Reader Under The Spot Light - Kate

Hi everyone! I'm so honoured to be able do a Reader Under the Spotlight! It's really interesting to read about other people's filofaxing, I thought I would try it myself!

I run the blog The Perpetual Student, where I write about Filofaxes and studenthood, but mainly about Filofaxes!

1. When did you buy your first Filofax and what was it?

I bought my first ever Filofax, a raspberry personal Finsbury, this March. I saw it online and absolutely loved it, and bought it the next day from John Lewis! I have been hooked since then, and have bought many different styles since!

2. What other brands have you used or considered using?

I used to use generic diaries that I found in stationary shops, but never really stuck to them. I used an academic A6 day per page bound WH Smith diary successfully during school, and during the first years of university I used dodopad, and my iphone calendar. But none of them worked perfectly for my hectic uni life, until I found Filofax that is!

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

Malden Malden Malden!!! I love my personal sized Maldens, but I don't know if I could choose between the crimson and the ochre! I love them both!

4. How many Filofax organisers do you own?

*Cough cough* I think I'm too ashamed to count!! My mum would say too many! Around 10 I guess, maybe more!

5. What do you use your Filofax for?

Here are my 3 most important filos (if I tell you about all of my collection I'll be here all day!):
I use a personal for my everyday planner. I have 3 in the rotation- my crimson and ochre Maldens, and my raspberry Chameleon (I'm currently using my crimson Malden, but I may change in a couple of weeks when I get bored). It serves as my day-to-day planner, especially when I'm not at my desk (which is most of the time), with my DPP insert, and holds my cards, any important information I need when I am out (my 'reference' section with my mum's working timetable, important addresses etc), and some note paper.

My A5 vintage pink Malden holds things that I don't need with me all the time like my housework section, meal plans etc, and most importantly my 'fun' section, where I plan for my blog, list books I want to read etc!

I use my gorgeous new A5 Amazona for my university planner, it has my WO2P columned diary for planning my week, a monthly diary printed from Outlook to plan when I am going to focus on specific assignments, and details of uni work to do for each module! I love it, it's really helping me to stay organised!

6. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

It has to be its customisability! I can have it set up any way I want, and change it if it's not working for me! It's always evolving, but I hope one day soon I am going to set up my perfect planner, and it will work for me 100%, unlike any generic planner I could buy from a shop! All because of the genius of the rings!

7. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

This is quite easy as I LOVE the Malden so I would just tweak that a tiny bit. I would have vertical card slots (because I prefer them), a more fuchsia-pink colour instead of the vintage rose, and 2 pen loops! It would be great if they made a compact Malden (Filofax, please take note!!), and hopefully an A5 crimson Malden!!

8. How do you carry your Filofax?

I carry my daily filo in my hand if I can, because I always want it near me. If it rains, I'm afraid it has to go away somewhere safe L The one time I put in my bag when I could carry it, it got a huge scratch on the corner! I can't carry my A5 Amazona in my hand all the time, especially as at the same time I still would be carrying my everyday filo, so that goes in my bag, but I feel really bad putting it in a bag with my keys, or in my backpack, so I might make a protective bag for it to go in when it's inside my backpack!

9. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

Deary me, this could turn into an essay! Of course I love a lot of them… But if I could own one more, at the moment it would be the compact Osterley in plum… although I don't know if it would really suit me, because I think it's for much more grown-up ladies (read: well-dressed business women) than me (scruffy student)!

Actually… I would LOVE an A5 Malden in Ochre… after seeing some pictures of it, I wish I had bought the Ochre A5 instead of the vintage pink! It's such a gorgeous-looking thing! But I couldn't excuse another one… until my next birthday, maybe!

10. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax? Which model?

I must confess… £100 on my A5 Malden, but it was my graduation present for myself, and it did help donate £8 to the Philofaxy charity fund! I know that's a lot of money to spend on one filo, but I have saved quite a bit of money with some of my others, and I see all my filos as an investment, I will use them for the rest of my life!

11. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

Ever since I found the site when I first became obsessed with Filofaxes, I have felt like this is a great community where people are so kind and I really feel like I belong! You guys are the only ones who understand my addiction!! I feel so at home here! For that reason I love FFA Ts and Fs, and I really love reading all the other posts too! Plus I love the Flickr group!

12. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

I wish you would stop enabling so much! My bank account can't handle it!!!

13. What was the last music album CD you bought or downloaded?

It was Adele 21, I love her, she is so talented!

Thank you Kate for agreeing to be our latest reader under the spotlight.