17 June 2016

Free For All Friday No 396 by Laurie

I recently returned to a habit I used to do years ago but fell out of practice: archiving used pages directly into a designated and labeled archive binder. Years ago when I owned only one Filofax, it was easy for me to move used pages straight into an archive binder, with the year labeled on the spine. There was never any question about where my pages were: in-use pages were in my Filofax, used pages were in binders archived by year.

Later when I owned several Filofax binders, I tended to put used pages in other binders. Often I would leave some pages in a binder when I moved over into a new binder. Sometimes I would shuffle pages among binders. Finding anything was difficult and I got discouraged.

Recently I was looking through my old archive binders and realized what a great system that was. I could find anything easily, by year. I decided to get disciplined about archiving again.

In August last year I moved up from personal size to A5, so I needed a new A5 archive binder. I looked around all over the place and settled on a Filofax Clipbook. The binder itself is janky and seems cheap (the rings aren't even actually attached to the binder!) but if you can find one at a discounted price it's worth the cost because in addition to the (mainly) functional binder, the paper inserts are pretty good. So for the same price as just a binder with other brands, I also got a bunch of good paper inserts. As long as I don't have to open the rings very often (because papers pop out all over the place), it works fine.

Now I am back to my super-effective archiving. Used pages go straight into the archive binder. Pages that are waiting to be used are in my on-deck binder. (I thought I wrote a post a long time ago about my on-deck binder, but couldn't find it. Basically it has pages that are waiting to be used, like diary pages etc.) And pages currently in use are in, of course, my current-use binder.

This system of moving pages through the three binders (waiting to be used, currently in use, and archived) means I know where to find all my pages all the time! Hooray!

Have you recently returned to any previous Filofax habits?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss and/ or ask anything ring-binder related!

9 comments:

  1. I no longer buy inserts and then modify or trim them for a particular binder. It was time consuming and caused me to frequently replace the blades on the trimmer. The pages were not the same size as other sheets in the binder. I do not mind trimming the paper for my insert because the sheets are the exact size. A storage binder for old inserts would be more convenient than my plastic pouch.

    I am deciding a way of distinguishing lists and information on my insert. Since I am still not purchasing most paper products and inserts I am not reverting to that habit. It has been worthwhile to use materials for components in my binder.

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  2. I am archiving old pages and store unused inserts(personal size and a6) in vhs tape covers that I kept for this purpose. They are easy to lable and the pages are protected from dust as well as humidity.

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  3. Have you seen new Malden in fusia snd kingsbery blue colors???

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    1. I saw them but are the Malden pocket binders available in the new colors?

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    2. Sadly, no. I was really hoping to buy the Fuchsia Pocket for my sister.

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    3. Bree, thank you for the reply. It would have been a nice gift.

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  4. I use the DayRunner two-pages per day inserts (which has monthly calendar with tabs) in my A5 sized planner. Right now I have May-June-July pages in the planner. The used pages and future pages are filed in a 3-inch (5.5 X 8.5) 3-ring binder under the appropriate monthly tab. This is the 2nd year that I have used this system and it works out great.

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  5. It’s always interesting to read of how and what others choose to archive. I’ve found a few binders at thrift shops, usually off-brand, that I use for storage purposes. Each year, one binder will house the past monthly and weekly calendars, and also the needed inserts for the rest of the year. Every 3 years, I walk down memory lane and discard the weekly pages, unless there’s an important note that’s somehow escaped my filing process, and file all the months together. Notes get stored in a separate reference binder. Every so often, I’ll take a picture of my pages and file them in Evernote. I have 20+ years of memories stored this way.

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  6. One of the things that has kept me from settling into Pocket is archiving neatly . It's pretty easy to find reasonable Personal or Half Letter binders for storage, but Pocket storage is a bit more difficult. I've tried binder rings, but it's not the greatest solution.

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