Filofancy | Life On Paper | Zara M.: Part 2 - Filofax setup

Wecom to part 2 of my Filofax planner setup. Read Part 1 to find out how I have paired my Flex with my Filofax, and also how I created a useful planner dashboard. Next we'll look in detail at my notebook section ...

Why have a notebook section in your planner?

I'm a writer, and I think every writer must have a 'notebook' section in their Filofax or other everyday planner. It's a convenient place to jot down notes and thoughts throughout the day.

For me, it's important to make it a beautiful personalised and inspiring space in the planner, instead of just chucking in a wad of loose blank paper inserts. When I open my notebook section I consider it to be 'me-time' and so I find it a very enjoyable space in my planner.

You may like to use your notebook section as a personal journal to jot down thoughts that come to you throughout the day. Alternatively it might be more of a general commonplace notebook, in which you jot quotes and snippets of info to keep safe.

I've personalised my Notebook section divider with some quotes that inspire me as a writer. Many of us love to express our personalities and interests int a Filofax or planner so that we feel at home and comfortable and want to spend lots of time in them. I think the more your planner reflects who you are, the more you are likely to use it to its full potential.

Create secret pockets in your planner!

You can see in the picture below that behind this divider tab I have taped some secret paper pockets to hide loose notes in.

I love anything that's a little bit mysterious, and having secret spots to hide things that are a little bit more personal, like passwords or private poems and letters can be useful.

When I was younger I used to have a fascination with things like keys, and secret compartments in furniture, or loose floorboards where I could keep a secret stash of trinkets. Perhaps that's why I'm so attracted to Filofaxes with all of the pockets and sections.

pockets are really useful. If your Filofax is fairly simple and you don't have many pockets in the actual cover, you can get creative like I have.

Here are some ideas:

Hole-punch envelopes to use as pockets in your planner
Tape pages together and leave the side open to slip notes into
Make your own secretary pocket inserts out of your divider tabs
Create fold-out inserts with extra pockets for stickers and sticky notes

Write notes to yourself, fold them up and slip them into the secret pockets in your planner and then forget about them. It's always such a delight to discover something months down the line that you had completely forgotten about. A bit like burying a little tin of treasures and then digging it up years later.

My main notebook section

After the secret pockets in my planner I have a wad of lined and plain notepaper for my notebook section. I write down my ideas and thoughts, and scribble all sorts of nonsense.

It's a place I often have to return to to declutter and top up with more paper.

At the end of my notebook section I have a few permanent sheets for jotting down useful websites, which I mark with a pretty pink bookmark that I got from Paperchase for easy access.

I also use random paperclips, bookmarks and sometimes even hair grips to find certain sections in my planner. It's a kind of secret system that only I know how to use, which is useful for privacy.

I don't really like the idea of a stranger being able to open up my planner and see a tab that says 'personal info' or 'contacts'. Why make it easy for people to access private content?

Well, that's really all I have to show you about my notebook section. I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my setup. Please leave your comments – I love to read and respond!

See you in the next post!