Bullet Journal Words - A Glossary of Common Planner Terms

Bullet journal guides use some terms that may be unfamiliar at first. This glossary explains the common ones so you can return to your pages with a clearer idea of what each means.

Bleeding — ink soaking through the paper to the other side.

Brain dump — a page of thoughts, tasks, or ideas written down before sorting them. It can focus on a subject, such as a project or wedding.

Bullet journal — the notebook-based method created by Ryder Carroll, using brief entries and distinct bullet symbols to organize notes and plans.

Bullets — symbols that distinguish entry types, such as a dot for a task, a circle for an event, or a dash for a note.

Bujo — short for bullet journal.

Collections — related notes or pages grouped by subject.

Commonplace book — a notebook for collecting information, such as quotes, recipes, observations, and ideas.

Daily or dailies — pages or entries for a particular day.

Dashboard — a reference or divider page near the front of a planner, sometimes used for notes or sticky-note storage.

Digital planner — a planner used on a device, sometimes with links between sections. Its features depend on the file and app. Browse digital planners here.

Disc-bound — pages attached to discs through shaped holes along the edge.

Dot grid — paper with evenly spaced dots to guide writing or drawing. Spacing varies; 5 mm is common. Download my dot grid printable.

Dutch door — a shortened or folded page that leaves part of another page visible as you turn it.

Faux calligraphy — lettering with extra width added to selected strokes using an ordinary pen. The video shows an example.

Future log — a place for dates and plans beyond the current month, often arranged as a yearly overview.

GSM — grams per square meter, a measure of paper weight. It doesn't describe every aspect of how a paper handles ink.

Ghosting — writing showing through the paper without the ink passing through it.

Index — the notebook's table of contents, listing page titles and numbers. See index examples.

Journal prompt — a question or suggestion to use as a starting point for writing.

Key — a reference for the symbols or colors used in your notes. See key examples.

Lettering — drawing or styling letters for headings and other text. Find examples in my journal fonts guide.

Leuchtturm1917, or LT1917 — a notebook brand used for the branded Bullet Journal notebook. Read my notebook review.

Level 10 Life — a reflection framework covering ten areas of life, described in Hal Elrod's The Miracle Morning. See my Level 10 Life printable.

Migration — reviewing unfinished tasks or notes and deciding whether to move them forward, schedule them, or remove them.

Monthly — pages or entries for a month, often including a calendar or dated list.

Printable — a file designed to be printed, often supplied as a PDF.

Rapid logging — recording tasks, events, and notes in brief entries with distinct bullets.

Ring-bound — pages held by metal rings through punched holes.

Ryder Carroll — creator of the Bullet Journal method and author of The Bullet Journal Method.

STM — short for Scribbles That Matter, a notebook brand. Compare the edition's specifications when browsing its journals.

Signifiers — extra marks beside bullets to show information such as priority or an idea to explore.

Spread — two facing pages of an open notebook.

TN — short for traveler's notebook.

Themes — repeated motifs, colors, or styles used to decorate a group of pages.

Threading — noting the page numbers of related entries so you can move between them.

Trackers — charts or lists that record information over time.

Traveler's notebook — a cover holding one or more replaceable notebook inserts.

Washi tape — decorative paper tape used for borders, accents, and other crafts.

Weekly or weeklies — pages for viewing a week together. See weekly spread examples.