28 February 2015

Web Finds - 28th February 2015

I hope your week has gone well.

So now it is time to enjoy a small collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:
  1. First attempt at inserts - Stationery Starlet
  2. Why I’ve been MIA - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
  3. Official Diagnosis In; Stationary Addict - Adventures in Trying to Organize my Life
  4. A year and a half of Bullet Journaling - Plannerisms 
  5. Undyed Binder Update – heading for five months! - This Bug's Life
  6. More on my Unstructured Planning Experiment - Homemakers Daily
  7. Tip: How to Clean and Condition Your Leather Binder... - Sparkle Frogs
  8. Daily Checklists & Week On One Page Planner Inserts - MsWenduhh
  9. Getting Everything Done: The Marathon Planner Technique - Giftie Etcetera
  10. What I use to condition my leather - This Bug's Life
  11. The Planner-Plus-Wallet Dilemma SOLVED! - Yay, for Fridays!
  12. Planner Decoration Ideas: Washi Tape - Joanny White
  13. Weekly Work Planning - Studio L2e
  14. The Best Times to Look at Your Planner - Giftie Etcetera
  15. Filofax Ideas - This Bug's Life
  16. Link Love #1: Favorite blogs about Filofaxing - Black Eyed Thoughts
  17. Don't Change Tried & True - Planner Fun
  18. What to do with all those old/extra diary inserts? - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
  19. Monthly Dividers - Stationery Starlet
  20. Time Tracking vs Personal Values - Becky's Paper Route
  21. Filofax A5 Turqoise Patent Domino + My Birthday Present Haul - Mrs Brimbles
  22. Make Your Own Luck {Free Printable} - Strange and Charmed
  23. Monthly pages : Tips and Tricks and Cool Uses for them - The Paradox of An Organized Scientist 
  24. Zeitgeber: Your Planner as a Collection of Cues - Paper Goodness
  25. Free Filo Friday! Money, Money, Money. - Embellish Everything
  26. Tweaking The Pages [printable] - Planner Fun
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Guest Post - My tempus planner in WT size - Jürgen
  2. Filofax UK 2011-12 Full Catalogue
  3. Date For Your Diary - 1 March 2015
  4. Free For All Tuesday No. 212
  5. Web Finds - 24 February 2015
  6. Plunging Back into Page Formats by Nan
  7. Filofax York - A glimpse in to the past by Steve
  8. Free For All Friday No 328 by Laurie

And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Unboxing and Initial Thoughts Filofax A5 + Personal Domino Turquoise - Alexis
  2. Filofax Pocket Finsbury VS Kikki.k Pocket Gold - Ruby Dumbrique
  3. {Filofax} Vintage Pink Pocket Malden Close up View - Dark Little People
  4. Inside My Filofax - A Paper Umbrella
  5. Filofax Osterley in Compact size. My Wallet.Planner.Phone holder - Yar
  6. Filofax Pocket Malden Zip Organizer. - K Perry
  7. Filofax Pennybridge Compact Tour Updated - Pie Adventures
  8. {[Unboxing]} Filofax Temperly Violet - Filophile
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
Enjoy

27 February 2015

Free For All Friday No 328 by Laurie

In a recent Facebook conversation, several of us were discussing whether or not it bothers us when our binders start to show wear. The main topic was of color rubbing off colored binders, which I think bothers just about everyone (including myself).

Marks and scratches are a normal result of daily use, but I don't always like them. I have some Filofax binders (like my chic ivory Deco) that I think look best in pristine condition. Others, like my rugged oiled-leather Kendal, look great with some wear.

I recently was fortunate enough to be able to buy a never-used new-condition Sherwood Filofax made in the early 1990's (post coming soon). When I bought it my intention was for it to acquire character in the form of the inevitable marks and scratches it will get from daily use.

But when it arrived, I was suddenly anxious about using it. Having a never-used vintage Filofax felt like a big responsibility. Should I actually use it every day? Should I really shove it into my bag, open the snap clasp a dozen times per day, and push my pen into the pen loop? Maybe I should sell it to a collector instead.

Then I thought, this Filofax was made to be used, not to be a museum piece. Its intention was to be used as a daily object of usefulness. Its beauty and aesthetic appeal add to the joy of its daily use.

Even the card that came with it gives me permission to use it every day: It came with a card stating it is "Made from fine Scottish Leather" by the National Chrome Tanning company, and the back of the card states:

Like wood, leather is one of the few materials that grows more beautiful with use, the grain acquiring a natural patina.

I also get a lot of inspiration from this wonderful post on The Sewing Sloth about the appeal of worn binders showing the evidence of their exciting lives. 

I'm keeping all these things in mind as I use my beautiful Sherwood. But, I'm sure when those first few marks appear on its surface, I'll feel a little pain.

How do you feel when your binder starts to show wear?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to ask and/ or discuss anything binder related!

26 February 2015

Filofax York - A glimpse in to the past by Steve

The period or era between about 1991-92 and 2005 is a gap in my regular use of a Filofax. I started using one in 1986 (my black Winchester).

By 1992 my Filofax had been put in away and replaced with one electronic device followed by a few more.

This electronic wizardry was terminated by a very officious looking security gentleman, who on seeing my HP iPaq on my office desk said to me
'Sorry Mr Morton but you can't use that in the office' 
I questioned the reasoning, he quoted almost word for word an office notice about the use of personal electronic devices including PDA's, but not at the exclusion of any device that could store or record data, voice, unless encrypted to some long standard number.

This guy obviously wrote this office notice and loved quoting it at people who showed even a sniff of interest in the contents of Notice 1283-A/2003 issue 2.1 revised September 2003... or what ever it was called....

I asked about my Psion organiser.... No... it can record audio... OK Filofax? He sort of looked at me with a quizzical view and looked down at my list of holdings (protective marked and registered documents), which sadly for him was very short, but he insisted on seeing every document, notebook or manual so he could sign the checking sheet in each of them and sign me off as being a good boy until his next 'flash visit'

It sounds like a script from St Trinians I know, but word would flash around the building when 'Derek from Security' was 'in the building'. Everyone would make mad scatter to make themselves scarce... but I digress......

So when I got home from work that night I got my Filofax out again, I put my electronic toys to one side and gradually started refreshing the pages in my Filofax... I gained an A5 Finsbury for ease of printing out calendars and inserts etc. At this point I hadn't even thought or considered what had happened to Filofax in the period I hadn't been using one. Until one day when some how by accident in about 2008 I discovered Philofaxy. At this time Nan was running it on her own.

It got me interested in the use of organisers a bit more, up to this point it had just been a 'style accessory', a diary, a place to store maps and addresses. Suddenly a new world opened,  I read all of the posts from day 1 of Philofaxy, to what was the current day back then. I managed a year per day without too much difficulty. I learnt a lot by reading through the old posts. I started to comment more frequently and obviously got noticed... in 2009 Nan invited me to join her along with Laurie.

So back to this missing era... 1992-2005 it wasn't until recently that I realised that Filofax produced quite a wide variety of organisers in this period some good some not so good. Seeing these various models in the old catalogues I've been scanning (I've nearly finished!) got me interested in some of the older models to see what they were like.

Despite what people might think I don't know that much about the older models <shock horror>!! If someone writes in and asks a question I often ask others if they know the answer if I can't find the answer myself.

So when one of our readers offered me a Filofax York I found it very hard to say no. It wasn't a model I was familiar with, but when I saw the picture and description in the 1993 catalogue I couldn't wait to see it for myself.

A catalogue picture is one thing, but to actually hold one in your own hands is another thing.


As you can see it shares the interior design with the Sherwood as did other models at the time.

A very pleasant surprise when the parcel arrived was the original box. This was a time capsule of Filofax nostalgia. I love the full description on the label of the box. And the embossed 'f' in the box lid adds a lovely touch to it.


So inside this is the York in tan calf leather.


A skinny clasp similar to lots of models at the time.


Two pen loops, not elasticated though. 


Note the square profile of the spine, unlike current models that tend to be more rounded.


Eight card slots, enough for most people I would think! Note the  fILOFAX of England, York, Calf Leather, Made in Italy below the card slots . 


A neat pocket and zip pocket in the back cover.


The f on the spine, we have been trying to establish when Filofax started adding this feature. I like the contrast stitching although it blends in nicely on this model. There are no quality control three letter codes on the inside of the clasp or anywhere else on the organiser as far as I can see.


I don't know the history of this particular organiser, it is not surprising that it doesn't lay flat it looks unused to me or virtually unused. The pen loops are still flat, the leather is in beautifully clean and unmarked condition.

There is no quality control stamp on the inside of the clasp so this example could be older than 1993, but there's no mention of the York in the 1991 price list.

It might have been a lovely gift to someone back in about 1993. May be they already owned a Winchester and didn't want to move out of it, but I'm smitten with it. It really is a lovely organiser to own and use.

25 February 2015

Plunging Back into Page Formats by Nan

As long-time readers of this blog may remember, I cured my chaotic planner experimentation 8 years ago by making a commitment: Filofax as a brand and A5 as a size. After experimenting with Pocket as a satellite/wallet format, I settled on Personal as an adjunct format. I even ended up using Personal as my only planner format for over a year, with a large Moleskine as my journal. Even that was a departure...for years I insisted that even my journals be exactly A5 so I could swap pages with the A5 Filofax. Now, U.S. letter size is insinuating itself back into my life!

Can you tell I have a tough time dealing with multiple formats? Even as a kid it bugged me that my writing paper and the handouts from my teachers were two different sizes. It wasn't until college that I figured out that you could get letter-size loose leaf paper.

I joined a diet group recently, and the handouts and food log forms are letter-size. We were told, "Print out your menus and carry them with you everywhere." WHAT? A Filofax blogger carry letter-size paper? For now, I'm doing so by folding the sheets in half and slipping them into an A5 Flex cover along with my journal.

I will need to start using a letter-size binder to store all these handouts, forms, and recipes I print out from websites, which are formatted for letter-size paper as well.

And so it begins. Now I'm thinking I may as well use letter-size for work instead of my current A5, for the sake of consistency. Otherwise, I'll be shuffling around three different paper sizes every day--Personal, A5, and letter-size--and that will make me crazy. Sure, I currently have some letter-size documents at work, but they're things that I read, put in files, and refer to. Using and writing on letter-size paper is a different story, and it's something I haven't done for a decade!

My other alternative is figuring out how to format and print letter-size materials for A5 paper. Or is that even crazier?


24 February 2015

Web Finds - 24 February 2015

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:
  1. Filo–pad (pod?) - Zero RAM
  2. A typical week and why I don’t decorate - This Bug's Life
  3. One Confusing Planner Sighting- Well Planned Life
  4. Proud Cousin!!! - Adventures in Trying to Organize my Life
  5. Riflessioni... - Lucy Wonderland
  6. Filofax Friday: je Filofax relevant houden. - Knusheid van het leven
  7. Exotic Print Binders - This Bug's Life
  8. Washi! - Paper Pens Ink
  9. Filofax Temperley Inserts? - Kel & Filofax
  10. Beautiful Butterflies - Stationery Starlet
  11. Filofaxing #6: Using multiple planners (Part Two) - Blackeyedthoughts
  12. Filofax Exotic binders - This Bug's Life
  13. New Ways to Write in a Planner: A Flashback Post - Giftie Etcetera
  14. Time Management Monday: Write it where you need it - Quo Vadis
  15. Make it Monday // DIY Removeable Lined Writing Guide - Five Sixteenths Blog
  16. Laminated fabric dashboards - Argentum Vivum XO
  17. New Video: Filofax Unboxing Domino Personal Patent leather in Hot Pink & Turquoise - The Velvet Filo
  18. Webster's Pages Sky Blue Color Crush - Bits and Pieces
  19. New Printables! - Kel & Filofax
  20. The Wisdom of a Weekly Plan -  - Giftie Etcetera
  21. To do list with a twist - Stationery Starlet
  22. Return to the Senior Planner - It's Bluetiger
  23. Home Planner (A5 Domino) - a setup - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist
  24. Review – Temperley for Filofax The Guinea - Kel & Filofax
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Van Der Spek Touch Me Senior Academic Notebook - Katebtps
  2. Kikki K Dark Mint Medium Planner - OATTblog
  3. New Planner Alert…Yep, I got a Filofax! - AKCaraboo
  4. Giramondo with new lining (Feb.2015) - Chrissie's Universe
  5. Giramondo with pig-suede-lining :-) - Chrissie's Universe
  6. Planner & Journal Update Feb 2015 | Filofax Personal & Midori Traveler's Notebook - Rhomanysrealm
  7. Filofax A5 original: reuse and recycle - Sandrajohn27
  8. What's in my new work FIlofax? - AKCaraboo
  9. Lining on an older Gigliodoro Compagna :-D - Chrissie's Universe
  10. Standard van der spek touch me binder in brown with fc compact inserts - KatleNoir
  11. {Filofax} Vintage Pink Pocket Malden Close up View - Dark Little People
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

My Week Posts
  1. Week Planner 91# - Lucy Wonderland
  2. Week Eight - Stationery Starlet
  3. This week in my Filofax - A Day in the life of a Country Mouse
  4. My week #7 - She's Eclectic
  5. My week #149 - Paper Lovestory
  6. My Week - Week 8 - Tapes and Stickers and Pens, Oh My!
  7. This weeks page decoration - My Birthday Week! - Mrs Brimbles
  8. My week #8  - She's Eclectic
  9. Week Nine - Stationery Starlet
  10. Filofax Pages: January and February pages - Ink's Paper by Mae
  11. My Week #3 - The Kentish Kitchen
  12. My Week #8 (2015) - Joanny White
  13. My week 112 - Sabina
  14. Boofle in my Filofax - A Day in the life of a Country Mouse
Enjoy

Free For All Tuesday No. 212

23 February 2015

Date For Your Diary - 1 March 2015

We are going to run another conference round-table voice chat using Skype. And the 'morning' session returns so our friends in the Far East and Pacific can join in again.

I'm sure we are gradually getting to know each other's voices, but I will make a point of going 'around the table' to get everyone to introduce themselves this time.

So...When, Where, What, Who and How?

When? - Sunday 1 March from 8am New York time, 1pm London time, 2pm Paris time, 11pm Brisbane time.

With this timing we hope to be able to join people on the East coast of North America with our friends in Australia

See the World Clock to make sure you have the right time.

The timing of this one session has been chosen to hopefully allow as many people to join in compared to previous round-tables. The timing of future ones will be varied to suit everyone if need be.

Where? - an on-line chat using Skype.

What do I need? - just a micro-phone and some head phones(in ear phones work fine) and a free Skype account. Using headphones or earphone reduces 'echo' on the call. If you have a webcam then you can join in on video as well, but this is optional! A tea or coffee and some festive cakes!

Who - All of you... connect up with Philofaxy and we will attempt to get as many of us linked in to the audio conference as possible. Come and listen if you don't want to chat.  What do we talk about? Filofax stuff... but anything else as well. It's like long lost friends meeting up for coffee and a catch up.. but don't worry if you have never joined in before... you are an old friend too!

If you have any questions you want to ask then please let us know in the group or before we start.

How -
  1. Connect to Philofaxy by firstly searching for Philofaxy in Skype, I will then add you as a contact.
  2. Then  'Send Contact Request',  I will then add you in to the chat room. 
  3. Then if you request it, I can add you to the audio conference as well. But if you just want to chat via keyboard that's fine. That way it's slightly less hectic for me! 
Come and join in the fun, even if you only pop in to say hello... but don't be afraid to join in the discussion.

As with previous round-tables there will also be a parallel text chat room going at the same time as the voice conference, so you can listen to the voice chat and type if you wish.

If you need any assistance setting up Skype, please pop a comment in this post and I will try and help you get one line. Skype is free for computer to computer calls....

Here is my post on how to improve your Skype audio with headphones or a headset.

Hope to be chatting with you on Sunday 1 March 2015.

Filofax UK 2011-12 Full Catalogue

Today we go and take a look at 2011-12 in the UK catalogue, it might be only a few years ago but how the range changes in such a short time.

The content of this post is the intellectual property of Filofax Group Ltd. The scans are reproduced here with the full permission of Filofax Group Ltd.

As this is a picture heavy post, there is a break after the first image, please click 'read more' to see the whole post.


22 February 2015

Guest Post - My tempus planner in WT size - Jürgen

Thank you to Jürgen for his guest post. 

Before reporting on my current tempus planner, please let me briefly introduce myself. I have been using ring-bound planners for about 30 years, switched to digital, back to notebooks, index cards, digital again … - I think you get the picture. Since 2004 I am using tempus planners, besides some fILOFAXes.

Being a theoretical physicist at a university, I am heaviliy involved in teaching and in a lot of projects. Therefore, I am planning appointments and daily tasks on paper. Long-term planning is done on a computer.

My planner collection comprises three tempus planners (WT black with M-sized rings, WT brown with S-sized rings, and an A5 black with M-sized rings) and (too?) many fILOFAXes (Personal: Malden ochre, Malden grey, Kendal brown, Hamilton black, Active zipped black, Sketch grey; Slimline: Kendal black; A5: Malden ochre, Holborn black, and Finsbury grey). Currently in use are the tempus WT and the A5 Malden, the latter for meeting minutes and conferences.

tempus is a German company (http://www.tempus.de/zeitplansystem.html) which offers two lines of planners: A5 and  WT format (vest pocket, *Westentaschenformat*), the latter somewhat smaller than fILOFAX Personal. The calendars come in three flavours: week on two pages, day per page, and day on two pages (D2P). I’ll report on my WT planner with D2P calendar.

The WT planner’s size is between a fILOFAX Personal and a fILOFAX Pocket.

tempus WT planner (right) and a fILOFAX Personal Malden in ochre.

tempus WT between two fILOFAXes: Malden Personal and Holborn A5.
 tempus WT on top of two fILOFAXes: Malden Personal and Holborn A5.

The four rings are 20 mm wide. The planner has two elastic pen loops, that on the right-hand-side with leather reinforcement, as the Kendals have.  It lies absolutely flat out of the box, thanks to the »striped« back which also makes the planner somewhat floppy (which I like - Malden lovers would appreciate this, too). The leather is thin but robust - it shows only minute wear after several years of usage. Currently, I am using two pens: a 0.7 mm pencil (left, for appointment entries) and a black Pilot G-TEC-C4 0.4 (right, for anything else).

The yearly calendar package is available in German only. It is quite expensive, at first glance it costs much more than fILOFAX inserts. But the set comprises a D2P calendar, a monthly calendar, notepaper, planner for the actual and the upcoming year, project planner, page marker, info pages, motivational cover pages, and an archive folder. The paper quality is high - very thin but ink-proof, with the shortcoming that pencil is somewhat bright (low contrast). There are so many well-thought details which make using the planner fun.

On the left side you find four credit card slots, one of them with a window, and a vertical full-height pocket. The cover page provides a motivational quote and a picture.

Motivational cover page.

Then comes the monthly calendar.

Monthly calendar (left).

This is a booklet with plastic cover which can easily be »ripped off« the rings, like a »today« marker. There is a single line per day which is sufficent space for up to four, maybe five, appointments. Note the transparent divider with the blue tab at the bottom; this allows to open quickly the actual month. Futhermore, the calendar is tabbed for easy access. It starts with December of the past year and ends with February of the next year. On top of this it offers pages for the upcoming years (up to ten, with decreasing space).

For daily planning one uses the D2P inserts.

Day on two pages.

The left page exhibits a motivational quotation and space for notes. Note the lines with the fading background - these »sections« offer structure but do not disturb. The right page shows two columns: one for appointments, the other for tasks. The latter is divided into four sections; from top to bottom: to do by yourself (for me: urgent and important), delegate (for me: not urgent but important), phone calls (for me: contact), and email (same for me). On the top of the page you find a line for this day’s priority. Note also the day tabs for easy access; tabs for Saturday and Sunday are slightly darker (e.g. 14. and 15. of March). The rings are wide enough to hold five weeks of D2P pages, besides the other inserts.

The to do lists wrap around the divider with the green tab at the bottom and can be folded out, similar to the Professional range of fILOFAX. I do long-term planning on mind maps (week, month, and year), also foldable for more space.

Mind map and to-do list.

On the top you’ll find several dividers made of plastic. Those labeled 1 - 3 are for notes. I am using section 1 for projects, 2 for personal notes, 3 for ideas. The notepaper is pretty conventional.

Ruled and lined notepaper.

Then come sections for spare inserts: to-do lists etc, then notepaper. The info section is updated yearly and comprises about 80 pages. I pick out about 20 pages that suit my needs (e.g. holidays, time zones, etc.).

Information pages.

The back of the planner hosts a transparent compartment for small notes, recipes, etc.

Back of the WT planner.

The »today« markers come in three flavours.

Page markers.

The transparent one is similar to that supplied by fILOFAX but more flexible. The other two are made of cardboard - I am using them when travelling; so I have my schedule and travel information always visible. Or one could use these for notes, phone numbers, shopping items, … See them as kind of a dashboard.

The yearly inserts come in a handy folder, which gives a nice archive.

Archive folders in WT format (top row) and A5 format (bottom row).
As you can see, I switched from A5 to WT format in 2008.

Concerning planning, a tempus offers sufficient structure but is not too restrictive. It is flexible enough to fit to my needs, that is, it is close to my »sweet spot«. However, it is not as customizable as a fILOFAX which offers no guidance at all.

In my opinion, whether you prefer structure or flexibility is a matter of personal habit. I am using a GTD-inspired approach; but instead of running several »orthodox« GTD lists (@NextAction, @Waiting, @Someday, etc) I have a single to-do list in which tasks are marked according to the DashPlus system (http://patrickrhone.com/dashplus/).

Summarizing, a tempus planner is suited neither for scrap booking nor for decoration with Washi tapes. Instead, it is a professional tool you can trust on: awakening towards serenity (*Aufbruch zur Gelassenheit*). There is — of course — a drawback: it has neither the vintage style and the haptic of a Malden nor the patina of an old and often used Hamilton. I think I do not have achieved planner peace yet but I am pretty close.

Once again thank you Jürgen for your post. 

If you would like to submit a guest post to Philofaxy please contact us at: philofaxy at gmail dot com

21 February 2015

Web Finds - 21 February 2015

I hope your week has gone well.

So now it is time to enjoy a small collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:
  1. Quick peek at my junior van der Spek - Love All Planners
  2. What is luxury? - This Bug's Life
  3. Filofaxing #5: Using multiple planners (Part One) - Black Eyed Thoughts
  4. Sky - Color Crush Planner by Webster's Pages - Overview - My Purpley Life
  5. Movin' On Up - To Classic Size! - Sparkle Frogs
  6. Personal Size Dashboard - Stationery Starlet
  7. Half-Size Self-Birthday Planning Sheet [printable] - Planner Fun
  8. Van Der Spek Touch Me Planner in Junior Size - It's Bluetiger
  9. Plan With.. Cathy – Custom Planning Labels - Studio L2e
  10. Travel wallet for planner Kikki.k - Lucy Wonderland
  11. How to Write the Perfect To Do List in a Planner - Giftie Etcetera
  12. NEW Personal Size To Do List [printable] - Planner Fun
  13. LM-Hyperdex Update and Giveaway - Carie Harling
  14. Organize and Have a List of your Collections (w/ printable for A5) - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist
  15. Filofax Friday Week 9! - What My Mama Gave Me
  16. Friday Feature: An Interview with My Purpley Life - Planner Bug
  17. Links roundup: Archiving, typing and vinyl - Quo Vadis
  18. Personal Size Dividers - Stationery Starlet
  19. Websters Pages Color Crush Planner / Folio / Accessories Unboxing - Mrs Brimbles
  20. New Zeitgeber Planner Pages for February and March 2015 now available… for free! - Paper Goodness
  21. Filofax Malden Personal Size in Purple and Paper review - The Mellow Bee
  22. Menopause And A Filofax - Roses in December
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Reader Under the Spotlight - Suzanne
  2. Lefax 1992 Full Catalogue
  3. Free For All Tuesday No. 211
  4. Web Finds - 17 February 2015
  5. Guest Post - Planners and Time Management - Deborah
  6. Goodbye A5 - by Anita
  7. Free For All Friday No. 327 by Anita
And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Filofax Colour Coding - The Desk of Adam
  2. Filofax Holborn Unboxing!- My Summer Touch
  3. Filofax 2015 Setup - Mits T
  4. My New Friend | Pippa | Franklin Covey!! - Miss Vicky Bee
  5. Gillio - Gigliodoro Pocket Mia Cara and Pocket Compagna and Pocket Amica comparison - Alancynvideo
  6. Filofax Urban Overview & Set-Up as Creativity/Inspiration Journal - Horizon1322
  7. Filofax Friday notepaper trick - Stamping Songbird
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
Enjoy

20 February 2015

Free For All Friday No. 327 by Anita

My Mum is currently visiting and I bought a pack of playing cards as I remember us playing quite a bit of Rummy when I was growing up. We stayed up late last night chatting, drinking tea and playing cards and it was very relaxing. It occurred to me that in this digital age that something like playing cards or using a Filofax gives me a break from looking at a screen, and I think that it does me good. I find that my binder helps me slow down, focus and I am more committed to completing items on my to-do lists when I write them, rather than typing. When I've been at work all day, it's nice to sit down with my Filofax, a good book and my cat on my lap for a change of pace.

Sometimes people assume that I'm anti-technology because I use a planner, do you also experience this?

And as it's Friday, please feel free to discuss anything ring-binder related. Have a great weekend.

19 February 2015

Goodbye A5 - by Anita

I love the A5 for the extra page space, but I just find it too large as my everyday binder. I don't always have my Filofax with me, but I find the personal size a perfect compromise between paper size and portability. Looking back at my previous posts, it seems that my love/hate journey with using the A5 size has been going on for some time, years actually as you can see from this post.

My personal set up has barely changed, but I added an A5 to my collection for the extra space for planning projects. In theory, this sounds like a great idea but in reality I don't think that it has ever worked properly. I think the main reasons for my A5 Filofax fail are:
  1. I set it up, fill it with notes and other useful stuff - at this point I am enthusiastic that this time it will work
  2. I don't look at it because I'm so focused on my personal sized one
  3. I bought a Filofax to help me focus and keep everything in one place. Hang on a minute...
  4. I struggle with having things in two places and don't look in the A5
  5. I consider selling the A5! 
I know that I won't be able to fit absolutely everything in personal size and I won't try to. I will keep project support materials in plastic popper wallets in a couple of magazine files that live on the bookcase next to my desk, with my Filofax on the end within easy reach. 

If I do feel that I have a genuine need to return to the A5 size, I think I will purchase a Clipbook as it will be smaller and lighter for carrying around. As I am so content with my Winchester, I also don't think I feel the need to have a nicer A5, if that makes sense? However, I am currently feeling quite happy with my one binder so have no current plans to make any changes to my system.

18 February 2015

Guest Post - Planners and Time Management - Deborah Jane

With thanks to Deborah-Jane for the following hints and tips. 

1. Just write it down..... no you won't remember it.... just write it..

2. Remember to put the preparation time before the appointment as well as the appointment, or blocking time off for packing for the holiday, work trip etc

3. Learn to know when to say no and when to say yes...

4. If you colour code... keep the colours similar to highlighter pens so if you are caught out without relevant pen you can use your any colour/pencil and highlight with the right one later.

5. Scheduling "me time" is no less important than any other type of scheduling.... especially during the busy season and straight after...

6. The price of your planner does not reflect on how much you value your planner... How much you spend on your planner is your own business. The only person who can truly answer the question "Do I have too many planners? Is you... 

Someone's reasonably priced planner is always going to be someone else's "You spent how much?" The only person who needs to "get your planner" or why your planner means so much to you.. is you, they just need to understand it's not a spare coaster...

7. Planner fail or is it Doing fail?.... Remember the saying the best made plans of mice and men? Well it's all well and good making the best plans and then find yourself like Monica off friends spent more time planning and left little time to actually cook Ross's ex's wedding banquet.

Or you have a detail to do list and say I will start it after I have a quick look on FB,.. so next time before you say planning fail ask yourself is it planning fail or doing fail?

8. Which size of Filofax ? cut up paper to the size of the inserts.. Fill them in with your planning requirements and pick which is best for you..

9. If you are waiting for time sensitive information put a reminder a couple of days/ weeks in advance of the date so you can remind the person that you are indeed waiting for said info.

10. Looking back.. the eternal question of my planners not big enough but I don't want to carry anything larger... if week on 2 pages isn't enough room, but page a day is too daunting try 2 days on a page..
Get more Planner and Time Management tips on the small but active Facebook group.

Can you add any simple tips to the list?

17 February 2015

Web Finds - 17 February 2015

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:
  1. 2015 Kate Spade Planner Setup - OATblog
  2. Plan With.. Zinia – DIY Dividers & Planner Setup - Studio L2e
  3. Undyed Van Der Spek binder – after 4 months of daily use - This Bug's Life
  4. Time Management Monday: What to do when your day goes off the rails - Quo Vadis
  5. Travel light – free download - ArgentumVivumXO
  6. How to Use a Planner - Giftie Etcetera
  7. Filofax printables #1: Personal size dividers - Black eyed thoughts
  8. Beautiful divider gift - This Bug's Life
  9. Plan With.. Beth – Business Planner - Studio L2e 
  10. A Newbie!!! - Adventures in Trying to Organize my Life
  11. Free Printable Stickers: Icon Labels for Planning - MsWenduhh
  12. Today is the Day - A Daily Docket [printable] - Planner fun
  13. Webster's Pages Planner Love - Bits and Pieces
  14. Thank you to all my readers - This Bug's Life
  15. Reinventing All The Time - Adventures in Trying to Organize my Life
  16. My Filofax Personal Original Setup - The Filofax Lifestyle
  17. Planner decisions almost justified! - It's Bluetiger
  18. Month-out Meal Planning – {Filofax Friday} - Renew Your Space
  19. Daily Docket at Planner Fun  - Giftie Etcetera
  20. Bigger Lists, Bigger Rings? - Well Planned Life
  21. New Year, New Inserts - The Crazy Life of J
  22. Graf Von Faber-Castell Epsom Organiser in brown leather - This Bug's Life
  23. New Dashboards & Dividers - Roses in December
  24. A Blast From The Past - Stationery Starlet
  25. Planner Evolution Update - Becky's Paper Route
  26. What I have learned from writing daily to do lists and Why I love Filofax Do1p inserts :) - The Paradox of an Organised Scientist. 
  27. Is it Tuesday or Friday? Divider DIY - Embellish Everything
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Homesteading Binder Setup - Amber NerdyMom
  2. Van Der Spek Planner Set-up early 2015 - KateBTPS
  3. 2015 Kate Spade Planner Setup - OATblog
  4. 2015 Planner Setup in Sparrows and Filofax  - Amber NerdyMom
  5. Meal Planning in a Filofax | Save Money & Manage Your Health! - Alexis
  6. Decorating my Filofax Apex: week 08 (2015) - FR - Mzelles World
  7. Kate Spade Debra planner/agenda in green. - Stamping Songbird
  8. I gold leafed my Malden Filofax for Valentine's day.... - Tracy Reinhardt
  9. {Filofax} Pocket Kendal in Brown Review - Dark Little People
  10. My New Planning Method: Unstructured! - Patty Gardner
  11. {Filofax} Pocket Cavendish in Navy Blue Unboxing  - Dark Little People
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

My Week Posts
  1. This weeks pages - Feelin' Foxy! - Mrs Brimbles
  2. My week #148 - Paper Lovestory
  3. My week #6 - She's Eclectic
  4. Filofax Friday Week 8! - What My Mama Gave Me
  5. My Week #2 - The Kentish Kitchen
  6. My Week #7 (2015) - Joanny White
  7. Week 7 – 2015 – After Shots - Carie Harling
  8. My Beautiful A5… - Incarnations of Organization
  9. My week 111 - Sabina 
  10. My Week 7/52 - So Joey Creates
Enjoy

Free For All Tuesday No. 211

16 February 2015

Lefax 1992 Full Catalogue

Today we look back to 1992 to the Lefax catalogue, thank you to Brenda in Canada for supplying the scans of the catalogue.

The content of this post is the intellectual property of Filofax Group Ltd. The scans are reproduced here with the full permission of Filofax Group Ltd.




15 February 2015

Reader Under the Spotlight - Suzanne

Today I would like to introduce you to Suzanne. 

Hey there! I'm Suzanne and I live in France with my boyfriend and our bunny, Lucy. I teach English to middle and high school students and I spend a lot of my free time reading and writing, practising yoga, runnning, and creating inserts for my Filofaxes.

1. When did you buy your first organiser and what was it?

I bought a Black Metropol in personal size back in October 2014. I'm quite new to the planner world!

2. What other brands have you used or considered using?

I have used a Kikki K and I'd love to try a Van Der Spek Touch Me... Even though I can't really justify the price right now!

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

That would be my kingfisher blue metropol in personal size. I can't get enough of this colour! Too bad it's not real leather.

4. How many Filofax or other brands of organisers do you own?

I currently have five at home and one on its way to me : one black and one blue Metropol, two pocket Finsbury in black and teal, and an A5 Kikki K 2015 time planner in mint.  I've also had a  compact lavander patent that I gave to my sister. And the new Filo will be a brown Holborn in personal size, I can't wait to get it!

5. What is the oldest organiser in your collection?

All my planners are rather new, but I guess the pocket Finsbury I got from Adspot (hi Franz!) is the oldest. It's the oldest-looking anyway, and it lays flat, which is quite an achievement for a Finsbury if I'm right! It's become smooth and squishy with age, it's lovely.

6. What do you use your organisers for?

Pretty much everything! I plan for work, I record my expenses and savings, I write down goals for each year/month, I keep lists of books I read and movies I watch, I write down all the information I might need on the go like wishlists/shopping lists, work information... My planner contains my whole life!

7. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

I love creating my own diary pages and making them perfect for ME. And the ability to change things around easily!

8. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

It would be personal size; I've tried and tried getting used to the A5 and pocket, but they just aren't for me.

Lots of vertical card slots, 4 horizontal pockets like in the Holborn, a zipped pocket, a nice plain cover, a rather large and rounded clasp just like on the VDS Touch Me, and a beautiful petrol blue leather with contrasted stitching.

9. How do you carry your Filofax?

In my handbag, along with my books and computer and pencil case. My Filofaxes take a good beating in there!

10. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

I love the Saffiano in aquamarine, but I think that 7 Filofaxes over the course of 4 months is more than enough...

11. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax or other brand of organiser? Which model?

I paid 64€ for my brown Holborn personal.

12. What's your favourite Filofax tip or hack?

I recently holepunched a flat transparent pencil case I got from ebay and put it into my Filofax. I keep my change and stickers in there!

13. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

The community, the free templates, and the inspiration! My favourite posts are the set up posts. I love seeing how other people use their Filofaxes!

14. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

I'm currently spending all my money on Filofaxes, and this blog is the number 1 reason!

15. What was the last music track you downloaded or bought?

I have no idea... I don't buy or download music much anymore!

16. Have you ever attended a Philofaxy meet-up? if not do you intend to one day? 

No but I would love to! I don't know if meetings are organised here in France, but if I ever live in London again, believe me I will!

17. What was the last movie you watched?

Sherlock Holmes 2.

18. What was the last book you read?

The Chamber by John Grisham.

19. George Clooney or Brad Pitt? 

Every time I say "what else?" in class, my students answer "Nespresso"... I guess I'll go with George!

Thank you Nicole. As you know we are constantly looking for new people to appear in our 'Reader Under Spotlight feature, you don't have to be 'well known' or a long term user to be considered to appear in this 'spot'. 

So please contact Steve philofaxy at gmail dot com today. 
Thank you.

14 February 2015

Web Finds - 14 February 2015

I hope your week has gone well.

So now it is time to enjoy a small collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:
  1. Filofaxing #3: Hello February! - Black Eyed Thoughts
  2. Side Open Pocket for my Van Der Spek Wallet Binder - Kat's life in Cali
  3. My New Planning Method: Unstructured - Homemakers Daily
  4. Filofax printables #1: Personal size dividers - Black Eyed Thoughts
  5. Use Your Address Pages: A few important numbers that should be in your planner - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist
  6. Personal Size To Do List [printable] - Planner Fun
  7. My Custom Van Der Spek Compact - Kat's life in Cali
  8. Filofax printables #2: Chore stickers! - Black Eyed Thoughts
  9. Project Life Tracker – free Planner Inserts - Creative Creations
  10. My holiday, my planner and me - Stationery Starlet
  11. Use Your Planner to Remember Things - Planner Fun
  12. It's been all go here! - Mrs Brimbles
  13. 5 Essential Sections That Every Planner Needs - Giftie Etcetera
  14. Pick Your Planner Giveaway at FranklinPlannerTalk.com - Yay, for Fridays!
  15. Tuesday Treat – A new Filofax - A Crafty Chai
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Reader Under the Spotlight Nicole
  2. Filofax UK Technology Accessories Brochure 2013
  3. Free For All Tuesday No. 210
  4. Web Finds - 10 February 2015
  5. One Filofax to replace them all - by Anita
  6. Clasps
  7. Free For All Friday No.326
And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Filofax Setup February A5 Domino - Foodie Laura
  2. Filofax Notebooks - Filofax
  3. What To Do? Task Section for Planners - Annie Smith
  4. Overview of the Filofax Kensington - Addicted to Paper
  5. How to Archive and Back Up your Filofax or Planner - Alexis
  6. Van der Spek custom order standard 30mm rings - One Fantastic Find!
  7. Franklin Covey | System | Series pt 2 - Miss Vicky Bee
  8. Filofax Personal Malden Setup| Feb 2015 - My Planner
  9. Filofax set up - Sunny Sunshine
  10. Filofax Planner Set up 2015 {[Deutsch]} - Filophile
  11. My Wallet / Planner set up. Filofax Vintage pocket planner, for on the go - Christy Tomlinson
  12. Mein Filofax Update + Tedi Einkauf - Anna Birdie
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
Enjoy

13 February 2015

Free For All Friday No.326

Some of you already know, but this summer Alison and I will be travelling to North America for a grand tour holiday! I will be announcing the meet ups we hope to set up during our stay in the US and Canada, but I will do these one city at a time once I've had a chance to finalise things with the organisers (volunteers) in each city.

It has taken us longer to organise the trip than we ever thought it would, but we have done our first layer of planning and booking and have flights and other forms of transport all booked and accommodation booked at each point of our trip. Alison naturally put me in charge of the diary and where we are going to be on any particular day! I've used a combination of on-line tools and naturally I've duplicated it all in a easy to use paper format too.

There is still quite a bit to do on the planning of each stay but we are quite enjoying it. Our large dining table has various print outs and the common diary print outs.

One of the decisions to make of course is what organisers to bring with me! That will happen of the next few weeks I suspect. Such fun.

I've already started a packing list in my personal size organiser, noting things down that I will want on the journey and always with me. I need to do a test pack of course and decide which bag to use!

This year is going to be one of travelling for me, in a few weeks time I will be traveling to Belgium for the Gillio meet up arranged by Mella.

So after a much longer than normal introduction.... over to you. Do you use your organiser to help plan your holidays/travels?

But as it is a Friday you are of course free to discuss anything related to ring bound planners

Have a great weekend.

12 February 2015

Clasps

Clasps, the part of your organiser that acts as the closure to keeps the organiser closed and your pages in their protective cocoon. The design has changed quite a bit over the years, they have become part of the style of the organiser.

Four Filofax organisers from different eras. Top left a Filofax York. It has a thin clasp with plastic popper cover. Moving across a Cavendish from a few years later, similar width but slightly thinner leather with a leather covering of the popper button.

In the lower row we move in to the recent era with a Holborn, the clasp has a slight taper to it and a full leather outer. Then finally the Malden I know not everyone likes the clasps on these mainly because they use the same dimensions from Mini to A5. Yes they do look a bit big on the Mini! This time we are back to a shiny metal engraved popper.


OK another four, from three different manufacturers... so who copied who I really don't know, all very similar in design although the execution is slightly different in each case.

Starting again in the top left we have a Van der Spek they have used this design as far as I know for quite a few years. Then a Launer from the 1980's this was made in England again similar design but being quite old it is quite supple now.

Then in the bottom row we have two Gillio's the Mia Cara on the left and an Amica on the right. The Mia Cara attaches the clasp to the outer 'jacket', so the organiser part doesn't have it's own clasp so the  clasp is quite chunky. The Amica is a little more conventional and similar to the Van der Spek and Launer in the task it has to perform.


Personally I like the broader clasp as shown in the bottom four and of a generous length too so when you add in additional contents in addition to the pages on your rings the clasp closure doesn't feel strained like on the older thin Filofax ones seem to.

What is your favourite style and design?

11 February 2015

One Filofax to replace them all - by Anita

Since getting my first Filofax in 2007, I've enjoyed trying out different models and sizes. Whilst I love the idea of owning multiple binders to switch into for a change or to use for different purposes, in reality this just doesn't work for me personally. I know that I have been at my most content with a sole Filofax, so I think that my return to this is long overdue.

I have recently sold nearly everything (only one to go now) and all I have felt is relief. These have all found new homes:

Following on from my last Free For All Friday post, I thought that I would share with you 'the one', my red Winchester. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's actually red or burgundy as it's nowhere as bright as the one that Josh owns.



It doesn't have any credit card slots, but I only occasionally use my Filofax as my wallet. Also, there isn't a zipped pocket, but I normally use a pencil case like this for receipts etc. anyway.  

 
 
I love how slim it is in comparison with my Malden.


Whilst I think I've always fancied a red Winchester, I wouldn't have called it my 'unicorn' as I've never tried that hard to get one. However, this one just sort of fell in my lap and I wasn't going to turn it down! I helped the lovely Hoka find a brown Dundee and she was so happy with it, that she offered this Winchester to me. As soon as I opened the packaging up, I started plotting to get rid of all the rest. 

Some lovely goodies included, thank you.  

  
I really enjoy finding out a little history about my binders, so was delighted when I found this in one of the pockets.



I plonked all the contents in from my Kensington, but I just fancied some different dividers. You can see what I was using previously here. I didn't want to spend any money, so had a rummage around and found some that I had already made from an old calendar. The tabs are Book Darts which I got from Amazon.  





Planner peace? Oh, yes! 

** Disclaimer: If I feel the need for an A5 for projects, I may purchase a Clipbook at a later date...