Showing posts with label filofax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label filofax. Show all posts

Filofax rant part 1 – what I don't like about The Original Filofax (video)




This planner video is part 1 of my Filofax rant – where I go into all of the things I don't really like about the design of The Original Filofax. In part 2 I offer solutions to my criticisms, so I hope that these videos together will be useful.




Thanks for bearing with my ranting tone in this video. These are all criticisms based on my personal usage preferences, and I'm always interested to hear what other people think of the products, so feel free to leave your comments – I love to read them and respond!



See you in the next post!








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Introducing my new Filofax setup – The Original in patent fuchsia



The start of a new project is always the perfect excuse to experiment with a new Filofax planner – introducing my new Filofax, The Original in patent fuchsia.


My new Filofax – The Original (in patent fuchsia)


I've had this Filofax for a while but I only used it for about a month. 

The truth is that I've been struggling to appreciate all of my Filofaxes since discovering the Midori Traveler's Notebook. 

There is something about Midori's simple design and the raw nature of the leather that I find really appealing. I fell utterly in love with my TN, and now my Filofaxes just haven't seemed to do it for me.

However, I do feel that Filofaxes are more practical when it comes to project planning because of the rings. So I've decided to move into one now. Yes, I have an exciting project in the works :)

I'm using this patent fuchsia Original Filofax because it's fun and exciting for my new project. I'm not normally a 'pink' person, but this is a darker shade of pink that  find quite appealing, and I think the black/charcoal-coloured leather interior helps to give it a cool edgy feel – not too girly.

It's a personal-sized planner, which I think will be great for getting started with my new project.





Filofax personalisation


Many people like to fill their planners with lots of pretty things. I'm not really one of these people. 

I felt a bit overwhelmed when I was browsing Youtube earlier and saw just how amazing some women's Filofaxes have grown to be! I've been disengaged with the Filofax community for about a year since I started focusing entirely on my Traveler's Notebook. 

I'm going for a more simple (boring) interior design than a decorated one though. It'll help me to focus on what is important so that I can use my planner effectively – to plan!





The only decorative things I have in the planner at the moment are a couple of business cards, but they are related to my new project.

I also have a silver 'Z' bookmark at the front, which is decorative but also functional. I'll probably use to clip in notes that need my immediate attention. It's a very old bookmark that I got from Waterstones many years ago - I think they still do them.


More about my Current Filofax setup...


I'm not bothering with dividers. I'm not really into those. I feel they take up too much space and I always end up ignoring the sections anyway. I tend to feel more disorganised if they're in there without a use than if I didn't have them at all, which is just one of those odd things. 

Instead I'm using little silver metal petal bookmarks, also from Waterstones. At the moment they are not marking anything in particular so I have slid them onto the elastic at the front. 

I'm using two Filofax clear rulers as dividers. The first is to mark where I am in my diary, and the second is to mark where all my paper is – I have a selection of blank, lined and squared paper ready for use.






The diary section is homemade. I'm just drawing up each month as I go with a week on one page and then a blank page on the opposite side. It's inspired by the Moleskine diary design that I've always enjoyed using.

The way I use the weekly diary is that I plan and record daily tasks in the week on one page, and the blank page on the opposite side is used for notes, reflections and plans for the week ahead. I'll probably clip to do lists on that side during the week too.

I used this system before in my A5 and found it a really great way to keep tabs on everything I was doing towards my freelance writing business. Sometimes when you are self-employed you can feel like you aren't getting anywhere. But if you can go back over your diary and see a record of what you've achieved throughout the week and month, it's easier to see and evaluate progress.

I've also hole-punched and popped in a little envelope at the back for any receipts and expenses.






That's it really. I'm sure that the system I'm using will develop the more I get into it, and I'll try to keep you updated with videos and blogs. 

Thanks for reading. Please scroll down and leave your comments, as always I love to read and respond!






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Showing off my new combined Filofax and TN planner setup (video)

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I hope you enjoy watching the video!



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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!


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How to develop a planner routine using to do lists and be more productive


To-do lists from Paperchase


Did you know that tasks become much easier to complete when you do them on a daily basis? This is because they become habits. Find out how to develop a planner routine using to do lists and be more productive ...

To do lists can end up being your worst enemy if you don't use them in a productive and sensible way. How many times have you written a list and then completely ignored or forgotten about the list? I do this ALL the time!

In this post we're going to look at ways to use to do lists in your planner in a more productive way.


Create daily habits to make tasks easier and get things done


I read an inspiring post on Linkedin about how much easier it is to complete tasks when you incorporate them into your daily routine so that they become a daily habit. 

It goes for all sorts of things in your life, like:

  • writing a post for your blog
  • establishing an exercise routine
  • cleaning your kitchen sink before bed

When you do something everyday, it becomes second nature. 

The task becomes SO familiar that you can even do it without thinking. It becomes part of your everyday life, rather than something you have to plan, remember or find the time to fit it in.

A planner routine can help you pay attention to your to do lists on a regular basis. 


Why to do lists fail


I am a to do list addict. I can't help it. I just LOVE making pointless lists. They are pointless because I make them and then never look at them again.

It got to the point where creating to do lists was actually stressing me out. They were bringing attention to all of the things I knew I was never going to get done!

It didn't help that my lists were long and rambling, full of unnecessary tasks that were completely unrelated to each other, and just causing chaos in my head. 

I was basically creating a lot of pressure and expectation, and I was left feeling overwhelmed knowing that I had lists and lists of unfinished business.

Something had to change.


How to make lists work for you


If you're like me and you love making lists but you'd also like to reduce the stress you are causing yourself and find a way to turn your lists into a useful habit, you have to come up with a planner routine to make sure that you're paying attention to your to do lists.


1. Separate your hobby lists from your immediate goals


'Hobby lists' are those lists you make just for the sake of it. They are called brain-dump lists, and the purpose of them is to just get everything out of your head and onto paper.

Hobby lists could be:

  • books you want to read
  • films you want to watch
  • things you want to buy
  • things you want to do
  • places you want to go
  • projects you want to start

It's fine to make pointless lists, as long as you separate the important tasks on them, and don't put any pressure on yourself to achieve everything on your hobby lists. 

Look at them as a way to clear your mind so that you can stop thinking about all of the things you dream of doing, and work out which of them are achievable.

Good practice is to go back through hobby lists and pick out anything that is actionable right now. 

If you spot an achievable goal, then this could be something you break down into a short to do list of tasks that can be filtered into your day, week or month.


2. Group your to do lists


For some people it's helpful to group to do lists. This way it's easier to focus your mind on one area of your life at a time.

Here are some category ideas for your lists:

  • Work goals/tasks lists
  • Project lists
  • Home goal/tasks lists
  • Shopping lists
  • Wish lists
  • Bucket lists
  • Fun lists
  • Don't forget lists


3. Recognise the difference between a goal and a task


A common mistake is to have a list full of long term goals. This kind of list is never going to get ticked off! If you have a list that looks something like this, you'll drive yourself insane ...

  • lose weight
  • get rich
  • get rid of junk
  • eat healthy
  • quit smoking

The problem with this to do list is that these are all long term goals that need their own lists of short-term tasks or actions. Without actionable tasks, you're not going to achieve anything – they help you to work out HOW you're going to achieve the long term goal.

For example, let's say you want to lose weight by eating healthy. Your to do list might look like this:

  • research healthy recipes
  • make a meal plan
  • create a shopping list
  • do a food shop
  • complete meal prep
  • track weight in a daily tracker


4. Establish a planner routine


It's very easy to make a list, file it away in your planner and forget it's there. But lists are only useful if you refer to them regularly, so you have to create a habit.

It's up to you what your planner routine looks like, but the most important things are:

  1. Keep it simple and achievable
  2. Be consistent
  3. Enjoy the process

My planner routine is quite simple. Once a week I transfer goals and tasks from a master to do list over to a sticky note list that lives on my weekly spreads. Then I move tasks from there into my days throughout the week and tick them off when they are done. That's it! 

I hope these tips and insights will help you to be more productive with your to do lists and come up with your own planner routine. 

Let me know in the comments what your personal experiences are with making lists in your planner!


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Midori Traveler's Notebook & Filofax video




This is a rather sleepy video of me showing off my Midori Traveler's Notebook...

Why? Well because I keep meaning to do more videos, and I keep putting it off. But last night, I wasn't having much luck getting to sleep, so I bit the bullet and this was the result. 

I think I will wait until I look a little bit more presentable for the next one though! Sporting a bit of a bedhead.


WATCH THE VIDEO HERE



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Swapping my personal Filofax for a Midori Traveler's Notebook




The appeal of a Midori Traveler's Notebook is the raw and rustic, non-pretentious, gritty realness of it. There's something incredibly honest and humble about a traditional leather notebook cover – it kind of feels like another limb, another part of me – and the more I use it, the more battered and beautiful it becomes.


There's something about a tatty old journal that has lived with you through the good times and the tears that makes them really personal. 

My old journals are all dog-eared and warped having acquired that 'used' look over time. So I knew I was going to fall for a Midori Traveler's Notebook the moment I discovered them.

The thing I love about the Midori is that you can refill it. This means you can have the joy of watching a leather journal age with you, but also enjoy a brand new notebook refill every other month or however often you use it. 

This is perfect because I love old and tatty but I also get excited by a crisp new notebook.

My dilemma is that I am a dedicated Filofax Lover, and I have a blog all about Filofaxes!


How I use a Midori and an A5 Filofax together


Surely there's no need to give up my Filofax system completely though? 

My beautiful A5 Aqua Chameleon Filofax can remain as my 'work' organiser. It's already set up and works well. Plus, because it's big and heavy I keep it at home where I work.

My new TN has more portability so I have decided to use it as my everyday non-work-related planner, journal and sketchbook all rolled into one.






The one ongoing issue I've felt when using a Filofax is the feeling that nothing is fully permanent. 

I think this is because I know that anything can be taken out, replaced, re-ordered etc. While that obviously has its benefits, I've always missed the more permanent nature of a bound notebook, which is why I usually have a separate notebook as my personal journal for thoughts and reflections.

It's is something I can bend on its spine, snuggle up in a chair and get comfortable with, and secretly share all of the thoughts inside my head. 

In a similar way to the Flex by Filofax, the Midori Traveler's Notebook gives me the opportunity to use bound notebook refills and go back to taking a pride in the marks I make on the page because I know they'll be kept forever. And because there is the capacity to use more than one notebook in the same cover it'll be easy to have a journal, a diary and a sketchbook together.

I love seeing how other people personalise the diary pages of their Filofaxes, but I have never really enjoyed decorating pages in a Filofax in the same way that I have enjoyed expressing myself creatively on the bound pages of a notebook ...

...so I'm looking forward to seeing how my everyday personal planner evolves creatively into something that I can enjoy looking back on over the years to remember what was going on in my life at different times.


My Midori Traveler's Notebook setup


Don't ask me how I did it but I managed to fit FOUR refill notebooks into my new leather Midori binder. Yes it's fat n' gorgeous, but still easy to carry around with me.

I love the Midori refill system, it's so simple and clever. The Leather binder comes with a doubled piece of elastic attached to its spine so that you have two pieces of elastic to slip two notebooks through and carry in the leather binder - but you also have the option of doubling-up! 

To do this you get two notebook refills and attach them together by fitting an elastic band down the spine in the centre of the two notebooks so that they are held together. You could just fit the covers of each notebook together with the elastic, but if you do it down the centre they stay together better. 

Then you open them up so that you have one notebook on each side, held together in the middle by the elastic and slip them through one of the elastics attached to the Leather binder. So now you have two notebooks in the binder and part of the doubled-up elastic for two more to be fitted in the same way. 

There are different ways to do it though, that's just mine. I don't know if it makes any sense... I should have included a diagram. 

Anyway... of the four notebook refills in my Midori, one is my personal journal...






As you can see I have many thoughts and I am already into a second refill! 

I like to decorate my journal refills with lots of cuttings from magazines and stickers. I like personalise each one for they all feel different with their own personality. They are like a reflection of who I was at different times in my life. 

It'll be interesting in years to come to look back through my Midori refills to see how much I have changed. I love looking back through old journals. 

In the front of the journal refill I made my own little slip-pocket for my stickers ...






In the back of the journal I stuck an envelope, which is really useful for slipping loose bits of papers in and receipts. 

Also I do this cool thing now when I come to the end of a journal – I like to write myself a little letter as a sort of reflection on the past few weeks. I write about what I think I've learnt, things I want to remember and thoughts or prompts for the future. Just a few things I might find interesting to read back over one day.






I also like to create lots of secret pockets, because they're useful and they make things feel even more personal. So when I tape the envelope to the back of the refill, I only tape the top and bottom, so that I have an extra secret pocket behind the envelope - cool huh?

You can pretty much do this to all your refills and have secret pockets all over the place.

I decided to make my own diary because I like the layout of the Moleskine Diary with a week-on-one-page and the opposite side blank for notes. 

Yes it took a while to draw it all up, but I managed to fit six months in, so I'm sorted until Christmas just about. I filled in each page of the TN refill by hand with a ruler and pen.






I use this refill book as my daily planner in the same way I'd normally have used my everyday Personal Filofax. I love the scrapbook-feel of it. I know that I can't move things around like in my Filofax, but I like the fact that I can stick things in and clip notes here and there with paper-clips to create a kind of organised chaos that only I can decipher.

I also have an artist's sketchbook refill with thicker cartridge paper for sketching and using my watercolours, and an extra home-made refill book at the very back that I just use for scribbling and doodling in.

I find it very easy to section the Midori as a whole. I have a silver leaf pendant attached to the original Midori  string page-marker which I use to mark my place in my personal journal section, and a pink metal bookmark clip from Paperchase that I use to get to my 'Today' page in the planner section. 

That's all I really need, but I do use little silver petal page-marker clips from Waterstones to mark out sections I use regularly like my Artist's sketchbook and general notes section.

I have to say that my Midori has a wonderful way of opening up onto the page I need when I need it.






And that is that! I hope you have enjoy reading my ramblings. Leave your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to read them.


See you in the next post!


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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...


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The time I bought my sister a Filofax... and KEPT it!




I was convinced that I could change my sister's life by converting her to share my secret love-affair with Filofaxes. So I bought her one, but had trouble letting go ...


Like me, my sister is a virgo, and in many ways we are quite similar. She also has the same strange interest in pens and paper that I have, and we both used to keep diaries and scrap books as kids, Although being my younger sister, perhaps she was just being a bit of a copy-cat. 

If I could just get a Filofax into her hands though, I knew it would be contagious.

So I ordered her a beautiful bright red personal Chameleon Filofax. 

I was so excited. Was this just an excuse for me to buy more Filofax Goodies and not feel guilty? Probably. 

The thing is, when my sister's Filofax arrived, I had the pleasure of unwrapping it, and as soon as I had it in my hands – I felt oh-so-confused! 

How could I possibly part with this beautiful thing now that I had seen it?

It was so vibrant, and when I placed it on top of my A5 Aqua Chameleon Filofax I saw something very special indeed. The colour combination was exciting and delicious. There was no way that I could part with it.






As you can see below, that bright vibrant red follows you as you open the Filofax up, it's everywhere. 

Now then, I'm not normally a 'bright red' type of gal – that has always been my sister's thing, which is why I chose the red one for her. 

But I was beginning to think that maybe I could be...






And inside it came with these tutti-fruity coloured numbered tab dividers. 

I was jealous. I wanted them, end of story.







The only thing I could do was go straight back online and purchase another red Filofax for my sister and keep this one for myself. Yes, I was officially purchasing two of the same Filofax. My addiction and insanity was finally confirmed. But what's a girl to do?

I gave my sister the second Filofax last Christmas and she laughed when she opened it, but I had faith that it would soon seduce her, and it did. 

It's all about the personalisation, as you dedicated Filofax lovers know. 

She gradually gave in and made it her own, and then one day she called me up and made me the happiest sister on the planet ...

"Zara," She gasped with angst in her voice, "Zara, I can't find my Filofax! What am I going to do? I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow!"

That's my girl, I thought with a big smile on my face :)






I hope you enjoyed my silly story :)


See you in the next post!


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