01 April 2023

Product Development

Developing a new product for the planner market is a long and careful process. It often starts with someone throwing out an idea and then someone else taking that idea and refining it. 

The end result might not quite turn out as the original designer thought it would. 

Often the design will be put to one side and it is many years later that the original concept will be realised and the design is enhanced and the bumps and kinks are ironed out and the item will go in to full scale production. 

The marketing team will come up with their ideas on how to promote the product, they will give it to the graphics department to come up with the vital visuals and photographs and videos to help promote the product. 

The accountants of course will have their say in what the final price should be to cover the cost of development and the marketing department will have their input because they know what the retail price is of the competition. 

This week I came across this image of a product that is clearly still in development? 

Using technology from 60 years ago, they still survive to this day.....

Suitable for ages three and upwards.... start them planning early... I will be getting my grandson one for his birthday...

The leaflet even hinted that other versions would be available.... Sunday start may be...

A catchy strap line. Start a new week, turn it over and give it a shake. 

No batteries required... always a positive. 

Internet free... no passwords required who ever remembers them anyway....

Only available in red.... washi tape optional extra. 



Pre-orders start today 1st April 2023

No mention of delivery date.... hmm something fishy going on here!

Web Finds - Saturday 1 April 2023

It is time to enjoy a few blog posts from around the internet, grab a drink and make yourself comfortable for our weekly round-up.

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Web Finds - Saturday 25 March 2023
  2. Silent Sunday
  3. A Date For Your Diary - Sunday 2 April 2023
  4. Free For All Tuesday - No. 634
  5. Video Web Finds - Wednesday 29 March 2023
  6. Guest post series - 'Filohax' No.4 - Paul 
  7. Free For All Friday No 751 by Laurie
Here are the latest Filofax and other brand blog posts from around the Internet. Don't forget to leave a comment on the posts you enjoyed reading, all bloggers enjoy getting comments.
  1. 5 Habits for highly over-ambitious planners (and dreamers) - Filofancy | Life On Paper | Zara M.
  2. March Madness - Thoughts Along Life's Highway
  3. Your Daily Planner Routine Needs a Brain Dump - Planner Fun
  4. Tax Time Encouragement and Support - FranklinPlanner Talk
  5. Top 10 Next Level Fountain Pens - The Goulet Pen Company - Goulet Pens Blog
  6. My Weekly Reset Process - Thoughts Along Life's Highway
  7. Freebie Friday @ Planner Fun - Planner Fun
  8. Episode #200: David Allen in conversation with Daniel Levitin - Getting Things Done
  9. March Madness (part 2) - Thoughts Along Life's Highway
  10. My Minimalist Landing Page: How I Create an Organized and Productive Digital Planner - Planner Fun
  11. Link Love: Feelin’ Peachy - The Well-Appointed Desk
  12. Web Finds – 29 March 2023 - Travellers Notebook Times
  13. Your blog post could appear here. Please let us know if you have a blog that features ring bound organisers.
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Enjoy



31 March 2023

Free For All Friday No 751 by Laurie

I have tried and tried over for many years to use the Bullet Journal method, and have failed every time. The same things tend to trip me up again and again.

To be fair, for a couple of years I successfully used a modified version of the BuJo method, where my notebook was my daily inbox, and I put any lists or Collections in the back of the notebook. Of course I had to use a separate planner, because the BuJo method doesn't lend itself to the type of intensive day to day and forward planning I need. As long as I used the notebook just as my daily log, it was fine.

But whenever I try to use the actual Bullet Journal method with more of the components (Monthly Log, Future Log, Reviews, etc), I can't get past thinking my Filofax functions much better.

Of course there are pros and cons to every system. One pro of the Bullet Journal method is using an A5 notebook, which is much easier to carry around than most A5 Filofax binders (depending on ring size).

But the big con, for me, is having pages mixed around with each other in the bound book. Even with intensive indexing, I don't like lists and notes mixed in with daily log pages, monthly pages, reviews, various trackers, reference info, etc. I find things much more easily when my daily pages are all together in their own section, my trackers are in a designated spot, and my lists and collections are in their own categorized tabbed sections.

The other con, which is hard for me to get past, is not being able to move pages around in a bound notebook. My Filofax feels like so much less pressure. If I put something someplace, and decide it would be more convenient to have it in a different place, I just move it there. Or if I try a new tracker, form, review page, or whatever, and don't like it, I can modify or remove it, so there aren't a bunch of dead pages mixed in with the pages I'm actually using.

Here's a real-life example: In my previous FFAF, I wrote about the pages I like to keep within my monthly section. It's easy for me to find these month to month. If I write more than one page about something, for example Good Things That Happened This Month, or my planner reviews, I just add that page in my binder next, so the pages are continuous. But in a bound notebook, if I wanted to add something days or weeks later, that page would be out of sequence, later in the book. With techniques like indexing and threading I could see which pages follow what, but the result is still that pages are mixed in with other pages. I don't like it, and I prefer being able to add and move pages to keep continuous topics together.

One definite benefit of the Bullet Journal method is never wondering where to write something; you just write it on the page, and index it to find it later. In my Filofax I have a Notes tabbed section for my Inbox, and later I can move that page to the section where it needs to go.

Something I do find intriguing about BuJo is writing everything chronologically in the bound notebook, then at the end of the month reviewing what had my attention that month. Doing this month after month would create an interesting record. But the reality of my day to day life is, it's difficult for me to work that way, no matter how nice the resulting record is.

Many of the components of the Bullet Journal method are things I already do in my Filofax: Monthly Log and Monthly lists in my Monthly section; Daily Log pages; Collections in their own sections; Future Log in my annual overview pages; Trackers etc. I also use weekly pages for my main planning, and other reference pages that stay in my Filofax month after month or even year after year.

Have you ever used the Bullet Journal method, whether in a bound notebook or Filofax? How did/ does it work for you?

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

30 March 2023

Guest post series - 'Filohax' No.4 - Paul

Thanks again to Paul for this fourth instalment of his guest post series. 
You can find all the 'Filohax' posts here.

Filohax: Time for a change

In my quest to ditch more and more 'Tech' from my life, I've stumbled upon another addition to my trusty Winchester workhorse - an analogue time piece! A little back story - I ditched wrist watches in the early 2000's and the recent craze for Apple digital watches leaves me cold. 

Probably like millions of others, I've come to reach for my 'smart' phone when I need to clock the time, which inevitably leads to a quick look at the news / Facebook / YouTube (you know the drill). 

Well, I use my Filofax to plan my day and organise on a minute to minute, hour to hour basis and recently caught myself flipping open the Winchester and simultaneously reaching for the phone to check the time. I suddenly thought, 'I need to start wearing a watch again,' so had a new battery put in an old Calvin Klein but it only stayed on my wrist for a day - which is when the light bulb moment happened - 'I wonder how I could get a watch into my Filofax?' (don't you think that three quarters of a new innovation is in asking yourself the right question first?!). 

The logical answer was then to take the wrist bands off, and use velcro to attach the face to the narrow slither of leather visible when the Filofax is open flat with inserts. 

Already I've probably cut down my smartphone consumption by 25%!

29 March 2023

Video Web Finds - Wednesday 29 March 2023

I hope you have had a good weekend.

Now it is time to enjoy a great collection of videos from around the internet.

Here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. The New Moon Manifestation Printable - Raine Boyd
  2. March Madness aka "Planner ennui" - Thoughts Along Life's Highway
  3. Week Plan With Me || Ganchi Plans Printables - GanchiPlans
  4. A5 Rings - Planning Inserts & Process - Moniki
  5. Flatability midweek "coffee break" // some channel stats, my new data system, some Q&A, and more. - Flatability
  6. Tonya Plans Binder || Reference Planner Update || Functional Planning || Planner Chat - Life With MJB
  7. Stationery Haul - Traveler's Company Partner Shop Omoi Zakka - Stationery Shenanigans
  8. Car Planning & Flip - A5 Filofax Granite - Moniki
  9. Review - English made Golunski binder // Flatability - Flatability
  10. I Found a Vintage Franklin Covey Planner! - Desiree TV
  11. VEG TAN POCKET MOTERM - planner wallet - Dia Meraz
  12. Planning My Week #weeklyplanner #shorts - Tonya Plans
  13. Pocket Moleskine in VDS 30mm Rings - Moniki
  14. Franklin Classic Plan With Me || March 27 - April 2, 2023 || Last Week of March! - Sandra Dahl
  15. Filofax 3CL - my thoughts about this iconic binder // Flatability - Flatability
  16. Planning my week ahead: Franklin Covey, Happy Planner, Stalogy and more - Samantha Gibson- Choose_Your_Planning
  17. My Work Planner Routine | Franklin Covey 5 Choices Wire Bound Planner | Levenger Junior Softolio - My Moxie Dreams
  18. MARCH PLANNER UPDATE | Functional Planner Setup | Erin Condren Compact | Filofax A5 Rings Planner - My Something Beautiful Life
  19. NEW 2023 Filofax Eco Essential Organisers Collection - ExclusivePenEU
  20. Kolekce diářů Filofax Eco Essentials - BIBELOT
  21. Filofax Norfolk Flip Through + Pen Test | A5 6-Ring Agenda - kristina summer
  22. Mini Filofax Malden Planner in black color - organized style plan
  23. March Planner Flip Through: A Peek Inside My Filofax Planners - Mariane Cresp
  24. Mi Unboxing de Filofax A5 Original Lemon - BujoLica
  25. Your YouTube video could appear here. If you have a YT channel that features Filofax organisers or similar, please let us know. (steve at philofaxy dot com)
  • Please leave a comment on any of the videos you enjoyed and mention you saw a link on Philofaxy. 
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
Enjoy