12 March 2010

Free For All Friday No. 69

Friday is here again... thanks for all your comments last week and during this week.  So a starter topic for this week's FFAF...

'Have you discovered a new use for a Filofax that you have previously taken out of service?'

I ask this question because I've recently put my pocket Filofax back in to use as my photography notebook. I have a single page per week diary and I use that to note down locations I've been taking photos at with other background notes, names of buildings etc.

This has proved useful when I get around to putting the photos on line weeks later trying to remember the name of a town or village.  The pocket size is ideal for slotting in to my camera bag outer pocket, it was almost made for a pocket Filofax.

But as always the floor is yours to discuss anything Filofax related.
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30 comments:

  1. OK, off your subject.
    I have been in head banging, heart ache over Filo versus FC.
    I have personals and A5 Filo's and "structured FCs.
    I have finally put my foot down and purchased a Filo Guilford personal zip with 1 3/16" rings.
    Came yesterday and I was in love.
    Put the 2 pages per week in and a ton of other paper, WOW! It can hold a lot. New program of writing my appointments in the diary and adding a single color page per week for notes in between the 2 pages. This will work!!! (at least I keep telling myself that)
    To do pages, financial, address pages and tabs all over the place. I even put my business cards and credit cards in it! This will be my carry "everywhere" business and personal "filo". I carry a FC Monarch pad folio anyhow in my briefcase for lonf notes at meetings. YM was my inspiration (I think I love her!)just kidding, I don't want to scare anyone.
    We are so much alike it's hard to believe.
    Anyway, wish me luck and any suggestions are appreciated!!
    Your friend,
    Greg

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  2. I just bought a FC Friday binder Monarch size for work. I have other FC binders of different sizes, but they are either too heavy or without handles. It is big yet light and I think I am going to like it. I also bought a red FF personal Graphic. I was thinking about using the FF as a wallet--but I am not sure how that is going to work out. I use a simple wire bound monthy calendar at my desk to schedule appointments and list tasks and then enter them into Outlook. I can print out pages from Outlook for the FC binder. I am not sure how writing things a third time in the FF will be a good use of time. But I do like the red! With Outlook you can also use the "journal" function to log emails and connect tasks and deliverables to a particular date. This can also be printed and put in a binder. I dreaming about an Eton and hoping it might solve my issues!

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  3. Couldn't resist this clipboard when I saw it today. It's the perfect size for personal leaves.
    One way to avoid the problem of the Filofax rings getting in the way when writing.

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  4. Wonder what "Spiral Staircase" is up to these days?

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  5. gmax I love that little clipboard!!!

    I recently promoted my personal Deco from reference book to full-on planner-and-everything book. I had a difficult day where I happened to bring my Filo with me (anticipating needing it) and it performed stellarly. I now realize that I have to use it as my planner. If you are interested in how I have my tabbed sections set up you can read about it in What I'm Currently Using in the sidebar on Plannerisms.com.

    I swear there is something about using a Filofax that regulates my brainwaves! It's very calming to have everything I need handily sorted in one book.

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  6. The calming thing about my Filo is that it is ANALOG!

    It doesn't CRASH or require me to spend 3 months on Google trying to find the fix so that I can get at my files like DIGITAL PDA's do when you really need them!

    Yes ANALOG, before technology came and swept away all the pleases of classic design.

    Records still sound better than CDs...

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  7. Only ever had one Filofax ever! It's sort of like that with everything I buy. I hope to only have to buy it ONCE!

    (I did buy an Eton but it's still in it's box in the drawer just in case...)

    Classic designs never go out of style and quality never goes out with the trash!

    Out of all of the designs Filofax has promoted only two caught my eye. The personal Canterbury and the personal Eton. I can't wait for the third if it ever comes out.

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  8. gmax: the clipboard is super-cool.
    Now I have to find one in the US.

    Or make one.

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  10. I have a question. Does the Kendal Pocket have the full width pocket like other pocket filo? Thanks.

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  11. Hi Dilaila!
    The Pocket Kendal doesn't have the wallet style pocket.

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  12. I've got a Filofax Tropic (Pocket, Mahagony) and it is as new. I'd like to buy the Filofax Cuban Zip (in Personal, in red).

    Question: Do anyone have experience with the "zip-Filofax"? Is it good to handle?

    Ensure that the Cuban Zip can "come", the Tropic must go. Is there anyone who's interest? I come from Germany and could send it in Germany.

    Maybe write an email for photos etc.: Jule407@gmx.de or a DM on twitter @Juli407

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  13. Thanks Deliteful Dee :) You've just saved me some money!

    Julia,
    I have the Finbury A5 zipped. It's slightly wider than the unzipped.

    The good thing is you can just dump anything in it (even a cell phone) and just zip the binder. There's also an outside vertical pocket where you can put things in without having to unzip first.

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  14. Dilaila, thanks for your answer.
    I don't know, if the Personal-Size and this Filofax is good for me. But there is no shop in my "neighbourhood". The next is -with a very very small selection of the cheaper Filofax- 150km.
    But the Pocket is a bit to small for me. Is then Personal the right size?

    Is it a good handling with the zip? Or "clamp" it sometimes?

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  16. Oh there's another question I've got:
    Do you make your own notepaper for your filofax? And how do you do it?

    Are they some good templates that you can advise? Especial for Personal?

    What equipment do you use to write in your Filofax? Do you have a pen? Or do you have a certain fountain pen? Or you take always what you just come into the hand?
    It uses the "original pens" by Filofax?


    Do someone understand my english?

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  17. Julia,

    do you remember the personal size from when you where in the shop? You can also find the measurements online http://www.filofax.de/sizeguide tells you the paper size, not the size of the binder though.
    Zipped organisers will always be a bit bigger than those without zip in the same paper size. Yes there is more place to write in the personal but bear in mind that it's also more to carry.
    If you order online you can send it back if you really don't like it; you'll have lost the postage costs though. If you order from the UK you'll save some because the Pound is low against the Euro.

    At http://www.diyplanner.com/node/6210 you can download a little program that lets you create diary pages in whatever size and lets you specify an inside margin to allow for punching holes. You can print it and cut it out and punch it if you want to go through the trouble and have a hole punch.

    For blank paper you can just trace along the lines of the transparent flyleaf. For personal size blank paper I may also just cut an A4 sheet in 3 parts and chop off a bit from the top of the pages if I'm lazy. That makes it just marginally wider than real personal size (4 mm per page) but I can live with that.

    I write with a simple pencil because I can erase it.

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  18. Julia,
    The zip on mine doesn't clamp. Are you going to carry it around? If it's on your desk most of the time, then you won't have to zip/unzip all the time. I use blue ink mostly.

    With the A5, you can just print out stuff on A4, punch the holes, fold it in two and shove it in the binder.

    I do make my own pages for my pocket filo though using all sorts of materials / colours. I do my own top tabs with coloured plastic sheets. I play with my pocket filos a lot. lol.

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  19. Another question. Anyone used Belgravia and Baroque? Any thoughts?

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  20. Dilaila: Belgravia a soft black leather and leather lined, with Baroque also being a soft leather but has an embossed lining. The Baroque has was made in three colours. Both open and sort of stay open without resistance (unlike the Cuban or Classic) Neither are made anymore.
    Why are you interested in these organisers?

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  21. Delightful_Dee,
    Thanks! I'm on the quest for the perfect binder. (Aren't we all?).

    My Butterfly: Good hardworking leather but too hard for the zipped section to be of much use.

    My Siena: Gorgeous and soft but a bit wimpy for daily use.

    So I'm looking for something in between I suppose. I thought Belgravia sound good ie soft but not wimpy. Would Baroque be wimpy do you think?

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  22. Dilaila:
    What do you use the zip-pocket for? Malden is a soft leather which has a user friendly pocket if you want your organiser to house everything. Lay-out quite simular to the Baroque. Also depends on what colour you want.

    I've just added "Filofax Joy" to my Flickr groups. This weekend I found all these great sites and bloggs of people who understand and adore Filofax as much as I do. It's wonderful :-D

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  23. Deliteful_Dee:
    My pocket butterfly is my main planner. I'm still hoping to be able to use is as a wallet also. But the zipped section is much too stiff and doesn't expand so extracting coins is almost impossible.

    Is the Malden selling already? Where? I have my eyes on that one also. But thought it's not available yet.

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  24. Malden's not been launched yet but a few "exclusives" have appeared in the two London Filofax shops...

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  25. Thanks a lot for your answers!
    I like writing with fountain pens and I've ordered one for my new filofax ;) I like black ink. I don't know why, but I love writing with a good fountain pen and black ink.

    Another question:
    Do you "only" use filofax as a organizer? Or do you have transformed it as a * I don't know * ?

    Are there also other ways to talk with Filofax-Users except this blog here? I mean maybe a Forum or something like that.

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  26. Hi Julia
    There is a Google Group:

    http://groups.google.com/group/philofaxy/

    and also a Yahoogroup:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/filofax/

    There isn't a forum as such... yet, but I wouldn't rule out setting one up if there was enough demand for it. I've got the experience of running quite large forums. I'm a moderator over on Total France which has over 200,000 users, and about 3000 posts per week.. and a team of about 8 moderators..

    Steve

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  27. Thanks for your answer, Steve.
    I've only asked because "google said nothing" about a forum and there is for nearly everthing a Forum, so I thought that I've got tomato on my eyes ;)

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  28. Hi Julia,

    On Flickr.com there are several Filofax groups where people post photos of their Filofaxes, and there are also discussion boards. Some of the more popular Filofax groups on Flickr are Philofaxy, Filofax Joy, and For the Love of Filofax. If you search for those under Groups while on Flickr, you can see what other people have to say about their Filofaxes and see photos too! :D

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  29. Thanks, Laurie.
    I'm searching for it yet ;)

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  30. My new Filofax is today in the delivery:) But still I'm waiting on a fountain pen with which I will write in the Filofax. Hopefully it would be coming soon, tomorrow would be great. Then I could get everything on the weekend.

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