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
Originally from the U.K, Greg has lived in Asia for over 15 years. Fluent in a handful of languages, he ran a management consultancy before creating Face Dragons. He spends his time now traveling around Asia, writing, taking photos, and drinking coffee.
