09 May 2014

Free For All Friday No. 286

'Why do you still use a Filofax?' it is a question I'm sure a lot of us get asked.

I know we have discussed 'why' many times before... speed of use etc etc. But a new response came to mind today...

Why?.... because it doesn't matter when you last used a Filofax... 15 days ago or 15 years ago you will be instantly familiar with how to use it.

You can not say that about a computer, try going back 2 or 3 years and may be to a previous operating system or application and you will pause and try to recall how you did x or y again... I'm sure you will get there in the end, but it will be a minor stumbling block before you are back up to speed again....

Anyway it is once again Friday so please feel free to discuss anything Filofax or ring bound organiser related. And I hope you have a great weekend.

31 comments:

  1. A very good point, well made Steve.

    Why do I still use a Filofax? So many reasons.......summed up by the fact that it 'just works'.

    No fiddling about with obtuse and time-wasting sync options. No more 'cross platform' worries (just take it everywhere, OK?).

    No more dead batteries.

    No more loss of wireless signal.

    No more deleted/duplicated/corrupted data.

    The satisfaction of having checked my diary, made a note and closed it again while the gadget-toters are still picking away at their screens.

    Because it makes me more efficient than a gadget ever can, or could (so far).

    BTW, great photo. What a shame you can't get those sunrise/sunset forms any more. I don't think they even put that info on the diary pages, yet all diaries used to have that included. That's 'progress' for you.......


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    1. Agreed.
      And not another charging cord that has to be plugged into my vehicle.
      My desk and kitchen table don't have to be moved to get to an electrical outlet.
      If the cop pulls me over because I was riding both lines he doesn't ask me if I was writing notes, he asks if I was texting. :) open books do not cause concern.
      Sitting in a meeting, staring at my book smiling doesn't cause concern, but someone who has their phone in their lap, fingers constantly moving for an hour while smiling and giggling makes you wonder how funny note taking can be.
      People don't feel I am rude when we meet and I write down information, but feel like your being rude when they are talking and you never look up from your phone. Conversation with me or others?
      Being a visual/kinetic learner makes seeing and the physical act of writing the way I learn and remember. Typing, for some reason, does not.

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  2. Gosh! Those pages take me back! Most of us will have been in a boring meeting or lecture and found ourselves flicking through Filofax information pages as respite from the monotony! You would pretend to be looking up something relevant to the meeting, but in reality were wondering why 1967 was a vintage year for Bordeaux, which countries had very odd national holidays or pondering how many furlongs make up a linear mile...

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    1. Now, if i could just get up to date wine vintage charts for my Hampstead, life would be complete! wonder if Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book is available in FF format......I used to regularly get a copy every Christmas.....

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    2. David, sure there was a wine chart on one of the blogs a long while back. Not a vintage chart, but a general wine info chart, for people like me who don't drink wine normally, yet want to serve wine, or give a bottle as a gift. A helpful reference chart for supermarket shopping.

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    3. Alas, wine-drinking is *very* normal Chez Popely! We have a few wines we 'go back to' regularly, but it's always good to explore new options, and the Hugh Johnson Pocket book is a great resource for 'good years', recommended vineyards etc. Definitely deserves a release in FF format......

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    4. You will be interested to know, a kind reader donated to me the 1988 Wine Guide from Letts Filofax, I think as I live in one of the wine producing regions of France that the guide would be of more use to me than him!!

      I will scan it in and share it in the next week or so!

      Bonne weekend as they say around here!

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    5. Bonne weekend Steve!

      And that would be great!

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    6. Bonne weekend aussi!! xx

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  3. Because I love being able to write with pen on paper, throw away the pages that are no longer of use, and the fact that I can customize it. I'm also very fond of beautiful leather goods and I am a total organization freak, so it combines a lot of my favorite in a neat, beautiful package ;)

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  4. Commenting on the thread, I like seeing my diary in an A5 format. Weeny screens don't do it for me. Also pen love comes into it. xx

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  5. Week ending 9th May - summary of lessons learned.......

    1. If I can’t take my Filofax out with me, it’s no use to me at all.
    2. Therefore, A5 is no use to me at all.
    3. South West Trains is *not* the environment for testing portability – you can barely balance a coffee cup in the space they give you. Also, wiring on a moving train is impossible.
    4. Sometimes you can over-complicate setups. Less can be more, and often is.
    5. Despite my love of fountain pens, the Bic crystal biro remains the best (for me) pen ever made, and is £0.50p (about 80 cents) in Smiths.
    6. Mitchell Beazley *urgently* need to publish Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book in Filofax format.
    7. Filofaxes and puddles do not mix.

    Have a great weekend, everyone. Weather permitting, I'll be at the cricket again, scoring. Ah, Summer..........

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  6. Really enjoying reading everyone's comments for this FFAF!
    I love stationery & have always been a scribbler & writer of lists. I used to have lots of notebooks/ scraps of paper & struggled to keep it all together to find what I needed.
    Why didn't I come across Filofax earlier??

    I also agree with many of the other comments.
    Oh no, David, did the Filofax survive its dip in a puddle?!

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    1. Hi Anita

      Had to change diaries, but apart from that everything's fine. The oiled leather of the Hampstead shrugs off most rough treatment......

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    2. Hi David,
      Glad to hear that the Hampstead dealt with it so well. I've found that the crimson Malden is quite good at shrugging off green tea!

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    3. I have, however, discovered that laptops do not shrug off Martini nearly as well..........

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  7. I have exactly what I need when and where I need it, no more, no less.

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  8. I love my phone, it's great, but there is something fantastic about physically writing something down. And when it's written down in a binder you know you'll have for a long time - then it's just even better :)

    Going to be quite cheeky & copy my question from Tuesday into here (I did post it on Wednesday but no responses) :)

    Hi - first off thanks to all the comments when I asked previously! I am now the happy owner of a personal purple Malden :)
    Now for another question - I'm on the hunt for an A5 purple Malden. Well not so much hunt, I have one ordered from Amazon but it's currently out of stock so will be dispatched when they get stock. It's also out of stock on the filofax.co.uk website so I'm thinking when they get stock, so will Amazon. My question is, does anyone know how long it's been out of stock for and what the likelihood is that it'll be back in stock soon?
    Thanks!

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    1. Actually just heard back from the Filofax UK team & should be back in stock end of May/early June. Wahoo!

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  9. I love my paper planners because I can always go back and look stuff up. I still have some of my Dad's planner pages where he tracked the days it rained, when horses foaled, how many tons of cow feed he sold etc. Now that he's gone it's a delight to go back and see his handwriting and his thoughts. I refer back to my own planner pages for information frequently. Often enough that even when trying to pare down my "stuff" I just can't bear the thought of throwing away past years' pages!

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    1. Yes, I hope one day my kids or grandkids will find enjoyment in the silly things I wrote down and kept track of.

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  10. I'm with Cassandra. "Being a visual/kinetic learner makes seeing and the physical act of writing the way I learn and remember."

    I have a photographic memory. After writing it down, later I will remember what I wrote by "seeing" it on the page. Typing does nothing.

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  11. I just love statinery in all forms. I've been using FF for over 20 years and it always feels "right".

    I've tried various planners on my PC - even with Lotus Organiser another called Noto that are made to LOOK like ringbound planners, it's just not the same. I do use Efficient Lady's Organiser just for backup on my PC but much prefer to record with pen and paper.

    Another plus point - if your house burns down or you get burgled while you're out, you've still got all your important stuff in the FF that you take EVERYWHERE with you !

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  12. Stroking the leather on your planner is acceptable. Stroking your phone is well, just weird.

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  13. Why wouldn't I want to use one, they're beautiful items and as an organisation freak about as essential to me (if not more so) than my arm! I've had lots of comments about my organiser but never my phone and there's something strangely satisfying about jotting down appointments and noting things in your planner that pushing buttons or swiping keypads just doesn't do!

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  14. This is such a good point. The best part of my filofax is that I know where everything is and can organize to my preference. There are no surprises like the screen freezing when I need it to open quickly.

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  15. I'm often very conscious of the fact I'm very young, but the realisation that those inserts in the photo are older than me... Damn, I wish I was older than I am.

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  16. My life took on a certain amount of calmness once I switched to stationary planning. I love my Malden which tracks my writing blog and I have gotten more compliments on the Slimline Holborn that I use as a wallet and for more than its good looking leather. A grocery clerk told me that it was the most organized wallet she had ever seen...and she sees plenty of wallets on the job. LOL Thanks Filofax.

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    1. The majority of the comments I receive about my Filofax are from store checkout staff - at least one a month, and all positive. Having all my payment and loyalty cards properly organised, saves both of us time each time I buy anything.

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