My Favourite Bullet Journal Hack The Alastair Method

This is a great idea, but not easy to do on a smaller notebook

Love it.

Love it.
Have you/do you/can you use Calendex at same time?

I've been using this method thanks to Claudia Kai. It's been incredibly useful, especially during the school year, but I also include a due date column.

Hmm, ok I’ll try highlighting every other column of task/habit tracker I put on right side of the monthly overview.

The Best video about Alastair Method. Thanks. (El mejor video sobre el método Alastair. Gracias) 🎉

I.don't know why, but the Alastair Method confuses me. I know, it is so clever...really... but i can't.....😢
PS with confuses me i mean: not to set it up, but then actually to use it, once filled out, to quick see: what are the tasks today( this year, this month, this week, whatever), my eyes always jump between the tasks and the day....and seconds later again don't know "WHAT do i have to do today?"
And how do you put apppointments with a certain time of beginning and ending in this method?

I'm getting into bullet journaling by just doing research. Right now I have an A5 just to put all the different layouts between weekly, tasks and monthly. After doing 6 months of research I came upon this. I was thinking of how can I incorporate my daily, weekly and monthly house chores that I can check off and feel productive. (going through a little funk right now, being 57 and all the kids grown up and all. I need something to ground me to feel motivated and productive. Since I have a lot of time on my hands, especially during the winter months.) I just discovered this today and this is exactly what I was looking for just for my chores list. Thank you for explaining and showing the different ways to use it. I immediately made tasks list in the Alastair method. I believe this is going to work for me. Thank you and best regards.

Great Info.

A very succinct explanation, exactly what I was looking for and I realised that I could use this method in SO many ways , which I really didn't grasp when I tried to read about it !
Thank you 😊😊

I'm a student in high school and previously I was using a system where I would setup a weekly layout on one page to keep track of homework deadlines and an 'alastair method' style list on the opposite page to keep track of when I was doing the assignments. The problem with this was it needed alot of setting up and I often ended up with either not enough space in a certain section or too much space and ending up wasting paper.

Instead this year I'm trying a method where I set up one big 'alastair method' style list for a two week period and relying more heavily on my future log to keep track of events and activities (using it more like a calendar). Then to keep me engaged with my bullet journal and to make sure I know what I need/want to do every day, every morning I take 5 minutes to write out a short list (not dissimilar to the original Ryder Carroll method) of what I'm doing that day and things I need to remember. I'm finding this also helps me keep on track of my trackers as I have a set time every day that I do them so I'm less likely to forget.

Definitely going to give this a try for my uni assignments and blog posts!

I use it to plan and track weekly tasks

Wow, you really hit the sweet spot between creativity and an analytical approach. Not many people have that talent. You are lucky!

I have always wondered about different types of spreads as I don't have a great memory of remembering what I need to do, when to do it by and other things related to events. I might consider trying this and see if this works for me.

This is so clearly presented. Thank you!

Ha! Brilliant! Thank you for sharing ❤ *and why hadn’t I thought of that 😂

Jashii?? You are an absolute little Genious Princess!! You have so much in this video that will be useful to me.

Sorry to be so late commenting on this video (somehow I missed it when it came out), but one of the things I find most helpful about the Alistair method is that it doesn't matter what order information comes to me that needs to be accounted for within that system. I just designated it however necessary based on the scale I set across the top (weekdays, months, steps, etc.). I find when I use it to record tasks that need to get done, I find it particularly helpful when I don't actually have a set date that it needs to be completed, and I can then schedule it based on how "full" a week looks rather than assigning it to a random day and hoping I can actually get to it that day. Even when I haven't actually assigned a task to a specific day yet, if I finish all my other tasks in a day, I can look to see what isn't assigned yet, and at least start working on one of those.

I like that you had legitimate examples of using it for something other than weekdays or months, rather like a kanban board.

Many thanks for this helpful method sharing.

It's on my list for next weeks spread!!! I'm excited to see I have so many that carry over this will be so helpful... is there a way you mark as priority?

I love the Alistair method! I set up a couple pages at the beginning of the month and use it for my weekly tasks. I realized I was just rewriting so many things every week (either because they were regular tasks or because I had a window of time to complete them), so now every week I can just automatically input the repeating ones, see what I didn't get to or finish, and then add new ones as they come up. The style I use is pretty much based on Claudia Gray's set up, but it's really saved me some time and frustration.

I love the Alastair Method for task lists! However rather than bullet journalling, I use it as a loose-leaf insert in the middle of my week-on-two-pages spread in my Filofax - I punch the page on both sides so I can have it facing the current day.

I'm totally going to steal your pretty coloured column highlights, though 😀 I've been using light grey, which is functional but not as easy to scan down a long vertical column - and nowhere near as pretty!

A mega playlist you say?

omg thank you so much, i felt like traditional set up in bullet journal wasn't for me but now I wanna try again <3

I love this video! I’m watching it twice so it sinks in.

I use the Alastair method in my weeklies to organize tasks. I have small boxes at the top for my weekly events then a a small AM box at the bottom for tasks. It’s changed the game for me but I will start the nesting method you’ve exemplified so thank you!

I sometimes will use the Alastair method for my weeklies when I’m running short on time, as it’s an easy template I could put on paper in just a minute or two. This is most useful to me while tracking subscription prices on my Amazon account. I take it a step further from just the dots under the month to writing in the price each item for that month. That way, I can compare the prices over the long-term and change/cancel items if necessary.

The Alastair method is my favourite tool in my bullet journal! I use it foe Future Log and Weekly tasks and anything else I can. So good for logging everything and not worrying about forgetting.

Hahah I’m really enjoying your time stamp titles lately XD Definitely an adorable Alastair Method fangirl.
I completely forgot he made this as a Future Log template. You are such a great teacher and I’m really glad I get to see more of that lately as you explain methods and topics. In my 6 ring planner, I have a plastic/laminated divider I made separating the two pages of the weekly layout. I can flippyflippy to either side with ease, but I also like putting small sticky notes on it for reminders. I started to use the Alastair Method for events and wins I did during the week (like getting your driver’s license yaaaay). I put a list pad paper on it with tasks on the left side and M-Sun on the top. I’ve not been doing it lately though, but I do like it.
I’m more interested in learning and going more in-depth how to use it for repeatable tasks, like the video making and editing process! <3 Thank you for your hard work to bring out all these videos every day. I’m really enjoying it and the content, because I learn so much from you.

Hey Jess! I've been a big fan of your videos for a while, even though I haven't been super interactive. I was wondering if you could make a video comparing B5 dotted notebooks (hardcover?)? I'm trying to go bujo shopping because I need a new one for June and want to try the B5 size, I just haven't found very many good options. I like A&O okay, but I'm not always a fan of the embellishments or colors. Leuchtturm 1917 seems to be the only other brand I can find with a hardcover B5. There's not another video like this on the internet (trust me, I've looked) and I would love the help, and I'm sure others would, too 😊
Once again, I love your videos and I love your personality. You're very real with us while also having this welcoming and cheery demeanor. Thanks for your contributions to the bullet journal community 😊❤️

Hello jass😇

I think this could really work for me!

I use it for my weeklies (combined with a rolling daily) and also a week by week tasks section in my monthly, plus some other categorisation on some of my other lists... I've also found it super useful for things like shopping lists, so I can group all the different sections of the store without having to have thought of what I need to pick up all at once. That project completion spread is so good!

Excellent explanation! I've seen this in so many Bujos but I always skipped those pages cause I had no idea what the are. Now that I understand I am going to use that method for sure! ❤

This is really helpful! I've been trying to figure out a better way to keep track of my work projects.

I’ve used this method in my weekly spreads before and loved it but think I’ll be setting it up for my content planner as well!! 🥰🥰

I've seen this method but never knew what it was called. I really like how you used it for your task list. Going to try that next week 👍

I dont use it, because I havent taken the time to look it up properly. I do think its an awesome way, so I will take a look at my bujo and see how I can make use of it! :) Thanks for sharing!

I just kinda realized that i use this method unknowingly with my banking and work spreads. Typically I'll split it into the columns i need and set up my work spread such that i have my date, hours, time worked, total hours that month and any overtime/ extra pay that may be coming in. And i tick em off as the days go by. And of course for my budgeting i have spreads with my account values and a log of how it goes down through the month since i get paid monthly. It really helps put into perspective where you can save/be more savvy.

Love it. I think I might try it in next weeks spread.

I started using Alistair method weeklies in the Nov/Dec 2021 by by Mar 2022, I found I was sort of ignoring my weeklies and wasn't updating them or do the tasks they contained. So I went back to a more traditional BuJo list method and copy over my list at least every other day. My current dilemma is that I have several major longterm projects that are important to me but they are items I'm going to need to set a daily or weekly daily discipline to make progress on them, ie organize videos on my IPhone into folders on my laptop, or clean out old paper files and file unfiled statements, or restore several old fountain pens, study french, build a website, etc. I want to create a tip-in with my A&O neopolitan notepad paper that I can pull out on days when I have a spare hour to fill so I can do some bit of work on a project and check it off. However, I know it will be very intermittent as my days are currently very booked with other daily disciplines and freelance work. Any suggestions ?

I'd love to start bulk filming, but I worry about getting mixed up with where I am with each video. This would be perfect for that.

Hello from British Columbia Canada
🇨🇦👋👍♥️😎📚🎨🖌🖊🖋✍

I thought this looked like the most confusing way to lay out a straightforward to-do list, then I realized you teach CHEMISTRY, so of course your brain is the exact opposite of mine. I'm a A&P person (respiratory therapist actually, and I tutored A&P). Naturally we could never organize a simple list the same way. 🤣

Short and sweet and to the point!!! 🥰
I have tried to use it, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's usually my favorite because it doesn't waste journal pages though.

I’m going to try the method next week. I love the idea of the column just for x’s (completed tasks). Thanks for the ideas.

I also use it for a habit tracker. The habits go at the top, and tasks below. I don't need a month of habits as much as I need daily reminders and motivations to take meds, etc. I never flipped open to monthly trackers, so having it on my weekly makes more sense.

I definitely need to try this method in my next layout and journal. I think it will save so much space! Love it! ❤️

I really love the way your organize your video steps.