It's Easter weekend! Some of us have a long weekend, and for kids in the UK it's the spring holidays.
For many in the Northern hemisphere Spring has sprung (despite the occasional brief lapse into winter) and longer days are well on their way.
What Springtime activities are you planning in your Filofax?
And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss anything Filofax-related.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Hi all, I've been waiting for a "Free for All" Day to ask this question: What's the difference between a Slimline and a Compact.
ReplyDeleteI haven't used a Personal in a while, and was wondering if it might be something I would like.
Thanks in advance.
I use a Finsbury compact and I can honestly say it's the best size there is for me. A perfect balance of enough room to fit everything in without making the entire thing too bulky in my bag. And as it also uses personal sized inserts, there's plenty of room for me to write everything down that I need to.
DeleteI toyed with the idea of getting a slimline but a) I didn't think there would be enough room on the rings for me to fit everything I needed in it, and b) they don't fasten closed, either with elastic, a snap clasp or zip. That was the clincher for me.
After using a compact, I really don't think I'll use another size from now on. I can't recommend them enough.
I have a slimline Amazona, which I love. I use it as an address book and notes on the go Filofax, and it fits neatly and lightly into my handbag. Sometimes, I just see the perfect card for someone and like to post it there and then. It can't hold very much at all,so has to have a limited use. I did use it for a second diary, week on 1 page, originally, but got fed up with co- ordinating 2 diaries, and worrying if I had missed vital info from one to the other....(Home A5- slimline,) so I am now a 1 diary 1 life person. Much easier.
DeleteLucy: The Compact does seem to be the "Goldilocks" size for the Personal Filofax. But I didn't think it would work for me when I saw it as there was no clasp/closure as you mentioned.
DeleteButanben: I'm almost tempted by the slimline Amazona, they're so pretty!
I guess I need to determine it's use first before I jump in and buy one. Thanks a lot for your replies!
I also use a compact. I had used the personal size since starting with Filofax back in 2007. I loved the idea of a slimline but it was just too small, the ring size. The compact ring size falls between the personal and slimline (all three use the personal size paper). So I'd say the compact is for people who want something slimmer than the personal but bigger than the slimline. I don't think I'll go back to carrying a personal size now either. I do use a personal Malden at home for my extra stuff that I want to keep track of, but everything I want with me I keep in the compact. It's much easier to carry with me everywhere.
DeleteIf you'd like to see how much I fit into my compact, click here:
http://wellplannedlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-setup.html
I really do think Filofax are missing a trick here. The compact organisers are not listed on their main Personal Organisers tab - only slimline. The only way I can get them to come up is to put 'compact' into the search on the site. I'm sure they would sell more if they didn't hide them! Remind me of the TM sheets that they say they don't sell enough of - but most people can't find them!
DeleteStrangely enough, any other Filofax website I know (DE, DK, SE...) has "Compact" listed on the main Organiser page - only Filofax UK hasn't.
Deletedoris98: I hope I haven't misunderstood what you said but compacts definitely do have clasps/closures on them; it's the slimlines that don't. Here's a list of the ones City Organiser sell (there are two pages of them!). You'll see they all have clasps or zips:
Deletehttp://www.cityorganiser.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000040.pl?page=search&SS=compact+filofax&PR=-1&TB=A&ACTION.x=0&ACTION.y=0
I'm sure you're aware but you can use code andy15 for 15% off.
And here's mine (you'll see it says 'compact' on the box):
http://allthingsstationery.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/my-new-gorgeous-filofax-but.html
Hope this helps! Lucy x
@Alison & Iris - Yes, the US site has Compact listed as well. I was also looking for them on the UK site recently and didn't know how to find them until someone told me. How would people who are not a part of this community know that?
DeleteFilofax.dk has the Chameleon compact at a good price. I got one in Raspberry.
Delete@Kanalt - Saw your Compact set-up, so tempting! Now I understand why people are 'demanding' a Compact Malden.
Delete@LucyLastic - Typo for me there, I meant the Slimlines have no clasp. 2 pages of Compacts? Dare I look? (: (But you know I will!) Checking out your Compact post now.
Thanks everyone!
Hi Doris!
ReplyDeleteA slimline has 11 or 13 mm rings and no clasp closure, while a Compact has 15 mm rings with a clasp or zip. Ideal for pp who find the personal too bulky and the slimline too small/thin!
That certainly answers my question. No chance the Slimline will work for me but I'll look into the Compact. Thanks a lot!
DeleteDoes anyone know if Neal Street are open today? I'm about to go into London and hubby has said I can go! This is a rare opportunity for me to see Filofaxes altogether without him moaning so I am hoping it is open.
ReplyDeleteA third option would be the Filofax Shop in Conduit Street.
DeleteOh, how I envy you! Would love to join you browsing Filofaxes for several hours ...
Cat, there is also City Organiser nearby, which has a great range of Filofaxes I am told. So if one is closed, the other may be open, if that makes sense!!
ReplyDeleteEr.....I think you'll find it's a fair walk from Conduit St to Bow Lane.......
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDavid, when I posted, I had meant that City Organiser is nearby to Neal Street!!!! As the Philofaxy meet up is there this time, I am logically assuming that to be the case..... with the meet up venue being the Tate Gallery meal. I posted.... by mistake in a new thread... before Jotje's reply, so hence the confusion. Comfy walking shoes, whatever the distance are always a must in London, as is a handbag with a purse zipper compartment, or waisted zipper belt, for safe money storage. Unfortunately I was once pickpocketed on the underground.... not nice. It was a blessing that my credit cards were stored separately from my money purse, so they only got away with a little cash and the purse itself..... so I was able to get home. The Transport police were amazingly wonderful.Cat, I hope you had a wonderful day and bought yourself lots of goodies and treats.
Delete"Somehow found myself in Staples...."
ReplyDeleteI must try that one some time.....generally my explanations of how I came to be buying *yet* more stationery don't usually cut much ice.....
I know what you mean about Staples' prices though....hardly the cheapest *or* the best range, despite having stores the size of football pitches. I really don't know how they manage to *not* have what I want when they have so much space....
Anyone else planning (sorry) to spend at least some of their UK long weekend tinkering with their setups? I'm going to take some of the developments from the last week's dialogues off-list, plus Wednesday's 'how do you manage projects?' post, and try to get the results into a format compatible with my Personal Malden - I still can't get my head round lugging my A5 to the gym, to restaurants, etc!
ReplyDeleteDavid - email me if there are any particular aspects from the offline discussion that you wish to develop.
DeleteI'm not in the UK, but I am working from home today and plan to spend some time tinkering! Mainly just swapping out my daily pages for upcoming months, cleaning the Malden out, etc.
DeleteYay for Filofax play days!
Thanks Gerard....I'm basically just taking the developed layouts for the standardised project sheets and reducing them down for personal size.....I'm really happy about these results and I appreciate everyone's input.
DeleteHi J
DeleteFF play days are the best! I'm swapping over indexes (indices?) and going through the David Allen GTD-and-paper-planners white paper *yet* again....I always get something new from it.
Hi David,
DeleteYes, I've started tinkering already as I'm upgrading from the personal to A5 Malden. I also use the GTD paper planner set up, so plan to get the A5 done like that & maybe use the A-Z dividers for reading material under reference/misc.
Yes I am here this evening tinkering also. David - let me know what you end with!
DeleteHi Anita, Alison
DeleteI'm busy integrating the new project sheets developed out of last week's 'managing projects' dialogue and the Wednesday post comments into my system - I did the form layouts on Thursday but I'm now completing client names and due dates, and working them into the system.
That's the good news. The less good news is that to do this I think I'm possibly going to have to migrate to a desk-based A5 'mother-ship' with a Personal sized 'satellite' binder for taking out, since I still have no intention of lugging my packed A5 to the gym, the theatre, restaurants, or anywhere else (except maybe to client meetings). As you know, Alison, I've resisted this for *so* long, and it still 'feels wrong', but I just can't see how I can get this level of info into my system in Personal size - yet! Also, the *only* Personal sized diary available in cotton cream (now that I've moved to CC in the personal) is the old-fashioned week-on-two-pages, which is far from ideal for time planning - thank you Filofax, that's a real help....This might mean diaries in both binders and having to 'sync' them - a nightmare....
The alternative would be ot try to abandon cotton cream (at least for the diary, which I only ever write in, in pencil anyway)and use my setup as it was in December when I did my 'How I use' post - and which I'd been using very successfully until this issue arose. Philofaxy 'showed' the post to me last evening when I was reading Scoot's excellent post from Thursday last, and still think it's a good setup - but to stick with it I'll have to find a 'clever' way of expressing the project due date info which has been developed from last week on lined paper, or plain.
Taking a sideways tack from all of this, I do now think that it's best to express as much info as possible on ruled/plain paper (with appropriate use of paper colours if you can put up with the uber-poor paper quality of Filofax refills) - I'm going to think about possible ways of doing that today and see what I can come up with. Boy, I *love* long weekends (especially when I can sit here at 7.00 a.m. in complete quiet, watching the cricket on Sky and fiddling with my system!
If anyone *isn't* on the time_and_life_management Yahoo group and would like sight of the 'GTD and Paper Planners' white paper from David Allen, pop over to Yahoo and join and there's a copy in the files section - or email me off-list and I'll send it to you (but joining is better!). as I do this exercise 'm also revisiting the white paper, and as I'm becoming increasingly GTD-committed it's a really excellent resource (and short!). I'm beginning to see that most, if not all of the 'holes' I've imagined there to be in the system are due to the fact that I'm not implementing correctly.....
I bought an ARC system in the week and have to disagree on almost all counts. The paper is very good, the disks don't get in the way and it's really quite reasonably priced.
ReplyDeleteI am confused! I do notice the compact size on the US site, but the dimensions seem very close in measurement to the personal. Can anyone tell me the difference?
ReplyDeleteHi Filofreak
ReplyDeleteThe compact sized binder is slightly narrower in width than the personal size but the main difference is that the rings are smaller (in between slimline and personal size). You can still use personal sized inserts in a compact binder but the smaller size of the rings gives the overall thing a more 'compact' feel.
I've just had a look on the website and the ring sizes are as follows:
Slimline: 11 or 13mm
Compact: 15mm
Personal:23mm
Have a look at the photo on my blog that's a side-by-side comparison between my personal Domino and Finsbury compact:
http://allthingsstationery.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/my-new-gorgeous-filofax-but.html
I'll do a full post about my setup some time soon so keep an eye out for it.
Lucy x
I have to own up to a bit of a fascination with the ARC system - haven't seen one in the flesh yet. They have had it in the states for some time to good reviews. Will you be doing a review Ray?
ReplyDeleteThat *was* a review, Alison. Oh, I see, you mean a longer one?
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the info. I'll check out your blog and look for post about comparison soon!
:)
I've been spoilt by the reviews on philofaxy!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's days like this that I just love eBay...I wanted to share a thrilling new purchase with you all - because my own social circle just doesn't "get" filofax ;)
ReplyDeleteI was scrolling through the newly listed Filofaxes when a green gem leapt off the page...a personal Finsbury in Green (I've wanted a green leather FF for so long!) in great consition for the ridiculously low Buy It Now price of 20GBP! Including the postage to Australia, it's setting me back a tidy little 27GBP!! I'm still in a radiant state of shock!! Needless to say it took a total of 20 seconds to read the listing and then hit Purchase. YAY!
I hope everyone enjoys the Easter break ^_^
That has to be the Filo-bargain of the century! Congratulations!
DeleteFor those of you craving a new Filofax for spring: Filofax Denmark are selling lots of binders at 50% off. http://www.filofax.dk/store/specials.asp?OID=166
ReplyDeleteA bit late to this week's FFAF, but someone might spot this (if not I'll just repost next week *g* ).
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know of any wide-ruled FF paper (preferably with margin)? I'm finding it impossible to use the standard stuff in my study filo, and short of printing off hundreds of double-sided pages myself, I can't find anything else to use.
Any ideas?
I have this problem too - your best bet is to look through your local stationery stores for any suitable A5 notepads that you can punch yourself (being mindful that A5 notepads pages may be smaller than A5 once they've been torn off the notepad -- TPS explained the problem here: http://thelifeoftheperpetualstudent.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/perfect-a5-filofax-notepad.html ).
DeleteI've butchered a bound notebook for its paper once.
I can't click the link from my phone but thanks, I'll check it out later.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly I have discovered a paper size called A5+ which is for these spiral bound / perforated notepads and which means that they're A5 sheets when torn off. I will be looking for one next week but for my personal filo it's a bit more of a head scratcher!
Hi does anyone share the same frustration as me with the day per page being lined? I have a personal sized Malden after downsizing from my A5 I would love the extra space without the lines! As Filofax have failed to do this I was wondering if any of the lovely Philofaxy followers could have a go at designing one for us? I'v tried and failed miserably!!
ReplyDelete