01 March 2011

Free For All Tuesday No 4

So what questions do you have for us this week?


41 comments:

  1. now that we are officially in march i figured this would be a good time to ask...what do you do with your old months? do you immediately archive the individual pages and the month tab? do you archive the individual pages but put the month tab behind december and keep it rolling?

    for the moment, i like to archive the day to day pages and the tab, that way the filofax gets lighter with each passing month till around september when i buy new refills.

    does everyone keep all twelve months in all year long? does anyone keep only a few months in at a time, like say the current month and two months out while the rest is archived? i have been thinking of doing this again. when i was working for this very busy very big not-for-profit i was using two pages per day + day planner pages to keep track of everything so my filo was huge and heavy then i finally started only keeping three months at a time in it. those three months rotated obviously. when i had to plan out further than that i would just put it on the year planner instead (sort of like the far-future planning laurie was describing the other day).

    what about you all?

    *bonus question: on the filofax sticky notes accessory, you know the black one we all have that has postits at the bottom and 5 colors of flags at the top...yeah that one, does anyone besides me wish those flags were made of paper instead of plastic? ughh i get so annoyed when the ink doesn't set because it is so glossy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I was using my personal filo I would keep the whole year in, but now I've changed to a pocket I am archiving the page a day pages as I use them. I keep six months page a day in my Filofax and then have the rest of the year on week on one page pages. That way I can write in important dates later in the year without the bulk. I have been thinking of changing to a month on one page to reduce it down even more but we will see!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have a Jan - Dec calendar but work in academic years (Sept - Sept) so will leave my old months in my diary now but in Sept I will archive the beginning of 2011 and add 2012 in my diary for forward planning for the next academic year.

    Hope that makes sense.... read back through it and it sounds more complicated than it actually is!!!

    Yes - I know what you mean re) tags. I use washi tape (Japanese rice paper tape) throughout my filofax as you can write on it and it peels off with no damage to the paper underneath (and I love the colours that it comes in!!!). I also use it on my tabs as they can be changed easily (without buying new dividers).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you considered buying academic-year diary inserts?

      Delete
  4. I usually clean up my filo every few months, so right now I have only Jan,Feb in there + empty pages till end of the year. What I do, I use the folded year planner, where I have all important dates and information. So in that case even in December I can find out, what important happened in January :o) Hope it makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Question - does anyone have a Pocket City Dweller or Travel lifestyle pack - only I'd love to see some photos of how they look in Pocket size as the Filofax website only has the Persona sized images that I can find. I'm guessing it looks quite small?

    As to archiving....I keep a whole calendar year in my filofax until we reach about November and then I add in the new year and archive the old once I've transferred over important dates and things :) I absolutely love having a new, fresh clean diary insert to start writing in

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was thinking of archiving my months, but since my filofax isn't bulky anymore (surprisingly), I decided to keep them all in my filofax. I'd probably archive my old months in November to add in the new year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Re: archiving the months: I like to keep as much "time" in my Filofax as possible. I keep all forward months of the month on 2 pages calendar, and about 4 months past. I keep the next year's pull-out vertical calendar, and single pages per year for the upcoming 10 years.

    When I'm ready to archive any monthly pages, I put them into that year's archive binder (I have a separate archive binder for each year's diary and notes pages). So for example, yesterday I archived my month on 2 pages for Sept-December 2010 and put them into my 2010 binder.

    Having so many pages does tend to fatten my Filo, and I realize many people like to keep their binders more streamlined!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree about the plastic tags!! I prefer paper.... but as I've bought some.... I am using them up. Question... a silly one, but I'd appreciate philofaxer's opinions. My God daughters,gave me some stickers, and I bought a few extra to jazz up my Filofax, so Halloween stickers on Oct 31st, Little presents for birthdays, glittery cherries for meals out, theatre etc etc. Now my Filofax looks a bit teenagery for sensible middle age hood and work!!! Do you think this is too naff for words, or as it is my Filo and my whole life is in it, then anything goes, including enjoying my inner child!!!!Thoughts please!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Butanben - I put stickers in my Filofax, pretty little ones and you know what, who cares! It is my life and my Filofax and I will pretty it up how I want to! Let the inner child out! LOL! Off my soap box now!

    Louloudorset - the travel pack I really wouldn't buy in Pocket size. I just bought my brother the Personal size one and I am so glad I did, because even though it is Personal it is still small, so the Pocket would just be tiny! If you struggle to use a Pocket Filofax for day to day life then I wouldn't try and use it for Travel. I can't use Pocket size just too small, so I am back to Personal and loving it, so much in fact am about to buy myself the Travel Pack for my holiday!

    As for archiving, I run 6 months of Day per page in my Filofax and I always keep the previous month, so at the moment I have Feb - July in my Filofax and it works pretty well for me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. @Butanben - I use stickers in my filofax too and Although I'm not middle aged, I'm no teenager either. I use them to visually display things at a glance, like things involving my fiance have a love heart sticker next to them. For events involving my mum, I have little flower stickers, stuff like that.

    I also have some stickers purely for decoration, I've stickered my transparent page at the front, my personal information page and the inside cover of my binder, where the card slots are. I even have little sticky gems stuck to my ruler/page marker and the sticky notes I use have owls or cupcakes on them. I've also decorated all my page dividers by printing pictures on them!

    I don't think it's at all naff to do such things, at the end of the day it's my organiser and I'll do what I want with it, I don't give a thought to what anyone else might think of it. If you like your stickers in your filofax, then sticker it up, who cares what anyone else thinks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Butanben, I think anything goes for your Filofax! If the stickers please you, then you should keep using them. I like basic colors and shapes, so I use transparent stickers to mark my appointments and patterned washi tape to decorate. I order transparent stickers from various etsy sellers. Here are some dots, and here are some triangles. (I imagine someone with more rigor could use these in a coordinated and color-coded manner, I just stick as I go.) I tend towards the plain/boring, but I love how people decorate and personalize their planners.

    As for archiving, I try to keep from 3-6 months of planning pages and at least a year of month per spread in my planner. I write down the memorable events and appointments in the month per spread, which is sufficient for future planning and quick reference; I slip in a further future month when I archive the just-finished month of week per spread pages. I like to keep my binder as lean as possible.

    Am I the only person without the post-its and flags insert? I have a holepunched postcard with some post-its and (paper) flags stuck on it at the back of my Filo, but it's more back-up bookmark than anything else. I try to keep the in-planner flagging to a minimum; I feel it becomes a kind of visual noise that reduces the overall effectiveness of flagging after a while, esp since those post-it flags are either wild florescent or bold primary colors.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I cannot function without the post-its and tape flags insert. I have one in each Filofax. Now I buy replacement tape flags instead of a whole new insert because it's cheaper.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have a 'daily bucket' in my filofax which has the day's tasks on and I trash that at the end of each day (they are made from scrap paper, punched with 3 holes to go in either the top or bottom 3-hole set in my A5 FF). The main appointments diary is a vertical WO2P and I currently have from Sep 2010 to Dec 2011 in there (see why below).

    @Globetrotting Cacti
    I know exactly what you mean! I work in academia too and so currently have from September 2010 to the end of Dec 2011 in my FF but in Sept (2011) I will archive the Sept (2010) to August (2011) to make sapce for session 2011/2012.

    @M Ng
    No - I don't have the post-it inserts either! You are not alone! :-)

    @Butanben
    It's your life, your filofax and no-one else's. Do what you want with it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you so much Philofaxers, I am so grateful!!!!! I feel much better now and I shall continue with my stickers for
    compartmentalising my life!!! Even though they are stickers, I use them like Annie does to symbolise and categorise different events. The handiest have been the little presents for birthdays and motor cars for Bank Holidays,both bought in Accessorize, cars to remind me that shops are closed and not to book travel on those days!!! Was updating my Outlook diary on my laptop, on the train, from my Filo when a smirky bloke opposite sarcastically said in a babyish tone, "OOh Stickers!!" making me feel very childish, and frankly wanting the earth to swallow me up!!! Hence the question this week.
    Thanks Philofaxers for making me feel I CAN run my Filo MY way after all with cheerful sticker categories!!!
    By the way, I keep a whole year's diary, as my work needs me to plan forwards from the backwards months, if that makes sense!! A pain, but the minute I archive, I find I need the last lot!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. @Globetrotting Cacti do you have any pics of the washi tape in your filofax you could share? i would like to see that!

    @Butanben i hear what you are saying, i bought some stickers to add a little something to my pages. i put something on each week, now i wish i had left it to more special occasions as i miss the space and feel like a toddler. at least i know for next year.

    @M Ng just about every filofax i have seen has one but you know now that i think about it i only use the post-its. on occasion i use the flags but i use them mostly as transparent stickers now since i can't really write on them. also i just realized i never see anyone with a winchester using them...hmmm

    ReplyDelete
  16. I don't have stickers in my filofax but I totally would, if I found some good ones! I don't really like the ones that filofax make themselves.

    @Butanben, that guy on the train is an idiot! What you do with your filofax is none of his business - don't let it bother you.

    I've never heard of washi tape before but now I'm intrigued.

    @M Ng - I do have the post it/tab insert, but I wouldn't bother buying it again. I use the post-its all the time and do use the tabs on a few pages, but not enough that I need the whole lot of them. When it runs out I'll just buy a pack of little post-its and keep it in the pocket at the back of my Deco instead.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was going to say, the stickers you can guy from Filofax are subtle icons that still give you quick-reference at a glance but are grown-up looking.

    And what a jerk, the guy sitting across from you making snide comments about your stickers!! It automatically makes me wonder what's wrong with him and his life that he feels the need to try to put down complete strangers.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Question: I'm thinking about an A5 finsbury in aqua but I can't tell if the color is closer to blue or a sea green. The color on the website seems to be more of a sea green (which I'd prefer) but pictures on flickr make it look bright blue. Has anyone seen one in person? Is it bright blue or does it have a greenish hue? Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. @Revisionista I have a Pocket-size turquoise Finsbury, and it's definitely greenish. Mostly blue with a good amount of green mixed in.

    ReplyDelete
  20. @louloudorset I have the City Dweller pack in Pocket and it's working better for me than expected. Which pages in particular were you interested in? I can post some quick photos from my twitter account. X

    ReplyDelete
  21. That guy on the train must be a total plank to say something like that, as if its even any of his business! Don't let a minority of people like him put you off, do what you like and be proud of what you do :)

    Also, I'm Googleing washi tape when I get home, it sounds like something I need in my life.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have a Filofax emergency! Somehow a red pen mark has appeared on my almond amazona. I am not happy. It's either red biro or possibly red frixion. Does anyone have an ideas on how to get rid of it?

    Yours, in a stressed state
    Nellie

    ReplyDelete
  23. @ Butanben- Don't worry about your stickers- it looks like most of us use them! Plus, how pathetic must that guy have been to make fun of you for something as small as stickers?!? How sad for him, I say.

    On to the original question: right now I am keeping a full year of W02P in my Domino. I really have no reason to archive, as there is plenty of space.

    I might have to change around for next year, as I am thinking about moving up to the day per page. I suppose then I'll have to do some sort of archiving, although I really don't want to. I'm hoping I can manage to cram the whole year in there but it might just explode!

    ReplyDelete
  24. @Butanben-The hide of some people always amazes me. That man on the train does not warrant thinking about. I am just tipping the middle aged make :-( although I don’t feel it and I have the Filofax stickers which I bought to try although I only use some of them. They are small enough not to take up too much room which is a bonus but are a good visual reminder that a birthday or doctor’s appointment is coming up, good for my nearly middle age rubbish memory.

    @M Ng - I do have the flag/post its but wouldn't bother buying again. I don’t use the flags as mini tabs but more as highlighters, saves carrying around a highlighter pen.

    Is this the patterned washi tape you are talking about?

    http://www.papernation.co.uk/crafts-and-kits/craft-embellishments/mt-tape.html?gclid=COHBwpeIrqcCFdFX4Qod-0lmBQ

    As for archiving, I only carry around 3 months at a time. Last month, present month and next month. Carried over from my Franklyn Covey days I guess, but it works for me and I don’t want to carry around a fat Filo.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Does anyone change from Personal to Pocket midyear or do you stick out the year with what you started?

    ReplyDelete
  26. @Nellie
    Whatever you do don't use anything harsh, use cotton buds. I would start with just some mild detergent and take it slowly and concentrate on the stain area only.

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  27. Now catching up on today's post.
    @Butanben that guy is an idiot and quite pathetic if he has nothing better to do with himself than make snide remarks.
    Ignore!
    @Colie I clear my diary at the end of the year although I tend to keep September from the previous year as my actual year is the academic year like so many others stated. Also I am always a month or two behind on expenses forms so I need to refer to past months.
    I also find it annoying that I can't write on the Filofax flags but they look pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  28. @Nellie - I got a biro mark out of a sheepskin gilet using hairspray on a cotton bud. Try a tiny bit of the mark with it first, and if it works immediately wipe off the hairspray, then pop in some protective leather cream.

    ReplyDelete
  29. You can get the Washi tape in Amazon

    ReplyDelete
  30. @colie and @annie: Washi tape is excellent for marking, making tabs, and plain old decorating. I used in on a Filo "evidence page" if you want to take a look: http://somenotesfromafar.blogspot.com/2011/02/break-out-good-stuff.html
    and here:
    http://somenotesfromafar.blogspot.com/2011/02/stick-em-up.html

    ReplyDelete
  31. @Butanben Frankly, my response would have been, "So what makes you think I should care what you think?" - no smile, direct in the eyes, and then back to work. Some people don't deserve good manners.

    ReplyDelete
  32. @Nellie, there is a product on the market call "Amodex" which is specially designed for cleaning off ink. We use it here in the shop, as you can imagine, selling fountain pens, there is always ink everywhere. It takes ink off any material, great stuff, does not smell nice though.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you again guys!!! Your comments made me feel so much better and not so be-littled by a pure stranger, who'd evidently failed his diploma from charm school--- Haa Haa!!! I agree with Laurie, the Filofax stickers are a little bit more business like and "grown -up" looking perhaps for coding, so I may give those a go. Colie, you made me smile, as yes, I hold my hands up and am guilty of over enthusiasm in the jazzing up a Filo department!!!

    Saffy, you are exactly spot on.... visual reminders for a middle aged memory ie like mine are VITAL!!!! If it's not in the Filo, then it's not remembered... even if it's in the filo it can be not remembered- (only kidding) as in go into a room and forget what I have walked in for.

    OMGoodness Nellie....Noooooo..... red pen on the almond Amazona. YIKES!!!! I hope you get it out. Let us know!! I pray you do.

    Now as for Washi tape, I really and truly must look that one up.Philofaxy's just great for tips. ALL TOGETHER....WE LOVE PHILOFAXY!! xxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  34. On the topic of the filofax sticky note pages. I don't have those, I have some cute sticky notes with owls printed on them that I keep in a pocket insert at the back.

    I do have some coloured flag page type markers, however they were ones brought from Tesco. They come on a sturdy plastic strip, so I cut it to size and punched holes in it. You can see it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/aquilla429/5489612009/in/set-72157626051474995/

    I like it better then the filofax one because I think the big dark black background on the filofax set isn't very pretty. This one is much more subtle as it's transparent.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Nellie, if it's red frixion, it is heat sensitive and should disappear with a bit of heat applied -- maybe blow dryer?

    ReplyDelete
  36. Just browsing eBay and found some hilarious tabs: search for Jetoy Sticker - they are two-sided stickers to fold over and make a tab and they made me smile! Not sure I would put them in my work FF but maybe at home...?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Amanda I just had to look up your Jetoy stickers they are adorable!! I love my Filofax stickers for highlighting upcoming things (I've used the medical ones extensively recently makes it easy to see at a glance when we are off to hospital visits etc)

    Butanben your Filofax is your own precious world nobody has the right to make any comment especially in all likelihood some frustrated, weasely, jumped up nobody who was just jealous!!!!

    Stickers, Filofaxes and Philofaxy rules :)

    Lx

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks Loulou!! I just love the idea of my Filofax being my own precious world. What a lovely way of framing what Filofax is about. Hopefully that's how many folks feel too. It is so great that something so workaday as a planner with tables, lists and diaries, can be arranged so individually, don't you think???
    That's what sells Filofax to me!!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Here's where I order washi tape from (California/USA, but I think ships oversees):

    http://www.ginkopapers.com/store/tape/

    You can search, "Japanese masking tape." Etsy has a number of sellers.

    Enjoy your washi tape! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Have just discovered that the little plastic flags I have (Staples) and as Colie rightly says are difficult to write on, are see through.... so I have begun to stick them across vital appointments of which only a few a year and..... voila.... the flag acts as a highlighter, without the messy highlighter look!!! Find Frixion pens fabulous but the Frixion highlighters smudgy.

    ReplyDelete