Many bullet journal words are unheard of outside the journaling / planner online communities. In order to help you decode things like “bujo” and “future log,” in this post I’ll walk you through a few of the common terms and explain their meanings.
Bleeding – when ink flows completely through a sheet of paper to the other side.
Brain Dump – writing down everything on your mind, all your to-do’s. Can be done pertaining to a single topic { example: blogging brain dump, or wedding brain dump }
Bullet Journal – Originally a notebook-based system of organized lists that use different bullet points and other devices to maintain order, created by Ryder Carroll.
Bullets – typically dot, circle or dash symbols used to denote a task in a bullet journal.
Bujo – Just short for bullet journal.
Collections – pages containing lists or notes on a single topic.
Commomplace book – a notebook used primarily to compile knowledge, including quotes, recipes, facts, epiphanies, proverbs, and other notes from life
Daily / Dailies – the pages of a bullet journal used for a single day.
Dashboard – an inner cover for a journal used mainly to create a tidier presentation, but also sometimes used for inspiration, focus, or storing functional items such as sticky notes.
Disc-bound – a way to bind pages using ridged discs that fit snugly into paper grooves.
Dot grid – paper printed all over with an array of evenly-spaced dots. The most common distance between dots is 5mm, but smaller and larger dot grid spacings are also available.
Dutch Door – pages cut or folded shorter than the rest, with the intention of being able to use them left or right-facing, while still being able to use the uncut spread that surrounds them.
Future Log – pages of the bullet journal where events and planning for the entire year can be noted. { also known as the yearly overview }
GSM – Grams per Square Meter, referring to the weight of the paper. The higher the number, the heavier the paper.
Ghosting – when paper is thin enough that pen marks can be seen clearly on the reverse side.
Index – the table of contents for a bullet journal. Page titles and page numbers are listed.
Key – A reference that shows what different bullet points or colors mean in the bullet journal.
Image SOURCE
Image SOURCE
Lettering – commonly referring to modern-style calligraphy or other artistic ways of writing { also known as hand-lettering } See this video for an example:
Leuchtturm1917 – a German notebook company that produced the official branded Bullet Journal. See my review of the notebook here. { sometimes shortened as LT1917 }
Level 10 Life – a method of measuring satisfaction in 10 different areas of one’s life, as described by Hal Elrod in his book The Miracle Morning.
Migrating / Migration – the process of carrying over important notes or pages from one bullet journal to the next.
Monthly – the pages of a bullet journal used for a single month. Can be shown as a calendar or a list.
Printable – a PDF file intended to be printed onto paper, typically by the end-user or customer.
Rapid-logging – a way to quickly list tasks, events, to-do’s, and other things which must be remembered; written in short, to-the-point lines { example: -take out trash, -mow lawn, -3:00 Dr appt. }
Ring-bound – a way to bind pages using spring-loaded metal rings that loop through punched paper holes, typically attached to the spine of a binder or planner.
Ryder Carroll – A digital product designer from New York, notably creator of the Bullet Journal and author of The Bullet Journal Method.
STM – Scribbles That Matter, a brand of notebooks available on Amazon.com, known for heavier paper perfect for people who like to draw in their bullet journal.
Signifiers – extra symbols added to bullet points to denote importance, urgency, or things that need to be looked into at a later date.
Spread – refers to two open or facing pages of a notebook.
TN – { see Traveler’s Notebook }
Themes – motifs or styles used for decoration for a duration of time in a bullet journal. { example: unicorn theme, summer theme, floral theme, Christmas theme }
Threading – a way to “link” together notebook pages on related topics. Page A will list the page number of related Page B, C, and so on.
Trackers – some type of graph or chart used to keep track of something over time, for example habit trackers
Traveler’s Notebook – typically a small, softcover notebook that can be inserted interchangeably into a leather or cloth cover. { abbreviated as TN }
Washi Tape – Japanese-style masking tape that is usually reusable and often printed in patterns, designs, or colors
Weekly / Weeklies – the pages of a bullet journal used for planning during a single week.
