alastair Johnston
Blank paper – Notebooks with blank paper have no lines, squares or dots.
Bleeding – When ink seeps through the paper and can be seen on the other side
Brain Dump – The act of writing ever idea that comes into your mind onto the page
Bujo – A shorthand term meaning Bullet Journal
Bullet – A dot, used to denote an incomplete task
Calendar – Usually laid out by days and months, a simple calendar can be made with only the days of the month listed on a page
Checklist – A list of tasks, projects, goals or events that can be checked off one by one when complete
Circle – An O, used to denote an event
Collection – A spread on a topic other than the basic logs, e.g. habit trackers, travel plans, project brainstorming etc.
Cover Page – The first page of a journal, part of a journal or collection, usually contains a heading and decorative elements
Cross – A cross X, used to denote a complete task
Daily Log – Tasks, events and notes along with anything else can be written in tis log which refers to this day only
Dash – Used to denote a note
Dashboard – A collection that shows all the information you need at a glance (tasks, goals, habits, appointments etc)
Dotted Paper – Paper with dots instead of lines, this makes drawing easier
Dream Log – A place to record your dreams before you forget them
Dutch Door – A small page that can be turned within another spread
Event – Something that has or will happen, denoted with a O
Feathering – When your ink spreads out a little as it is soaked into the paper
Future Log – A 12 month spread, usually over 4 pages for loggin future events/tasks
Ghosting – When your ink can be seen through the page
Goals – A list of your goals, things you want to achieve
Goal Tracker – A collection to help track your progress toward a goal
Graph Paper – Paper with a grid instead of lines or dots
Gratitude Log – A place to write what you are grateful for
Grocery Log – A list of grocery items, a shopping list
GSM – Grams per Square Meter, a measure of paper quality (higher is usually better)
Habit Tracker – Track your consistency with a new (or old) habit. “You can’t improve what you don’t measure”
Health Tracker – Track some factor of healthy living, such as hydration, fruit & veg intake, cardio etc.
Index – An index of everything in your notebook, consisting on spread name and page number
Key – A list of symbols used in bullet journaling, usually written in the start of a journal
Leuchtturm1917 – A brand of notebook, they also make the officially licensed Bullet Journal
Lined Paper – Paper with horizontal lines, this is the most common paperstyle in notebooks
Log – A place to put tasks, events or notes
Meal Tracker – A way to record your meals, perhaps to see correlation with energy/stress/discomfort levels
Memory Log – A place for your most important memories
Migration – Moving incomplete actions from the daily log to the future, monthly or tomorrow’s daily log
Mind Map – Brainstorm using a mindmap to let your mind make connections between ideas
Moleskin – A high quality brand of notebook
Money Tracker – A place to track spending/savings
Monthly Log – A spread with a calendar of the month and an associated task list
Mood Tracker – Record your mood, use in conjuction with other trackers to see what effects your mood most
Nesting – Creating an embedded list, a list within a list
Note – A non actionable item such as what you ate for lunch, denoted with a dash –
Pain Log – Tracking pain over a long period can be useful in rehabilitation, use it in conjunction with other trackers to see whats increasing your pain
PAPERIDEAS – A less expensive brand of notebook
Penmanship – Writing in an aesthetically pleasing way
Pocket – Some notebooks have a pocket, usually located inside the back cover
Rapid Logging – Logging events, tasks or notes as the happen in the daily log
Ryder Carroll – The creator of the Bullet Journal and author of The Bullet Jounal Method & bulletjournal.com
Spread – A spread describes the content of any two open pages
Stickers – Use stickers as a quick and easy way to interact with your bullet journal or just for fun
STM – Scribbles That Matter, a brand of notebook often used for bullet journaling
Theme – A consistent style of decoration that runs through your bullet journal (or a part of it)
Threading – The act of using a / to denote the continuing page
Tracker – A spread to track the progress of something, including:
Travel Tracker – Track the places yo9u have visited with a tracker like this
Traveler’s Notebook – A brand of notebook used for bullet journaling
Washi Tape – Easily removable tape, add it to pages as a book mark or just for asthetics
Weekly Log – A seven day spread to plan the week with
Weight Loss Tracker – Track your weight over time with a weight loss tracker
Meet Gregory, a writer and the brains behind Face Dragons. He's the go-to guy for getting things done.
Gregory's been living the digital nomad life in Asia for as long as anyone can remember, helping clients smash their goals. He writes on topics like software, personal knowledge management (PKM), and personal development. When he's not writing, you'll catch him at the local MMA gym, nose buried in a book, or just chilling with the family.
