Journaling has picked up a lot of vocabulary: some from psychology, some from bookbinding, some from Ryder Carroll’s bullet journal and some from people online naming things they do. None of it is required. But when a guide says “migrate your tasks” or “watch out for ghosting,” it helps to know what it means.
This journaling glossary explains 60 common terms in plain English, grouped into basics, methods, bullet journal words, paper and supplies, and the research behind journaling. Search for a term or jump to a letter, and follow the links for a full guide where one exists.
Find a term
60 terms
Quick takeaways
- “Journal” and “diary” are mostly interchangeable today.
- Most methods are variations on one idea: write regularly, in a set shape.
- Bullet journal terms (rapid logging, migration, index) come from Ryder Carroll’s system.
- Paper words (GSM, ghosting, bleed-through) matter once you start using pens and markers.
- The research terms name specific exercises that have been tested in studies.
What do the basic journaling terms mean?
The basics are the words you’ll meet in almost any journaling guide: journal, entry, prompt, diary, freewriting and the main everyday types, such as gratitude, reflective and self-care journals. A journal is simply somewhere you write regularly; the type describes what you write about.
- Brain dump
- Writing down everything on your mind, tasks and worries included, until your head feels empty. You sort it afterward.Brain dump guide →
- Diary
- Traditionally a daily record of events. Today “diary” and “journal” are mostly used to mean the same thing, though a diary often leans more toward what happened than what you thought about it.
- Freewriting
- Writing without stopping for a set time, with no editing, crossing out or rereading. The aim is quantity, not quality.
- Gratitude journal
- A journal where you write down things you’re grateful for, usually a few each day or week.Gratitude journal guide →
- Journal
- A notebook, app or file where you write regularly about your life, thoughts or work. There are many types, from gratitude journals to bullet journals.Types of journaling →
- Journal entry
- One dated piece of writing in a journal. It can be a line or several pages.How to start journaling →
- Journal prompt
- A question or opening line that gives you something to write about, such as “What surprised you today?”Journal prompt guide →
- Planning journal
- A notebook that holds your plans, habits and goals alongside your notes, instead of a separate diary and to-do list.Planning journal guide →
- Reflective journal
- A journal for learning from experience: what happened, how you felt, what you learned and what you’ll do differently. Common in nursing, teaching and counseling training.Reflective journal guide →
- Self-care journal
- A journal for noticing how you’re doing and what helps: sleep, energy, mood and the small things that make a difference.Self-care journal guide →
- Stream of consciousness writing
- Writing your thoughts down in the order they arrive. The phrase comes from William James, who described thought as a flowing stream in The Principles of Psychology (1890).Stream of consciousness writing guide →
What are the main journaling methods called?
Journaling methods are named ways of keeping a journal, each with its own shape: morning pages are three pages each morning, a bullet journal uses short bulleted entries, a commonplace book collects quotes, and a junk journal is made from scraps. Most were named by the person who popularized them.
- Art journal
- A journal that mixes drawing, paint, collage and words. No art skill needed: the point is expression, not a finished picture.Art journal guide →
- Bullet journal
- A notebook system created by Ryder Carroll that combines a to-do list, diary and planner, using short bulleted entries and a simple index. The official guide is at bulletjournal.com.Bullet journal guide →
- Commonplace book
- A notebook of quotes, passages, facts and ideas you want to keep, usually sorted by subject. The philosopher John Locke published a method for indexing one in 1685.Commonplace book guide →
- Digital journaling
- Keeping a journal in an app, a notes file or a document instead of on paper.Digital journaling guide →
- Dream journal
- A notebook kept by the bed for writing down dreams as soon as you wake, before they fade.Dream journal guide →
- Intensive Journal method
- A structured journaling method developed by psychologist Ira Progoff and set out in his book At a Journal Workshop (1975). It uses a binder divided into sections for different parts of your life. See intensivejournal.org.
- Interstitial journaling
- Writing a few timestamped lines each time you switch between tasks. Tony Stubblebine described the method in a 2017 article.Interstitial journaling guide →
- Junk journal
- A handmade journal built from scraps: old book pages, envelopes, receipts, tickets and packaging, bound together and decorated.Junk journal guide →
- Memoir
- A true story from your own life, told around one theme or period rather than from birth to now. Many memoirs start in a journal.Memoir guide →
- Morning pages
- Three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing done first thing each morning. The practice comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way (1992).Morning pages guide →
- Nature journal
- A record of what you notice outdoors, in words, sketches and numbers: weather, plants, birds, changes through the seasons.Nature journal guide →
- One line a day journal
- A multi-year journal with one short entry per date, so each page shows the same day across several years.One line a day journal guide →
- Reading journal
- A record of the books you read: dates, ratings, thoughts and favorite lines. Also called a book journal.Reading journal guide →
- Shadow work
- Journaling about the parts of yourself you usually avoid or deny. It takes its name from Carl Jung’s idea of the shadow.Shadow work guide →
- Travel journal
- A journal kept before, during and after a trip, often with tickets, maps and other keepsakes stuck in.Travel journal guide →
- Unsent letter
- A letter written to someone (or something) with no plan to send it, to say what you couldn’t say out loud.Unsent letter guide →
What do bullet journal terms mean?
Bullet journal words come from Ryder Carroll’s system: rapid logging (short bulleted entries), the key (what each symbol means), the index (a contents page), future, monthly and daily logs (pages for different time spans) and migration (moving unfinished tasks forward). Words like spread and tracker come from the wider bullet journal community.
- Collection
- A page or spread for one topic, such as books to read or a trip plan, listed in the index.
- Daily log
- The day-to-day page where you rapid log tasks, events and notes as they happen.
- Future log
- A spread at the start of a bullet journal for events and tasks in the months ahead.
- Habit tracker
- A grid or chart where you mark each day you do a habit, so you can see streaks and gaps.Printable habit tracker →
- Index
- The contents page at the front of a bullet journal, listing each topic and its page numbers.
- Key
- The page that lists what each symbol in your bullet journal means, such as a dot for a task or a circle for an event.Bullet journal key →
- Migration
- Moving unfinished tasks forward to a new month or crossing them out if they no longer matter. Ryder Carroll explains it on bulletjournal.com.
- Monthly log
- A two-page spread for one month: a calendar on one side and a task list on the other.
- Mood tracker
- A page where you record your mood each day with a color or symbol, so patterns show over a month or year.Mood tracker guide →
- Rapid logging
- Writing short, bulleted entries instead of full sentences. The core of the bullet journal: tasks, events and notes, each with its own symbol.
- Signifier
- An extra mark next to a bullet that adds meaning, such as a star for “important.”
- Spread
- Two facing pages designed as one layout, such as a weekly spread or a habit tracker.Bullet journal page ideas →
- Weekly spread
- A layout showing one week, with space for each day’s plans and notes.Printable weekly planner →
- Year in pixels
- A mood tracker for a whole year: one small square per day, colored by mood.
What do journaling supply terms mean?
Supply terms describe paper and materials. Dot grid is paper printed with faint dots. GSM measures paper weight. Ghosting and bleed-through describe ink showing on the other side of a page. Washi tape, ephemera, signatures and tucks come up most in junk and art journaling.
- Bleed-through
- When ink soaks through to the other side of the page. Thin paper and wet inks, like markers and fountain pens, bleed most.
- Dot grid
- Paper printed with a faint grid of dots instead of lines or squares. Popular for bullet journals because it guides drawing without getting in the way.
- Ephemera
- Everyday paper items that were meant to be thrown away, such as tickets, receipts and labels. Merriam-Webster notes they have since become collectibles. The raw material of junk journals.
- Ghosting
- When you can see writing from the other side of a page, even though the ink hasn’t come through.
- GSM
- Grams per square meter, a measure of paper weight. Higher numbers mean thicker paper that’s less likely to show ink through.
- Signature
- A group of folded sheets nested inside each other and sewn together as one section of a handmade book.
- Tuck
- A small card, tag or folded paper slipped into a pocket in a junk journal, often with a note or quote on it.
- Washi tape
- Thin decorative paper tape, originally from Japan, that peels off without tearing most papers.
What do journaling research terms mean?
Research terms name specific writing exercises that psychologists have tested, such as expressive writing, best possible self, three good things and counting blessings, plus ideas like affect labeling and WOOP. Each entry links the original study or the researcher’s own explanation.
- Affect labeling
- Putting a feeling into words. A 2007 brain-imaging study found that naming a feeling reduced activity in the amygdala, a brain area involved in emotional reactions.
- Amor fati
- Latin for “love of fate”: accepting, even wanting, what happens instead of wishing it were different. The phrase is Friedrich Nietzsche’s, from 1882. The Stoics said similar things but never used it.Amor fati guide →
- Best possible self
- Writing about your life in the future as if everything had gone as well as it could. The exercise was first studied by Laura King in 2001.Personal growth exercises →
- Counting blessings
- Listing things you’re grateful for, as studied by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough in 2003.
- Expressive writing
- Writing about your deepest thoughts and feelings on something difficult, usually for 15–20 minutes over a few days. Psychologist James Pennebaker began studying it in the 1980s; this review summarizes the research.Benefits of journaling →
- Gibbs’ reflective cycle
- A six-stage model for reflecting on an experience: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. Graham Gibbs published it in 1988. Oxford Brookes University explains each stage.
- Letter to your future self
- A letter written to the person you’ll be in a few years. Research by Yuta Chishima and Anne Wilson looked at how writing to (and as) a future self affects behavior now.
- Self-care wheel
- A circle divided into areas of life (such as physical, emotional and social) for checking how well each is looked after. The original Self-Care Wheel was created by Olga Phoenix.Self-care wheel guide →
- Stoic journaling
- Journaling in the style of Marcus Aurelius, whose Meditations was a private notebook of reminders to himself: what’s in your control, how to respond, what matters.Stoic quotes to journal on →
- Three good things
- Writing down three things that went well each day and why. Tested in a 2005 study by Martin Seligman and colleagues.
- WOOP
- Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan: a goal-setting method from psychologist Gabriele Oettingen. You picture the goal, then the obstacle inside you, then an if-then plan. See woopmylife.org.Vision board ideas →
Teachers, students and writers are welcome to link to or cite any definition on this page.
Journaling glossary questions
What is the difference between a journal and a diary?
Very little today. A diary traditionally records what happened each day. A journal is often used for thoughts and reflection too. Most people use the words interchangeably.
What does “bujo” mean?
It’s short for bullet journal, the notebook system created by Ryder Carroll. People use it for the method, the notebook and the community around it.
What is a spread in journaling?
A spread is two facing pages designed as one layout, such as a weekly plan or a habit tracker.
What is the best paper weight for journaling?
It depends on your pens. Higher GSM paper is thicker and shows less ink through. If you use markers, paint or fountain pens, look for thicker paper; for pencil and ballpoint, most notebooks are fine.
Is there a term missing?
Probably. This glossary grows as the site does. New terms are added when a guide explains them.
Mike Arnold
Mike is a first-year counselling student who has journaled on and off for most of his life. He writes the how-to guides and the occasional bit of philosophy. About our writers
