01 May 2009

Free for All Friday No. 32

Every other week, Philofaxy has an open thread. Funny thing, we always seem to end up talking about Filofaxes.

—Inky

30 comments:

  1. What size Filofax suits you most and why?

    Steve

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  2. I use a personal size Filofax - a chocolate brown leather Kendal. I have 6 sections in use at the moment, but I am thinking of re-arranging them today. First is COLLECTION where I keep lists of authors, books to read, books to get, a design section, goal ideas and tips, magic moments, ideas, home ideas, parenting goals, motivation, movies to get, a list of DVD's I've got, music to get, names, phrases, people, products/things to look for, project ideas, parenting quotes, general quotes, soduko puzzles(printed out and cut down and stuck 3 per page), thoughts, wish list, words, websites. This is sort of alphabetical, but I need to find a way to tighten it up. Next is section is LIFE where I have written all the things that I want to change in my life, where I detail projects to do, where I keep my TO DO list with an easy access top tab. Next is HOME where I write my shopping lists, keep track of my budget, and weekly bill payments. I have a grid menu so I can choose what to cook each week, a few pages dedicated to info about the house - window and drawer measurements, when the pest control is due etc. Next is DIARY. It is here so that it is even on both sides to write on. Next is a section with stuff related to my son - health info, school info and routine, school sight words, cute things he's said, a few pictures and activites we can do together in different categories. Last is INFO. This is my address book with yellow pages of often used numbers, work numbers, and a page I made to keep insurance and registration and company details I may need away from home. Also any phone call info goes here. I am thinking of pulling my planner apart and tweaking it. How do you arrange your planner and how many pages do you hold in your planner? I will count and post it later....

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  3. I have the personal finchley teal that I also use as a wallet. Carries everything! Also a A5 black classic that sits on my desk at home as a family manager, medical, calender and such. Looking at the family planner for the A5 and wondering about feedback on it.

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  4. On the topic of contents and what sections to have. There's no hard and fast rule, that's after all the main advantage of Filofax. You can vary the contents to fit your individual needs.

    If you look on David Allen's website the guru of Getting Things Done (GTD) there are some free downloads, one of which is about setting up a paper organiser. This is a direct link to the paper:
    http://tinyurl.com/azs5od

    You might have to set up an account to download the document, but that's not difficult.

    Take a read it has some useful tips and ideas in it.

    Steve

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  5. Miss Charlie03 May, 2009 05:19

    On another topic... I bought my first Filofax hole punch (Personal size) in 2002 - quite pricey, but it proved invaluable over the years.

    After mucho dithering, some of which I mentioned in comments here, I upgraded to A5 recently, and after even MORE dithering bought the A5 punch - because those puppies are pricey and money's tight right now (yeah, me and half the planet!).

    The main reason against buying it was the difficulty cleaning out the scraps....

    Okay, you may have seen this one coming - MuppetHead, aka Miss Charlie here, only just figured out last night that you can slide out the base plate, and it makes cleaning out the bits ridiculously simple!

    The only possible word for this is: D'OH!!!

    I apologise if anyone thinks this is a waste of good pixels btw, but I really am gobsmacked that I didn't notice this small fact before - I nearly jammed up the A5 punch because the end farthest from the cap would NOT clean out...

    Next week: Water - WET! :o)

    On a happier note - Silver_Elixir, do you love that Kendal leather as much as me? :)

    It just looks better every day, and shrugs off scratches & marks like magic...

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  6. Miss Charlie the Kendal leather is awesome. I love the smell of it. As for any scratches or marks they just rub right off. Like magic. :-) At first I was paranoid about keeping it in perfect nick, but I have come to realize that using it and hadling it just gives it more character. It can handle pretty much anything!

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  7. I just got one of these:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=270383007436

    Can any of you experts tell me anything about it? It seems to be a Pocket with 4 rings, but these seem to be able to take a lot of the inserts still made. Any other insights would be great

    Marcus

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  8. Inky, so what did you decide (or are you still debating) about your format crisis?

    I am still casting about for my ideal planner format. I had a falling-out earlier this year with Filofaxes, and ditched them for my planner needs. The Personal page size is just too small for my planner-ing needs (and a page per day just does not work for me, I have finally determined!). The larger page size of the A5 is nice, but the book is just too big and heavy for me to want to carry around everywhere. And for both sizes, I have the bad habit of stuffing them until they are ridiculously fat and unwieldy.

    Then a couple of days ago I had to make a phone call, and looked up the number in my trusty Filofax. I thought, why did I ever give up using my Filofax as my Everything book? Then I remembered my issues detailed above. Back to the drawing board. Why do I torture myself so????

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  9. Silver Elixir, what format do you use for your diary? I am looking for inspiration, and am curious as to what works for other parents.

    Thanks!

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  10. Laurie I currently use a week on two pages as my diary. I am thinking about changing to a week on one page with notes on the opposite. I have used this in the past and I find that I would prefer the pages to be swapped, with the notes on the right and diary on the left. I am trying to make a page of my own that could be daily or weekly that would provide room for appointments, menu plan, errands, a section to write things related to school and my son. I would also like to have an area to write expenses and a few comments on the day. To fit all this on personal size pages I would need to use two facing pages. I am not an overly busy person but I would like to have a better record of my days, and something with room for all the above would be good. What do you need/use for your diary? I just thought that maybe one page or diary section would be enough if I was to use a code/reference system to refer back to other areas where info could sit - like menu plan in home area, school term overview in my son's section etc. Does that make sense?

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  11. SE, ever since I've had kids and had more people to keep track of than just myself, I have found the Personal size diary pages too small for my needs. I think you have a really good idea to use some kind of reference system where you can keep some of the information off the weekly page.

    I read somewhere on this blog awhile ago that later this year the Mom's planner (which is available only in A5 size in the US) will be available in the Personal size in the UK. I like the format of the diary pages, with space for your day, family, and it looks like there might be a space under Family, possibly for Dinner? There is a small space to the left of Monday for a list, then further lists could be kept in a separate section. I have been thinking about this and wonder if this format would work for me.

    Good luck finding what works for you!!

    Laurie

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  12. Laurie do you make your own pages? Could you possibly take the elements from the Filofax Mum's planner and other pages you like to create one that would work for you? I like looking at all the different page formats that are available, and of ones that have been created and taking elements from them to make a more personal page. I only have one child to keep track of so things don't get too busy. I have thought of using prompts to gather information about my day as a record but that feels too forced as opposed to a few notes about the day. What do you keep in your planner?

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  13. I don't make my own pages per se, but I do have hand written information pages. I have pages of medical info, insurance, activities, and all of that. My main issue is the weekly planner pages. I am yet to find a format in the Personal size that allows me to have enough room to write appointments, tasks, lists, and notes and still see a week view. The day per page 1) makes my book too fat to be usable, 2) doesn't let me plan ahead for my week like I need to, and 3) forces me to re-write tasks throughout the week. I definitely need a week view.

    To be perfectly honest, I now leave my Filofax at home as my household reference, and use a M***skine large week + notes planner as my calendar. It has as much space per page as my A5 size Filo, but is so much smaller. It's much slimmer and lighter than even my Personal size Filo, with twice the space per page. But, I miss being able to add and remove pages, move around my lists, etc. That's why I think, if only I could find a weekly planner format for the Personal size that works for me, I could be content. But, this is an issue that has been plaguing me for years so I'm not sure I'll find an adequate solution for it. I might just need more space per page than the Personal size provides.

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  14. SE, just curious, what is the thickness of your Filo? When I have everything I *think* I need in my Personal size, it is 1 3/4 in thick!

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  15. Thanks for all your details Laurie. I think it is really interesting to hear how other people use their planners. Mine is about the same thickness as yours. I have been meaning to weigh mine too. I have a few ideas... I am not sure if they will work considering the size and thickness constraints. I will throw them out there and maybe you can adapt them... 1)What if you used a week on one page as an overview of your week, with all the fixed details and then behind or beside it a page with your lists, task and notes. You could even use a page from a smaller Filo with 'fixed' list of tasks or notes if some things don't change. 2) Could you try using two diaries in your planner? Maybe the weekly overview one and the a day per page with the necessary details? 3) Another idea is to use the A-Z to file everything - D for diary, I for insurance, K or their initial for the kids info, etc.
    I am not sure of these ideas are of any use to you... but I hope they can help in some way. Do you have any pictures of your Filo to share?

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  16. Thank you for your suggestions. When I have used my Filofaxes as my planners in the past, I have used several different calendars simultaneously for different views: weekly for the details, monthly for month overview/ bills due/ deadlines, and annual fold-out for long-range and travel planning. In the past I have used the week + notes format, which is nice to have the whole page for lists and notes, but the day spaces are way too tiny in the Personal size. This is actually the format I am using now with my large M-skine, and it works well for me because each page is twice the size of a Personal page so I have plenty of space to write.

    I have thought of using a week on two pages and then inserting a blank page in the middle of the week for notes, but I think it would break up my view of the week too much. I have also thought of having my week view planner and then having that week's lists and notes behind a separate tab. But, I am very "out of sight, out of mind" so I prefer to have it all on a two-page spread to keep everything in view.

    Last year I upgraded from Personal to A5 Filo so that I could have the larger weekly pages, and I thought that would solve my problem. But then the book was too big, especially for travel.

    Like I said, I don't know if there will be a satisfactory answer for me regarding using the Personal size as my planner. One of the main draws, for me, to a Filofax is that my needs change frequently. I live overseas with my family, and we travel internationally about 4 times per year. So the things I need at home are not necessarily the things I need while traveling, and vice versa. And when we do travel, it is often for several weeks at a time so I need things like everyone's medical information, insurance of all kinds, addresses and contacts, etc. What I am currently testing is having my planner book as just my planner/ calendar system, and then my Personal size Filofax as my Travel book with all of the information I need while traveling and also maps of the area where I am going, transportation and lodging information, etc. That way there is a separation between what I need every day (planner) and what I only need while traveling, so I don't carry around a big fat book full of information that I don't necessarily need all the time.

    I have two international trips coming up in the next two months, so those will be a good test of this system.

    After I decided I didn’t want to use my A5 as my planner, I changed it to a home/ household binder that contains information that I only need at home like financial, lists, my main addresses and contacts, Christmas lists, magazine subscription information, etc. This is information that I need to have easy access to but I don't need to carry around with me.

    So my books are:
    A5 Filo for household/ home use
    Personal Filo for travel
    Planner for daily planning/ calendar use.

    I have been using a Filo-type binder system as my planner since 1996, so this will be my first year trying to use a non-ring bound system as my actual planner. It will be an adjustment, not being able to add and remove pages. I think there are a lot of people who use some kind of electronic calendar system as their planner and then a Filofax for their addresses and other info, so maybe my system of separate books isn't so different?

    I am very open to any suggestions!

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  17. Laurie I have had another idea regarding pages and fitting in all required information. Picture your Filo open to your current diary week view, or a week you can 'play' with to see how this idea works. Lay them on the table as they would be in your Filo. Now take a piece of lined or blank filo paper. My idea may be to fiddly to use but here it is. I thought that if you lined up the good edges of the paper and tape them together so that they can fold, and were to trim the holes off of the non diary page to allow it to fit, then you would have a fold out that could hold notes or info. It would be hard to write on this page in the Filo unless it is folded over but you could write on it before taping it on the the diary page. The way I see it is that you could have monday tuesday wednesday lists etc on the added page on the left and the rest of the week on the right. You could write on the back of the list page or that could be for the following week. Its an idea, but a bit fiddly I think. If I have not explained it clearly let me know and I will do it and take photos and put them on Flickr.

    You sure seem like a busy person with a need to keep track of lots of stuff. I think the idea of a travel Filo is a good one. All your info in one place and if you were to need it in your day to day planner then you could just reference it or copy what you need onto a pocket page and insert it somewhere that wouldn't take up too much room.

    I don't know it turning you planner 90 degrees and having the days running down the page would work. Is there anyway you can streamline your info to just a reference number/colour/dot sticker or something? I'd love to see a pic of your planner.

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  18. Marcus - your Pocket wallet may be a "Sherwood" model from around 1992. This format was introduced in 1989, and the leaves were designed to be compatible with the Personal and Professional organisers.
    The pages were 120mm x 81mm.
    "Sherwood" was a "Deluxe, soft kid leather wallet" with 16mm rings and available in Black, Burgundy and Brown.

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  19. @gmax: thank you for the comment. My Filofax has arrived now and it is a bit different from the picture in the auction.

    It is burgundy and has the same layout with 4 rings, 2 slips on the left and 4 card holders on the right but the leather is smoother and it doesn't have the stamped logo but the more common(older?) gold painted Made in England and "Real Leather", rather than Calf or Kid skin.

    It probably was a cheaper model than the Sheffield but for the price I still like it a lot more than the contemporary versions.

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  20. A good discussion about many things "Filo". It would seem to me that the size limitations being discussed are a common complaint that have at times frustrated me too. I just carry 4 months of my planner at a time, but have the fold out yearly planner in back. I find in my case, the time I need are the current month, one month back and 2 months ahead. If I need to make a note of something further out than 2 months, I make a note in pencil on the fold out and then write it in later. I have used a personal, and make my own planner sheets and this really works for me. Trying to carry it all is like trying to park a Bentley in a garage designed for a Mini. Just doesn't work very well.

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  21. Well put, Anonymous.

    Thanks for the idea SE. It does sound a bit fiddly, but after my trips in the next couple of months if I'm not satisfied with my system I might try it.

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  22. Marcus - The smoothness of the leather you mention suggests it could be the "Lincoln" model rather than the "Sherwood". The colour range for that one was the same. The original list price of "Lincoln" was a bit cheaper, but I expect you still have a classic & vintage wallet there.

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  23. Having seen all the comments here regardng pages folding over others etc. has anyone ever looked at Timesystems? I was issued with one for business a long time ago but the company is now totally Outlook based (yuck!) It's an expensive system but there are some good hints and tips on how to use the system and there might be something you could transfer over. I'd be interested to know what you think. http://www.timesystem.com/

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  24. I use 2 Filofaxes: a black mini Topaz and a black personal Amazona.

    I use the mini as a mobile reference/information capture device. The personal is my primary organiser.

    However, I also use a letter size clipboard, Google Notebook and RememberTheMilk for managing references and projects. I use paper for my active projects and archive finished projects in digital format.

    And in an unrelated note, I found out that you can use OpenOffice with the Sun PDF importer extension (both free software) to "edit" a PDF file. What it does is import the PDF as an image, edit it in OpenOffice and you can then export it back to PDF. OpenOffice supports password and print protection for PDF's.

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  25. Most of this blog is only "free for all friday". Inky go home. We miss the days of philofaxer. Those were excellent posts.

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  26. Inky - I'm sure you have a busy life. Please ignore hurtful remarks and keep up the fine work you do here.

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  27. Come on now Anonymous. We all have lives beyond Filofax. If you don't like this blog, don't read it.

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  28. I'm new to Filofax and just received my 1st this week It's a A5 Siena and I am so delighted!
    It was kind of expensive but compared to a Frankin, well there's no comparison.
    Loveit, love it, love it.
    Now if I can learn to use it properly I'll be on my way.

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  29. To the "May 15" Anonymous: Thank you for your post. Please ask any questions you like about using your Filofax. Hope you come out of hiding soon.

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