Filofax, Planners & Traveler's Notebook Lovers - Welcome Back!

Why I left the online "Planner Addict" Community... and why I came back!

The good old days...

There was a time when my obsession with Filofaxes and Traveler's Notebooks was fuelled by Youtube unboxing videos, Pinterest image bingeing. and of course the deliciously bad influence of all my fellow Facebook group nutters posting pics of the planners and notebooks that I desperately wanted, talking about their insane relationships with 'organisational systems'... it was bliss. I had found a cult of people just like me, and I was happy :)

A downward spiral...

But then something changed. The groups became less interesting to me the bigger they grew. They felt less personal somehow, and people began to post things I didn't really want to see.

In the Filofax groups there was a lot of pink happening, and washi tape. I felt like everyone's planner was beginning to look rather similar.

I also didn't like the new designs that Filofax were bringing out. They just didn't seem very authentic to me, with their pretty patterns, their bold or pastel colours, their fabrics and plastic-looking covers.

To be frank, I was sick of seeing them everywhere, and I was sick of seeing people's weekly spreads, all colour coordinated and perfect (is that really how planning is? Is that really what life looks like? My planner very rarely looks like this, and if it does it's because I have gone back and decorated everything, which is something I had never even thought of doing before.

Even darker times...

I was even more disillusioned when the Traveler's Notebooks groups on Facebook seemed to take a similar direction.

When Ray Blake first started to make his Raydori's I was admittedly excited. It was cool to see one of the original crew doing something he enjoyed, making his own versions of a product I love. I think it is a great inspiration to see a person's creative journey, and of course I was thrilled when he made me a Raydori for my 30th birthday! It was blue and it had my name embossed on the front, I still use it. I also liked that Ray has made a name for himself and was hand-manufacturing a great product.

But then other TN-makers started to pop up out of the woodwork, making their own versions in all the colours of the rainbow, and in a variety of different materials. It was fun at first, but I soon realised that I wasn't feeling good about all of this so called development. What was once a cool and original brand, a product with a purpose and a sense of identity, was being transformed into a rainbow coloured glitter fest full of washi tape and cutesy nonsense, that anyone and everyone was selling in their Etsy shops. 

I like Classic, Sophisticated Simplicity... and a nice cup of tea!

Rock Bottom...

Perhaps what upset me the most was that not only did I feel increasingly disconnected with these online communities, I was feeling more and more disconnected with my planners, my journals, and even with myself. I didn't belong in this rat race. I tried to fit in, but in the end I felt lost and incomplete. I couldn't figure out how to connect with my own planners and Notebooks, and the platforms I had always gone to for inspiration or reassurance, weren't really there anymore. So I silently bid everyone goodbye and disappeared.

Reborn...

It has been a few years now, and I am always quite fascinated to see how my blog has survived, despite my absence. It still gets a healthy number of views each day, even though I haven't added content or linked to posts in simply ages.

I had a right giggle when I watched the handful of Youtube videos I created back in the day. I realised how much I have grown up. I now have to wear specs to work on my laptop, and I have a halo of grey! But more importantly, I feel that I have grown into myself. I have my own sense of identity. I like myself. I am confident and secure in who I am, what I think, and what I want. I am even, more consistent with the way I use my planners & journals these days - In fact I have come to realise something important...

Enlightenment...

It's not about what planner you have, or even the way you use it, these things are not important or worth planner meltdowns or expensive shopping sprees. 

It is about YOU and your life.

Do you feel that the material items you own reflect who you are? Do they make you feel good and are they tools which empower you to do great things and make the most of your life? Or are you just working hard and then spending lots of money on things you don't need in order to fill a hole? Think about it.

New Beginnings...

I want to recreate my platform. Filofancy has grown up, and it is time to celebrate and share how I have come to use planners, journals, notebooks etc. to explore and express myself, reflect on my life, and plan for what I want to achieve next.

I hope that I can use my creativity to inspire you to find yourself, to help you organise your own thoughts and ideas, and live your life to the full.

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My Midori Traveler's Notebook setup

Reconnecting with my Midori Traveler's Notebook...

Unless you use it every single day, keeping a journal can feel like a chore. 

There are many reasons and excuses to lose touch with keeping a journal. Mine was sharing a flat for the first time with my boyfriend, and finding that all the personal time I had when I was single, spent alone and reflecting about life and myself, wasn't there anymore. 

But when you normally keep a journal, and suddenly you find that you aren't making the time for it anymore because your life has changed in some way, it's a little bit like not making time to be "you". 

It's important to keep doing the things that help you to define who you are, otherwise you might risk losing yourself somewhere along the way.

So I decided to stop filling in short journal entries with sparse detail what was going on in my life, that did nothing to express how I felt about things or help to work out any of my inner turmoil, and I began to write proper reflections again.

Changes to my TN setup

I currently have my personal thoughts journal in the front, with a tea cup and saucer taped to the cover, because I love to sit down with a cup of tea and reflect on everything. 

Behind that insert is my diary which I use as a weekly/monthly schedule, planner and record for freelance work. 

I use the Midori Traveler's Notebook insert with the lightweight paper for both of these, and draw up my own diary design, similar to what you find in the Moleskine week on one page and lined on the other. 

I tab each month at the side with a craft sticker from Paperchase, cut and folded over. And for each month I draw up a calendar on one page so that I can see the month at a glance for planning.

Then go on to record my freelance work in the week-on-one-pages, and I use the opposite blank page in each double spread to write down my work-related thoughts for the week.

In the back of my Midori Traveler's Notebook I have two notebook refills, which are red school text books trimmed down to size. 

I covered them with lined paper and lots of celotape, because I like the way it looks and feels. 

One of them is specifically for dog training notes, and the other is a free notebook for when I need to jot something down.

That's all for now.

See you in the next post!

Loved it and want more?

What do you use your Midori Traveler's Notebook for?

Swapping my Filofax for a TN

Contents page: Explore all of my blog posts in one place!

How I'm combining my new slimline Filofax with my Midori Traveler's Notebook.

If you're struggling to choose between a Filofax or ring-bound planner and a Traveler's Notebook keep reading to find out how I combine the two systems by using a slimline Filofax ...

What I use my Traveler's Notebook for

My main use of my Midori Traveler's Notebook is a journal. It is essentially a brain dump of all the things I have going on in my head.

Sometimes I journal about my thoughts, feelings and experiences in a deep and reflective way, but a lot of the time I just write about mundane things like what I did today and who annoyed me.

My journal is like my best friend, only better. I go to it for non-judgmental consolation. It helps me to organise my thoughts, understand myself better and live a happier and more productive life. 

Because Traveler's Notebook covers can carry more than one notebook, I also have notebooks in there to jot down creative ideas for stories, characters, scenes and creative projects, because I'm a writer. I like to make lists and doodle too.

Why I swapped my Filofax for a TN

When I discovered the Midori Traveler's Notebook I abandoned all of my Filofaxes because I felt that my attention was too divided, and that my Filofaxes were preventing me from bonding with my gorgeous new leather TN notebook. 

The main appeal of the Midori for me is that it is a very personal possession which will grow with me, gaining more and more personality as I handle leather, acquiring all the wonderful nicks and marks that make TNs  so unique.

I wanted to use my Midori exclusively, so I sold most of my Filofaxes and designed a weekly planner in one of the Midori Notebook Refills instead. This was a mistake by the way – NEVER sell all of your Filofaxes, you WILL regret it eventually. Just store them away somewhere safe.

After a while I found that whilst bound notebooks are perfect for journaling, sketching, scrapbooking and jotting things down due to the chronological nature and subsequently more 'permanent' vibe, I really missed the 'organisational' aspect of having rings and being able to move things around as I planned my weekly schedule and daily tasks.

The problem I faced was that I didn't necessarily want to carry my Midori Traveler's Notebook AND a bulky Filofax - if you are a lover of the Filofax you'll know exactly how bulky and cumbersome they tend to get! 

I needed a Filofax that was discrete enough to complement my TN and create a perfect and complete portable system.

How I solved my problem by combining a slimline Filofax with a TN

The main problem was that while I wanted the use of a Filofax 'ring-bound' system for my everyday planning, I didn't want to start using a Filofax that would end up stuffed and take over from my TN. 

I was lucky enough to find the perfect solution on Ebay ...

I discovered (and won the bid, so it was obviously meant to be) the slimmest and most discrete Filofax I have ever seen in my life. 

It is an old vintage Filofax so it doesn't have the model name or type embossed on it, but it does have the 'f' symbol embossed on the side and 'Filofax, Made in England, Real Calf' printed in gold inside the back cover. So it's definitely a Filofax!

It is really good quality, durable black grainy leather with a slight sheen, and the rings are SO dinky because it's a 'slimline' – about 1 cm.

It sits perfectly on top of my Midori Traveler's Notebook and I have bound them together with a large clip that also acts as a pen holder. 

Why this Filofax/TN setup is so great

 
I love the flexibility and organisational aspect of being able to use the ring-bound system of the Filofax planner to move inserts around when I am doing my daily, weekly and monthly planning.

I also love the fixed chronology and sense of permanency I get from the TN with bound notebooks for journalling, doodling, sketching etc. 

I had toyed with the idea of trying to find a way to attach rings to the inside of the Midori, and I know that this has been done with Filofax Flex notebook binders, but I couldn't bring myself to go that far. I knew that I needed a Filofax that I would be happy carrying alongside my Midori, and this slimline fits the bill perfectly.

What is it like to have tiny rings in a Filofax?

Normally I would definitely NOT be able to deal with having such tiny rings in a Filofax, especially if I were using the Filofax as my main organiser – I like to really stuff them! So you may be wondering how I am dealing with such tiny rings. 

The truth is that they force me to use the Filofax specifically for what I intended – a day-to-day planner for the here-and-now. The small rings encourage me not to carry around a load of inserts that I'm not really using on a daily basis. 

I used to carry a whole year's worth of diary planning inserts, plus extra paper, and it just wasn't necessary. It actually made me feel less productive because my Filofax became less focused and less organised. As a result I felt increasingly overwhelmed.

Now I reserve my Midori TN for all of the creative stuff, and I use the FF ring-bound system purely for planning. 

I really do love the tiny rings. Because the appeal of the slimline Filofax is its portability and slim profile there is no desire to stuff it. When there is too much paper in there it starts to become more difficult and less enjoyable to physically use, so you have no choice but to take a few sheets out so that the pages can move more freely again.  

This is a good reminder of when it's time to declutter. I regularly re-evaluate what I really need, taking out inserts that are no longer useful. 

This minimal set-up is helping me to stay more focused and I have a much clearer idea of what I need to do next, which means I don't feel as stressed. 

I design my own inserts and only draw up a month or two at a time. I intend to remove and archive the months as I go.

I have to say there is something very satisfying about minimalism, and only using what you need.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about my new Filofax and TN combined setup, and that it has inspired you to think about how you use your own planning and journaling tools.

As always, please head down to the comments section and leave your thoughts, I love to read and respond to all comments!

Intrigued by what it looks like to use these two beauties together? Watch my video where I show you my secret trick to help them both together.

See you in the next post!

Loved it and want more?

Rings vs. strings – can't choose between a Filofax and a Traveler's Notebook?

3 things I've learnt about 'planner peace'

Contents page: Explore all of my blog posts in one place!

Cool ideas for Moleskine Postal Notebooks

Moleskine Postal Notebooks

I love it when I discover innovative little notebooks! 

Small pocket notebooks are always a tempting purchase, they sort of grab you by surprise. You never usually need yet another pocket notebook, but at the same time, another wouldn't hurt. 

When it has a quirky little feature - like transforming from a notebook into an envelope ready to seal and pop in the post - well, resistance is futile.

Why would you need a pocket notebook/ready-made envelope? Well, who cares... don't you just want one? 

Ideas for how to use the Moleskine Postal Notebook

Encourage children to create storybooks

I have a five year old niece, and being a fan of good old snail-mail service, I developed a penpal hobby with her so that we could write letters back and forth. It was the perfect opportunity for me to go to Paperchase to purchase lots of girly letter-writing sets and stickers. (I always take advantage of reasons to spend money in Paperchase!)

Most of her letters consisted of pictures. I like to think I'm a bit artistic too, and one day I got carried away and wrote a whole mini picture book for her to read. It was about a little owl's first day at school, and I used lots of cute owl stickers. 

I knew she was nervous and excited about moving up the the big school. So I designed and hand-crafted a little pocket storybook specifically to fit into an envelope and pop in the post for her. 

Now if only these Moleskine Postal Notebooks had been available then – they would have been perfect!

Therapeutic 'sealed' journalling

I got into the habit of writing hand-written letters to myself as a form of Journal Therapy while I was going through a break-up. 

I'd write myself a letter and get all the emotional analysis out of my system. Then I would seal the letter and put it at the back of my bookcase and feel SO much better.

I don't know why, but there was just something about finishing the letter, saying everything I needed to say, and sealing the envelope, that felt really good. And then of course not being able to re-read or mull over what I had written.

It was my way of saying that I had dealt with those feelings, said what I needed to say, and that was the end of it. And if I felt the feelings resurface, I would simply write another letter, until one day I got a bit bored of it, had nothing more to say, and miraculously I was over my break up!

You could do the same thing with these Notebooks. When you come to the end of the notebooks, just seal them like a letter, and store them away somewhere for future entertainment or self-reflection. In fact, these Moleskine Postal Notebooks could be dedicated specifically to journal therapy needs. I like it!

Travel pen pals

If you're doing a bit of travelling it would be nice to collect thoughts and scribbles to send back home to friends and family. 

Moleskine Postal Notebooks would be perfect for that. 

Or even if you have a pen-pal that you write to regularly, whether you're travelling about or not, you could still use these notebooks as a fun and alternative way to write your letters.

I know that I would love and treasure a letter if I received it in such a cool form! It would be like a little piece of art or a mini travel-journal – someone else's adventures in a little bound book written specially for me. One of a kind. how wonderful :)

Who knows, maybe 'notebook mail' could be the next big thing? What do you think? Tell me how you'd use a Moleskine Postal Notebook in the comments below...

See you in the next post!

Loved it and want more?

Journaling tips if you like to use a ring-bound planner

A kid's planner setup Filofax flip-through

Content page: Explore all of my blog posts in one place!