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09 August 2011

Free For All Tuesday No. 27

I have a question.... What else would you like us to write about on Philofaxy? Are there any topics you would like covered again in more detail? Or something we have over looked... the thread they use in the stitching or some other small detail? Let us know in the comments and we will see what we can come up with....

But as it is Tuesday you can of course ask any other Filofax related questions.
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22 comments:

  1. Susannah Conway09 August, 2011 04:44

    Morning everybody! This is my first comment here but i'm a long-time reader :)

    So i have a problem with my A5 Malden -- the two rings at the top don't fit together properly leaving a small gap that snags pages. I've been trying to work around it but it's getting annoying so i'm about to contact Filofax to get a replacement. But i'm so loathe to send my Malden away! So before I do, is there a clever way to fix the rings?

    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve Morton09 August, 2011 05:00

    Susannah,
    On some models it's possible to take the ring mechanism apart quite easily. This isn't possible on the A5 Malden.
    But as your Malden is less than 12 months old, I would return it to Filofax UK for a replacement.

    Details on returns here: No12:
    http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/p/faq.html

    Details of how the ring mechanism works here:
    http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2011/07/filofax-ring-mechanism.html

    Make sure you always use the tabs to open the rings. Pulling on the rings themselves can bend the internals causing the problem you have.

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seajay09 August, 2011 05:02

    Hi Susannah,
    If you look closely at the two rings in question you will notice that they are most likely bent out of position compared to the others, you can easily bend them back into position so they resemble the shape of the good rings, if you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself then find someone a bit of mechanical knowledge. It's a real simple fix so you won't have to send it back to Filofax. Remember from now on do not pull on the rings to open them use the end tabs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amanda Fleet09 August, 2011 05:16

    Okay, maybe this is a bit nerdy...

    Does anyone else care about whether the credit card slots are edged or raw?
    In my leather filofaxes, the edges of the credit card slots (the ones as part of the binder) are all edged/ hemmed, but in the domino, the edges are just left raw, which made me wonder if they would fray if they were used a lot.

    Are any leather ones left raw? And if the edges are left raw (synthetic or leather), do they fray when used?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Foxy09 August, 2011 05:44

    Hi Susannah
    I had a problem with my Adelphi personal Filofax and I can throughly recommend contacting Filofax to get it repaired. I posted it to them with a freepost address they gave me on the Thursday, it arrived with them the next day (Friday) and they emailed me that same day to inform me that they would replace it with a new one. They had to hunt around for one of the same colour (which had been discontinued) from one of their stores and I received the new one on the Saturday morning :) So I was literally without my Filofax for 2 days, their customer service is beyond amazing and I can't praise them enough for the service I received.
    I would be careful trying to repair it yourself, as if it goes wrong, this could void your guarantee. Which would be a real shame!!! Filofax are absolutely fantastic and I'm sure they will endeavour to return your Malden to you as quickly as possible!!!
    Good luck, I hope you get it fixed :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Susannah Conway09 August, 2011 05:53

    Thanks so much for the advice, everyone! I will return the Malden and request a replacement as I've only had it for two weeks, bought it full price and have been using the tabs to open the rings :)

    @foxy - it's good to know they are so fast!

    ReplyDelete
  7. KateB TPS09 August, 2011 06:11

    Does anyone else have trouble trying to distinguish between projects and to-dos? I have a To-do section and a Projects section, but I don't know where to put things that are a list of to-dos but are actually projects.

    Does anyone have a good way to distinguish between them? Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. lifeconsidered109 August, 2011 06:25

    I just finished setting up my new Filofax which I am using for the Weight Watchers Maintenance program. I only have 3 sections: Notes, Points Tracker (for which I used the 'Meals' template from Philofaxy files), and Point Values. I also added a small pouch purchased from Target to hold my Weight Watchers points calculator. I used a grommet maker so it would fit onto the rings. It's a simple set up which makes it very efficient, almost fun to count points.

    As to the book itself? It's a beautiful butter yellow pocket Piazza, which I purchased from Pens and Leather, at close-out price. It's sooo touchable!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alison Reeves09 August, 2011 06:29

    @TPS - David Allen in his book 'Getting Things Done' says that a project is anything with more than one action, and a task is just one action. So for example:

    1. You may want to clear out your wardrobe, but find you have no black bin liners for the rubbish, so your first task is the 'buy black bin liners'. The wardrobe clear out goes on your project list so you keep it in mind, but buying the bin liners goes on the todo list.

    2. You may want to call a friend for an update, this is a single task and will go on your todo list.

    3. You may want to set up a new blog - this is a project and your first task (which may be 'decide on a name for the blog' may be the first task.

    Hope this is clear - makes sense to me! I've always had a problem distinguishing the two, but this sort of out it into perspective for me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anita09 August, 2011 06:44

    @ Susannah Conway - I can also really recommend Filofax's returns & customer service. Super quick & very efficient!

    @ ThePerpetualStudentTPS - David Allen from Getting Things Done explains projects as involving more than one step. A to-do is the very next action you'd need to move some thing forward. E.g. 'update website' is a project & a related to-do could be 'upload a new photo on my About page'. Hope that helps :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Babs09 August, 2011 07:47

    Another thumbs up for Filofax customer service here. They're great and return things really quickly!

    @kpreddie - Well done on getting to WW maintenance. I'm on the new programme and loving it. A WW filo is a great idea (and I covet the yellow Piazza too! I *just* missed one on eBay the other day! Grrr!). I like being able to refer back to meal plans on "good" weeks too.

    Hmm ... maybe I need a WW Filo to add to the collection :-D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kanawha09 August, 2011 08:53

    I <3 FF. I e-mailed a question about the leather on my mini Piazza (it's falling apart :( ), and I was given advice (the previous owner has worn it out) and 25% off a new organizer. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Db09 August, 2011 12:26

    Hello.

    I do not own a filofax but wish I did very much. I have a small budget and like to make most of my stuff myself. I was thinking maybe a few more posts on how readers custom made things for their planners would be really interesting.
    Thanks! ~Lindy

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09 August, 2011 14:19

    Hey All!

    Quick question for those in the US... where do you buy your insert refills?! November marks my first whole year with a Filo, so I've never had to buy them!

    I'm using DPP- is it best/cheapest from the Filo site? I'd hate to spend $21.50, but don't see myself finding them cheaper elsewhere. My tabbed monthlies are from Day Timer, but I don't really want to switch my dailies.

    Any suggestions??? Thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Steve Morton09 August, 2011 16:36

    Lindy, I'm starting a new series of posts tomorrow about making things for your Filofax.

    I hope it's what you are looking for.

    Regards
    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  16. stirwise09 August, 2011 18:55

    @J:
    I use DPP in Pocket size and pretty much the only place I can find them is at the Filofax US site. If you use a Personal or A5 size binder, though, there are a lot of 3rd party sellers for refills, try using google's shopping search to find alternative retailers.

    Now for my question: US buyers, have you ever ordered from Filofax UK and, if so, how long did it take to arrive? After months of dithering I broke down and ordered a pocket Songbird and the Travel Journal pack for my trip to Korea this fall, now I want to jot down in my Filo when I can expect them to arrive. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tonya09 August, 2011 21:49

    I am looking for weekly pages for my pocket finsbury where I can enter your appointments/tasks into time slots (like this http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-40997485717836_2169_70730623) Does anyone know where I can find something similar that will fit the pocket filo?

    ReplyDelete
  18. stirwise10 August, 2011 00:32

    @ Tonya:
    You can find an undated version of the inserts you like at the Japanese site Rakuten:
    http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/nomado1230/item/6040g306/

    Ray May makes dated refills similar to what you want, but the 2011s appear to be all sold out:
    http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/voice/item/952473/

    I had a similar problem last year with the refills I wanted, I could only find undated for the current year and dated for the following year, so I bought 3 months worth of undated and lived with it. It wasn't a bad experience.

    ReplyDelete
  19. S.10 August, 2011 02:16

    I am thinking of getting an Amazona Filo in Almond and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts to offer. Specifically, is it difficult to wipe stains (esp ink stians) off it and does it lie flat? Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jotje10 August, 2011 02:34

    Tonya, such a layout would be terribly small and hard to use in pocket size, I'm afraid.
    However, on Filofax.fr they have a nice weekly layout with timeslots for the pocket.
    http://www.filofax.fr/store/diaryrefillsdetails.asp?productId=2421

    They have one for 2012 and one starting in August 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  21. melissa10 August, 2011 07:35

    How does the Filofax post it insert work? Can you refill it with your own post its once the ones that come in it are used up?

    ReplyDelete
  22. WellPlannedLife13 August, 2011 09:29

    @TPS - I don't use any specific system to distinguish between to-dos and projects. Mainly my rule of thumb is this: if it's a one-line item, it goes on my to-do list (ex. write a blog post, buy coffee, clean the bathroom, etc.). Anything that has multiple steps or things I need to keep track of or if I need to see how something is laid out (sort of like mind mapping), it goes into projects (ex: NYC Philofaxy meet up - I need to keep track of possible dates, who's coming, suggestions for times and places; If I'm contemplating a new Filo - my options, refills needed, an outline of tabs and sections, etc). I hope this helps!

    @J - I have yet to find refills anywhere that are cheaper than Filofax sells them. Even now, for 2011, everything is full price, which makes no sense to me as we're more than half-way through the year. You could try ebay, though I doubt you'll find anything for 2012 much cheaper, if at all. The only thing I can suggest is buying from a retailer to save shipping costs.

    @Melissa - I use the the Post-it insert. I couldn't live without it. However, I don't like the see-through flags, so I remove those and put in the Post-it flags that are more like traditional paper and can easily be written on. Also, I go through them quite fast so I do replace them with regular Post-it pads. I generally don't have a problem with them falling off but I can say that the post-its the insert comes with are held on tighter than when I put my own refills in. I would recommend putting something in front of the insert, like a tab or some other thick paper. If you have the insert laying against the front of the binder, you might find the "refill" Post-its come off - I had this problem with my Malden. The refills (and the originals) would rub against the front zippered pocket and come off. I have not had that problem since I put something in front of it. I hope that makes sense - if not, let me know.

    ReplyDelete