Ahh Filofax... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
To paraphrase WH Auden... [It] is my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and Sunday rest.
With a passion that has my wife shaking her head in disbelief. Actually, with a passion that has me shaking my head in disbelief!
My love for my Filofax is more like a symbiotic relationship, or maybe better described as codependency. After several years of using Filofax I have now discovered that I can't NOT use it. I have so much information in mine that I can't write it all over again every year. In fact, this year I upgraded to an A5 from the Personal size, and re-writing all of my information took so long that I don't plan to do that again any time soon! A single-year bound diary book doesn't give me nearly enough space for all of my lists and information, nor the flexibility of rings and loose leaf pages to move things around. I feel limited and constrained within the bound pages. I can hardly function without my Filofax and all the information it contains. My lists, my numbers, my maps, contacts, plans, records. I need it all. And it needs me. My Filo lives on a hearty diet of ink and paper, with regular feedings and occasional feasts. Now and then I put it on a diet to reduce its bulk, only to fill it up again with new and exciting stuff. The times when I have strayed to a different planner to “simplify” my life have left me confused and scattered. Only when I am using my Filofax do I feel secure in knowing that nothing is slipping through the cracks. All of my plans are right there in front of me, my information easily accessed by a flip of a tab. It settles my mind to know my trusty Filofax has it all organized for me.
Laurie, thanks for the inspiration. Couldn't have said it better myself. I've used Moleskines pretty well, but I always spent more time flipping pages, looking for where I wrote something, thinking about how to make things work, than just using the thing. My Filos, I just...use. I so agree with the feeling that Filofaxes make it easier to keep things from slipping through the cracks. It just doesn't happen very often!
What I do love: looking at filofaxes on flickr, in stores, when I see other people using them at work or on the train, writing in my filofax, reorganizing it, buying new refills for it.
What I don't love: the way I keep looking at other planners and then not being able to use them because I miss my filofax, the fact that I bought a pocket brown classic filofax and that it lies in my drawer unused because I miss my personal blue piazza, the way the suede strip gets dirty and the rings are not perfectly aligned in my piazza. But still I can't leave it at home to go to work. I only leave it at home when I go to the supermarket, but else it is always with me.
Is this love? Is it love if you keep thinking about it all the time, instead of focussing on doing the things written inside your filofax? Is it love that every time I buy another planner or notebook I can't use it because I miss my filofax? And why do I only love my blue filofax, and not my pocket one, while I loved it looking at it on flickr and in the store?
i think this is love.. it's okay that you just love your piazza filofax.
I love reading about other filofaxes watching them in stores, watching all the refills that are avalable. And i only love my metropol A5 because it has the right ringsize and my husband gave it to me as a christmas present.
Everyone has his own way of using his filofax. i think you need to grow in using your Filo. Just start using it and you will find a way to use it. and than you can change what you don't like.
I love mine bacoause it keeps everything what is in my mind.
Paulien, I agree 100% with everything you said! There's nothing more for me to add to it.
As for my Filofax usage...for years I wouldn't even consider a ring binder type planner. The spiral bound was what it was all about...until the day I discovered the Filofax website. I asked for the personal sized domino for my birthday and while I have bought other binder covers, I've stuck with the personal sized refills for over a year now (that's a big deal for me, since I was always switching planners). Since then I've bought a blue Finsbury, a teal Miami from ebay, a mini domino for smaller usage and I even tried the Slimline classic. I loved that one, but it just couldn't hold everything I needed to carry. But I loved the chocolate classic look so I bullied my husband into buying the personal size for me for my 30th birthday - he did and I LOVE it. It smells so nice and is so pretty. I have read that people have been using the same binder for many years and that it has lasted while taking on a used, loved look. That's what I'm striving for with my personal classic filo. I will never go back to spiral bound planners again because they just don't offer the flexibility and personalization I've come to love about the filo. It holds everything I need and I pretty much take it everywhere with me (you never know when and where you will need to write something down). I think my craziest moment was at about 3 in the morning during a blackout when I just HAD to write down to buy more batteries. My husband only laughs at me and shakes his head whenever I so much as look at other planners (but hey, I'm just looking...). I've even gotten some of my friends using Filos now. It's great to know there are others out there who share my passion! Love your blog!!
Ahh Filofax...
ReplyDeleteHow do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning
To paraphrase WH Auden...
[It] is my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and Sunday rest.
With a passion that has my wife shaking her head in disbelief.
Actually, with a passion that has me shaking my head in disbelief!
Simon
Thank you, Simon, for sharing the full text of this beautiful poem, that we too rarely have the pleasure of reading.
ReplyDeleteThe Auden quote reminds me of my own experience with the Filo...I'd be lost without it!
My love for my Filofax is more like a symbiotic relationship, or maybe better described as codependency. After several years of using Filofax I have now discovered that I can't NOT use it. I have so much information in mine that I can't write it all over again every year. In fact, this year I upgraded to an A5 from the Personal size, and re-writing all of my information took so long that I don't plan to do that again any time soon! A single-year bound diary book doesn't give me nearly enough space for all of my lists and information, nor the flexibility of rings and loose leaf pages to move things around. I feel limited and constrained within the bound pages. I can hardly function without my Filofax and all the information it contains. My lists, my numbers, my maps, contacts, plans, records. I need it all. And it needs me. My Filo lives on a hearty diet of ink and paper, with regular feedings and occasional feasts. Now and then I put it on a diet to reduce its bulk, only to fill it up again with new and exciting stuff. The times when I have strayed to a different planner to “simplify” my life have left me confused and scattered. Only when I am using my Filofax do I feel secure in knowing that nothing is slipping through the cracks. All of my plans are right there in front of me, my information easily accessed by a flip of a tab. It settles my mind to know my trusty Filofax has it all organized for me.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, thanks for the inspiration. Couldn't have said it better myself. I've used Moleskines pretty well, but I always spent more time flipping pages, looking for where I wrote something, thinking about how to make things work, than just using the thing. My Filos, I just...use. I so agree with the feeling that Filofaxes make it easier to keep things from slipping through the cracks. It just doesn't happen very often!
ReplyDeleteTo be short: I don't know. Long answer below.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do love: looking at filofaxes on flickr, in stores, when I see other people using them at work or on the train, writing in my filofax, reorganizing it, buying new refills for it.
What I don't love: the way I keep looking at other planners and then not being able to use them because I miss my filofax, the fact that I bought a pocket brown classic filofax and that it lies in my drawer unused because I miss my personal blue piazza, the way the suede strip gets dirty and the rings are not perfectly aligned in my piazza. But still I can't leave it at home to go to work. I only leave it at home when I go to the supermarket, but else it is always with me.
Is this love? Is it love if you keep thinking about it all the time, instead of focussing on doing the things written inside your filofax? Is it love that every time I buy another planner or notebook I can't use it because I miss my filofax? And why do I only love my blue filofax, and not my pocket one, while I loved it looking at it on flickr and in the store?
Can anyone please tell me?
Hey Paulien,
ReplyDeletei think this is love.. it's okay that you just love your piazza filofax.
I love reading about other filofaxes watching them in stores, watching all the refills that are avalable.
And i only love my metropol A5 because it has the right ringsize and my husband gave it to me as a christmas present.
Everyone has his own way of using his filofax. i think you need to grow in using your Filo. Just start using it and you will find a way to use it. and than you can change what you don't like.
I love mine bacoause it keeps everything what is in my mind.
Groetjes Rosita
ps ik hoop dat je iets aan mijn antwoord hebt.
Paulien, I agree 100% with everything you said! There's nothing more for me to add to it.
ReplyDeleteAs for my Filofax usage...for years I wouldn't even consider a ring binder type planner. The spiral bound was what it was all about...until the day I discovered the Filofax website. I asked for the personal sized domino for my birthday and while I have bought other binder covers, I've stuck with the personal sized refills for over a year now (that's a big deal for me, since I was always switching planners). Since then I've bought a blue Finsbury, a teal Miami from ebay, a mini domino for smaller usage and I even tried the Slimline classic. I loved that one, but it just couldn't hold everything I needed to carry. But I loved the chocolate classic look so I bullied my husband into buying the personal size for me for my 30th birthday - he did and I LOVE it. It smells so nice and is so pretty. I have read that people have been using the same binder for many years and that it has lasted while taking on a used, loved look. That's what I'm striving for with my personal classic filo. I will never go back to spiral bound planners again because they just don't offer the flexibility and personalization I've come to love about the filo. It holds everything I need and I pretty much take it everywhere with me (you never know when and where you will need to write something down). I think my craziest moment was at about 3 in the morning during a blackout when I just HAD to write down to buy more batteries. My husband only laughs at me and shakes his head whenever I so much as look at other planners (but hey, I'm just looking...). I've even gotten some of my friends using Filos now. It's great to know there are others out there who share my passion! Love your blog!!