So was there ever a manual written for the Filofax? Or should it be included in the category of 'No Instructions Required' ? Which to me is a play on 'No Jacket Required' the album by Phil Collins.
If there was a manual what sort of detail would it go to? Surely not to this sort of level of detail?
OpeningOr should it contain ideas as to the order of the sections/pages? The dividers supplied with some sizes always put the diary at the front and addresses at the back. But that is the beauty of the flexibility of the organiser system in that you can put what you want were ever you want.
Hold your Filofax with the closing strap on the right hand side and the gently pull on the press stud until it 'pops' open, now open your binder to reveal the pages.
May be the designer of particular binder you have bought would include ideas of what he/she was intending you to keep in the pockets of the binder.
The zip pocket at the back of the binder is intended for you to keep your train ticket, letter headed paper or receipts. Please don't try to hide your iPod Touch in there.The manual writer might also have a sense of humour as bad as mine...
The business card slots have been designed for cards of 85 by 43 mm
When you first purchase your leather Finsbury, you will find the leather is quite stiff and it will not lie flat. Do not force it, over time it will become more supple be able to stay open on your desk for longer.On a serious note, I'm sure it would include notes on cleaning and maintaining the appearance of your Filofax.
To help maintain the leather cover we strongly recommend Filofax leather polish, the special wax formulation feeds the leather and helps to keep it supple No, do not use this leather polish on non-leather covers, instead we recommend Filofax foam cleaner.Would there be a compatibly table of pens and pencils that will fit the pen loop of your binder, if my own experience is anything to go by, it will be a fairly short list. If you have ever tried buying pens that you like writing with, but then find they are too big for the pen loop on the binder.
No doubt there will be a technical specification section:
This binder has rings of 38mm diameter, the maximum capacity is 500 pages, this includes loose pages. Why do you think you can cram even more pages in that will fit....A tips section would no doubt include a section on choosing your diary refill.
In reality the only instructions my new Filofax came with was about how to register it. A very simple process, once registered should you be unfortunate to lose it and the finder returns it to Filofax, it will be returned to you, and the finder will receive a gift.
It's pleasant change to not have to wade your way through half a dozen safety notices before you get to the section on 'how to install the batteries' But of course with a Filofax... no batteries are required... or included. And for a product that has been around since 1921 I don't think any instructions are really required.
So did I miss anything out? Post your own ideas in the comments section. And I'm sure Inky's advice to me will be 'Don't give up the day job yet Steve!!'
Thanks for another great post, Steve!
ReplyDeleteMost first-time Missing Manual writers have never written a book before, and have a clever sense of humor, so your post fits right in.
There's hope for me yet then ;-)
ReplyDeleteSteve
One useful instruction that should be conveyed somehow is not to pull the rings open by hand, but only using the tabs at the top and bottom of the spine.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to thank all the contributors to this blog. I have been following it for quite a long time now and greatly enjoy every update. I have been a Filofax afficionado for 13 years, ever since my parents decided a Personal size planner might help their then 18-year-old daughter keep track of her various college assignments...it worked. Apropos of Steve's last post--finding pens that actually fit into the loops of my Filofax planners (am currently using an A5 Finsbury) has been a great source of annoyance for me, especially since I prefer writing with fountain pens. I can recommend the LAMY "Logo" to those who have been searching for a reasonably priced fountain pen that will actually fit into the loop of their Filofax (at least it fits into my A5 Finsbury).
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of pen loops, I'm a fan of mechanical pencils, and much to my disappointment, the really GOOD ones never fit a Ffx loop... but I did get lucky in my local pound shop recently, and for a quid got seven different coloured pencils (coloured case, standard lead I mean) that all fit!
ReplyDeleteSimple things please simple minds...
The biggest one for me is making sure that people use a pencil! Once peopel are over the shock of seeing a filofax they have the moment of clarity that adults can still use pencils and not pens.
ReplyDeleteThe closest thing I have ever seen to a "how-to manual" for Filofax is a photo on the Philofaxy Flickr pool by J. Mark Bertrand:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jmarkbertrand/3369817037/in/pool-40748476@N00/
I use a Sanford Logo II, .5mm in a Pocket Executive, 11mm rings, i.e. a Pocket Slimline. I have fitted an extra clip from a Pentel 207 right below the "advancing" part of the barrel--that is, the part one depresses to advance lead. This so the pencil will be held in the loop, the built-in clip being too high. The great thing about this pencil, besides a sleeve which completely withdraws so you don't end up puncturing yourself, is the two inch eraser. Great for folks like me who never get it right the first time. Or the second.
ReplyDelete