08 November 2012

Guest Post - Prachi - Paperchase Organiser

Hello everyone, I’m Prachi. I’m 15 years old and I am from the UK. Since early summer, I’ve developed an obsession with planners and Filofaxes, fuelled of course by the wonderful Philofaxy and Plannerisms. I don’t have a blog (though I’m considering starting one), so this is my first ever blog-style post, so bear with me if it isn’t as great as Steve, Laurie, Nan and Anita’s posts!

I recently experienced Planner Fail with my pay-per-page planner, so I needed a change. I wanted a Filofax, but I can’t quite afford one and it’s not my birthday any time soon, nor could I have waited until Christmas, so, I bought a mini organiser from Paperchase. It’s the same as Filofax’s pocket size. If it all works (which so far, it is), I’ll upgrade to the real deal!

So, here it is!



I fell in love with the colour, and the design is rather cute and at £11 it was a steal! In the pen loop I’ve got a mechanical pencil (also from Paperchase), and I prefer using this as I can erase things easily, and there’s no worries about bleed through or feathering.

This is what you see when it’s opened up.



The card slots are currently empty, but I’m going to put in my library card and when school starts again I expect the pockets will be brimming with bits and bobs. The insert is also Paperchase, and came with the diary. It was mid-year (July 2012 to December 2013) but I took lots out and re-arranged it all to my suiting.

There’s also a larger flap/pocket at the back.


I know that if I don’t designate a use for it, it’ll be full of junk which will just accumulate, so I’ve decided that any letters that need to be taken home will be folded in four and slotted in there so I don’t lose them.

The diary insert came with the following tabs: Information, Planner, Diary, Agenda, Addresses and Notes. I wanted to use them so much as they were multi-coloured and very pretty, but I could not for the life of me differentiate between Planner, Diary and Agenda – what would I put in all three?!

And besides, I envisaged having different tabs, so I changed it all around.



So, my current tabs setup is: Information, Planner, Homework, Money, Urgent and Notes. I’ll go through each section step-by-step and show you what I do. Below is the Information section.


It starts with a yearly overview – this is just for reference, though I’m considering circling birthdays or something on it.



Over the page are the 2013 overview and my school timetable. I’ve put in a blank one, so you don’t see the actual one…not that you’re like that but we never know who else is trawling the Internet! That’s all that’s under this tab; I’m going with the flow because I don’t want to overstuff the binder.

Next up is the Planner tab. The first picture is a weekly spread and the second is the Monday-Wednesday part closer up so you can read it.



This is an example week, because I’m on half-term right now, so my planner isn’t too exciting. I write most stuff in pencil because it’s always to hand and can be erased if things change. The majority of things that have to be done are next to a tick box, because I find it really satisfying to tick a task off when I’ve done it. I also tick it in a pretty colour! If a task isn’t done I put a cross in the box, and draw an arrow next to it and write the day it has been transferred to. It gets written in capital letters and colour on the new date because it’s a priority. If something special is happening that day, a birthday for example, then it is written in a colour and has a little bubble around it. By the way, I use Staedtler Triplus Fineliners – I love them and I’ve got the 20-pack!

After the Planner, I’ve got a tab for Homework.



This isn’t space in the daily boxes to write the details of homework, so I write it on lined notepaper, which I bought 50 sheets of for £1.50 at Paperchase. The subject, due date and tick box are all written in a bright colour, and then the details of what I have to do in pencil underneath. If a task has more than one part, I tick each part when it’s done and then the homework as a whole when all parts are completed.

I then have a tab for Money.


This is a self-drawn sheet where I track my spending by writing what I’ve bought, whether I paid by cash or card, and how much it cost.

The tab after this is labelled Urgent. I haven’t seen anyone else do it, but I find that it really helps me.



It’s quite simple really. One sheet of blue lined notepaper, and when there is an urgent task I write it on a cupcake post-it note and pop it on the paper. This makes it really, really stand out. I’ve made it a habit to check this every morning and evening, so as to remind me if there’s anything that’s super important to do.

Finally, we have the Notes tab.



Nothing special, just any notes like emails or mobile numbers that I’ve jotted down.

So, that’s my little organiser! I hoped you liked looking at her, and that maybe, just maybe, I’ve inspired you to do something with your own! J

Thank you Prachi for your Guest Post, do update us on how your set up is working out.  And we look forward to featuring your new blog too

24 comments:

  1. Hi Prachi! I love your lovely little planner! I love pink =0)
    You did a wonderful job on your planner and excellent layout with your adorable hand writing.I like your tick off boxes as I do that too.
    You should get your blog ! You do very well with writing this post.
    Just a suggestion if you would like to use a pen, I use a Pilot Frixion gel pen. (if they are available in the UK?)They 'erase" and I've not had any problems with them. And come in pretty colors =)

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    1. Yes I've heard lots about those, and I've tried them once, but I'm very picky, and my handwriting isn't that nice in them... ): but thank you!

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    2. If there's a Muji store near you you could try their erasable gel pens? I love them, they're £2 each but come in pretty colours and they make my handwriting really nice

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  2. You blogged like a seasoned blogger already so I too would vote for a blog of your own, if that is what you have time and interest for. It was lovely to see how neat and organized you obviously are. Great post!

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  3. The Urgent section is a great idea; I really like that.

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  4. Well written Prachi. Yes you should definitely start your own blog :)

    Cute planner and great tabbed sections.

    Hope you get a real FF soon!

    ML
    mluisblog.blogspot.com.au

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  5. Thanks to everyone who said I should start my own blog! After writing this post I was itching to write more, so I do have a blog now. It's called:

    paperplanethinking.blogspot.com

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  6. Well done Prachi! My daughters (14 and 12) are always keen to get better organised. Your experiences (being a similar age) will hopefully be more motivating for them than listening to their old dad!

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  7. I LOVE the color and design of your binder! Great pocket configuration in there too. Thanks so much for showing us your setup! :)

    And, I love your blog!

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    1. Aww thank you Laurie :) I love Plannerisms so much! :)

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  8. Oh, I think my post disappeared! Very good blog Prachi - well written and I thought you have put together your binder very well. I picked up a could of great ideas for my own use.

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  9. Very cute, nice planner. I love the design. And the layout of the planner is great. Nice ideas for my one Malden 'Emma'. I also use the paper from paperchase. It is nice paper and not that expencive. Keep on going!

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  10. Great blog post and lovely lovely planner! I love the layout I may steal some of your ideas for my own Filofax :) Lx

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  11. Lovely post! I enjoyed reading it very much ^_^, so I'm looking forward to dig into your blog and read more. Your planner is very beautiful as well, and the way you've arranged it is also quite neat. About the Urgent segment, I've seen people use it up in the front of the filofax on a flyleaf or some other sturdy plastic sheet, where they stick post its. That system is great for people who tend to forget things.

    As for planner-agenda-diaries, I've heard of people who use "diary" as a journal, "planner" in monthly spread to include schedules and "agenda" for appointments or weekly-daily breakdown.

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  12. Great post! Totally off topic: Filofax US has some filos on sale for 40% off. Ends today. I got a lovely orchid Aston! There isn't a huge selection, but it's worth checking out!

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  13. Lovely post! I will read your blog :-)

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  14. Prachi, I loved your post! The planner is set up so nice and I like your urgent tab a lot! Love the design on the cover and the color - and all you've done with it.

    It was a great blog post, especially for a first one :)
    Tracy

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  15. Prachi-What a delightful blog!! I really enjoy your ideas and writing style! Great hints and new ideas!!

    There is no doubt in my mind that you will go far in life. Your current insights into planning and organizing will follow you throughout your life with school, college, job and your own family life. I am VERY impressed! Keep at it, and always remember to keep it fun! I've used a planner since before I could write (I pretended I could write), and it's still fun for me to pull out my organizer and "play"--er, plan my day.

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  16. Thank you everyone for all your encouraging comments! I'm glad I started paperplane thinking now! :)

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  17. Awesome post. So impressed! I'll check out your new blog as soon as I can.

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  18. Really nice!! Good for you - finding something that works for you is hard to do!

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  19. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your post..your planner is as cute as can be,too! Good job!

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  20. Lovely planner and a great layout. It looks great. :-)

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