04 April 2009

Miscellaneous

A little while ago, a reader asked whether there's a bound, perforated pad whose pages are compatible with the Filofax Personal page size. I write in perforated A5 Miquelrius notebooks so that I have the option of punching and transferring the pages to an A5 Filofax. It makes sense that some folks might want to do that with a Personal Filo.

I thought the small Miquelrius spiral-bound, perforated 4 x 6 notebook might work, so I ordered one. I also ordered an A5 Rhodia top-bound notebook, to see if I can use it with my A5 Filo.

Well, the Miquelrius 4 x 6 doesn't work with Personal. Not only is it too vertically short, but the torn-off size is 4" wide. I was hoping that the 4" width included the spiral binding, so the perforation would be closer to the Personal 3-3/4" width. Nope.

With the Rhodia A5, I found the opposite problem. The bound pad is a perfect A5, so when you tear off the sheet, it's much shorter than A5 and not suitable for hole punching.

Oh, well. It was worth a shot.

12 comments:

  1. If you use a rhodia number 19 pad (I think it is #19, it might be #18 - I haven't used A5 for a while), you can cut it in half and have 2 A5 sheets of graph paper. I love graph paper.

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  2. Thank you for this information--it will save some of us from a buy that might not work out!
    Lately I find that I am suffering from a sort of FF ADD. This is where I am using, say an A5, and then for no really good reason, I become dissatisfied and switch to the personal size. This is not easy to do--I spend time updating info, adding and subtracting things, etc. After a few months, something will happen and I will think that the bigger size is more user friendly and switch back! To make things more complicated, I will become enamored of a NEW FF--such as the Eton (it has a pocket)--and really want to purchase it. I have several already and don't need anymore, but there you go.....do you have such struggles?

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  3. Hello Anonymous,

    I have the same problem than you,
    I have to switch my Filo from time to time, if i do not i get disapointed with my planning system.
    The Eton is a wonderful organizer, but its still to expensive to me.
    Sometimes I´m switching from Mini to Personal, from Personal to Mini...
    Big differences but sometimes is works.
    What´s your favorite Filo?

    Greetings Jenny

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  4. Hi Jenny,
    My problem is that I like them all, but I go back and forth between personal and A5. Personal doesn't give me all the room I like to take notes, etc. but it looks great and is not bulky. The A5 can be too big/heavy in my bag. But the A5 is great for notes and printouts since it is the size of a 1/2 sheet of paper, so I can fold papers from work and they fit nicely. And you are correct, the Eton is much too expensive--but I still like to look!

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  5. Personal ist the perfekt size for me,
    becouse i don´t use it for my work a lot...
    Another great timer is Waverly Pocket...but the same as Eton, tooooo expensive..

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  6. I'm in the rpocess of trying to get my planner smaller and more compact. I've been playing around with a slimline, an office supply 1/2 inch mini binder and a pocket moleskine and I just can't get it right. I'm wasting a lot of my time when really, I should be doing some of the things on my to do list instead of trying to control my feelings of chaos with the perfect planner.Any suggestions on how to get out of this perfectionist bind and into real life? My husband says that this is like a hobby for me and I should just fuss away at my planners as much as I want. I keep waiting for him to laugh at me but he never does. I also think about people who neer walk around with their planners and wonder how they get through life like that.I wish I could remember and organize all the things I need to do without paper.Then again - I realy like paper and all things related. I'm a hopeless case but then, my husbad is right, I do get a lot of enjoyment out of this.

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  7. I'm a hopeless case but then, my husbad is right, I do get a lot of enjoyment out of this.

    Anon: you're a nutter. Please, be cool with that fact - so many of us are!

    Since when did a "normal everyday joe" ever change anything?

    (Least of all, their own lives...)

    Lecture over: what are you looking to get from your organiser?

    And, as important. what level of CHAOS - scary word, I SO know! - can you live with?

    I like your post - it's intriguing, challenging, and just that little bit crazy!

    Apols if I'm out of line (to anyone) posting this: just, I recall a time when my generic 6-ring organiser was all that stood between me, and chaos...

    Ffx love is all good, and you deserve to find the right way forward...

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  8. I made a Circa notebook out of the pages I tore from my A5 Rhodia top-bound notebook. It required 7 Circa discs, while a regular A5 requires 8.

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  9. Hi Anonymous

    I think I am an even worse case FF ADD as I change from week to week! Please help! Pocket size works perfectly for me in my handbag but I feel I really prefer the Personal size where I keep addresses, password, notes, lists etc. but don’t like to carry all that stuff around with me so I switch to Slimline to just keep the current daily plans, year plan, contact numbers etc. But then I get a question regarding long term stuff or I need an address that’s in the big personal at home and I’m stuck – I don’t know why the Pocket is not satisfactory; its cute, nice to use practical and works, but…….

    Does anyone have a way round this? For example does anyone use one size out and ‘download’ to another at home? My husband would be delighted not to see me swapping yet again!

    (To cap it all, I’d really like to use A5 at work but they insist on us using Outlook – which I hate – its fine for just appointments but not for planning!!!)

    Thanks Confused.

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  10. Confused--you are my twin. I do alot of what you do. I am constantly switching back and forth! I hope someone answers you with some good suggestions.
    Thanks, Ally

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  11. Confused - I don't know if this will help you - Is the reason you don't like Outlook because it's Outlook (versus a different software program) or because it computer based? What I do is this:
    I use a Personal size as my main organizer. In here, I keep appointments, to-do lists, projects, shopping lists, birthdays/anniversaries, phone numbers, basically, anything you might use a paper organizer for. As a portable solution, I use my iPod Touch - computer/digital based but it's small and easy to carry, plus I can get online where WiFi is available, which I like. But in addition to my Filo, I keep all of my appointments and important reminders (anything I might need on the go) in my Google calendar which is compatible (while offline) with my iPod. This way, if I need to see appointments, I can easily do that. There's also a "notepad" so if I need to jot something down, I can do that too. Then I just transfer the information to my Filo. It's more work for me in the end, a lot of maintenance, but for me, it works. It's the best of both worlds, paper and digital and satisfies the portability issue.
    You could do something like that, or even use your pocket filo for the same portability - appointments and necessary information while on the go only and then transfer the information you need in your main filo. Outlook can be used this way too - use it for your appointments and meetings only (for the powers that be at work) and your Filo for yourself, whatever you'd like in there. Of course, if they insist you use Outlook for your to-dos (or everything, really), it might end up being more work for yourself to keep all items in two places. Just an idea though.
    Let me know how it works out.

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  12. Has anyone tried Whitelines A5 graph wired or glued notebook? I have also tried the Rhodia A5 but does not fit in my Filo Classic A5 as well as the Filo version. I just recently noticed Whitelines on ebay and on their website. Anyone have any experience with this paper and your Filo?

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