How is Flex by Filofax better than a notebook?

If you are a Filofax traditionalist, you may be wondering exactly what is a Flex by Filofax? And why have Filofax designed a new planner system without rings? Keep reading to find out more about this new Filofax planner hybrid notebook system.

This is an older post and sadly Filofax don't make the Flex anymore. However, I hope that you still enjoy the nostalgia of this post and others I have written about the Flex.

What is Flex by Filofax?

The Flex by Filofax is essentially a very versatile notebook binder cover. It allows for a range of notebook/diary solutions.  The Flex has been designed to offer a large variety of notebook inserts and combinations - Supposedly offering more than a million ways to make the Flex your own.

(Yes, according to the Filofax Website, Flex offers more than a million ways to make the Flex your own!  I thought I'd repeat that whole sentence, because I'm still trying to get my head around it.)

Why is the Flex by Filofax so useful? 

Why bother with a Flex binder when you can just pop a notebook in your bag? I am sure this is what you are thinking. Indeed, before I discovered Flex by Filofax I had an ordinary notebook in which I kept my writer's notes, doodles, scribblings, and loose bits of paper. 

One of the most annoying things was that when I was out and about and a creative idea would grab me - I'd dive into my bag to get my notebook out and jot the idea down as quickly as I could before it escaped, but usually, during this process, most of my loose notes would fall out in my bag or all over the floor. And, of course, I could never find my pen!

Spontaneous note-taking was just a hassle.  I imagine it would be the same for an artist who spots something they quickly want to sketch before it moves or disappears.

Now that I have my Flex though,  I don't have any of these problems because everything is kept neatly together in one place. I can just pull the Flex out of my bag and know that I have everything I need on my lap, without having to wade through my bag for a pen or calculator.  

The Flex is just the perfect little portable desk for bus or train journeys to and from work.

Flex by Filofax organises your notebooks 

If you are anything like me having a notebook involves one notebook that is crammed with creative writing notes, fractured poetry, appointment reminders, shopping lists, random chapters for different novels I'm working on, menus, receipts I need to keep to claim back expenses for my self-employment - you know, basically absolute chaos.

Flex is the solution. The Flex notebook binder system allows me to keep a number of separate notebooks bound together in one place.

This is useful if like me you want to have a notebook for your writing notes and a notebook for your personal thoughts, because then you can keep your writing notes and journal thoughts separate but also together, if you see what I mean?

It also works if you want to keep a notebook for factual snippets of info, and one for creative writing – or a lined notebook for written notes and a blank one for diagrams, sketches, brainstorming and flow-charts.

Many people find it useful to keep their diary with them, or perhaps a yearly planner.  Flex has covered all diary options with Flex inserts.  You can create your own combined diary and note-taking system if you want, using the diaries and notepads designed specifically for flex.

Alternatively, you can slip your Moleskine Diary into the Flex along with any pretty A5 notebook of your choice. The options truly are never-ending.

How versatile is the Flex by Filofax?

 
It really is amazing how many different ways there are to personalise the Flex by Filofax.You can make it what you want and what you need.

At one point I think I had about 6 separate slim A5 notebooks in my Flex binder. You know the school exercise kinds that come in different colours?  Well, I had a different colour for each of my creative projects, which I separated with coloured tabs like you would in your Filofax.  When a notebook was full I could just replace it.

I do this now with my journal and writing notebooks.  Whenever I complete the A5 journal, for instance, I replace it in the Flex with a brand new one from Muji, and the old one is taped to the journal previous to it so that I can keep my old journals stored in chronological order. 

Why the A5 Flex is better than a notebook 

I thought I'd put together a little list of reasons as to why I think the Flex by Filofax is better than a notebook.

I hope you enjoy reading them. Let me know in the comments what you thought!

• With the Flex pen-loop inserts you can keep up to four pens or pencils attached to your Flex Binder, ready for spontaneous note-taking, highlighting, and mark-making.  This means less fuss having to search for pens in a pencil case at the bottom of your bag, and less stress when you need to write something down quickly.

• There are slots for business cards inside the Flex.  These are useful to pop your oyster in if you are in the habit of carrying your Flex under your arm like a clutch bag.  Or you can use these slots to store stickers, sticky-notes, small bits of paper, page markers (I like to use hair grips! Weird but discrete and they do the trick.) You can even use this space to clip extra pens.

• The larger pocket beneath the card-slots is perfect for your smartphone, calculator, highlighters, slim diary, a packet of gum, etc.

• The inside pockets can house your Kindle eReader if you use one. 

• You can also slip the front or back sleeve of a paperback book into any of the Flex pockets and carry your novel around with your notebook. This could be useful for students who need to take notes while they are reading – or if you want to read a racy novel on the tube!

• The Flex protects your notebooks and prevents them from getting all dog-eared.

• Loose bits of paper and receipts can be slipped into pockets rather than in-between pages where they are likely to fall out.

• Instead of having to keep buying expensive leather-bound journals, you can have the same effect by replacing cheaper A5 notebooks in your leather-look Flex but not have to spend all that money if you're a fast writer like me and get through notebooks like loo-roll.

• The Flex is smart looking. The black and grey versions look very professional and are great for work, conferences, meetings etc.

• Flex is just so much more FUN than having one notebook!  It makes complete sense.

Thanks for reading – and don't forget to comment – I ALWAYS respond to comments, even new ones of=n old posts :)

Until the next post...

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