11 September 2012

Free For All Tuesday No 84

Tuesdays are your chance to ask any Filofax related questions you might have.

So fire away and we will collectively try to answer your questions or offer opinions.

96 comments:

  1. Hi Everyone.

    Would someone out in Philofaxy land be able to answer my question please? I would like to know what Filofax is currently offering that is close to the Winchester?

    I love the lightness of the binder, the sturdy cover and just love the texture.

    I did put this question to Filofax themselves but I may as well of been speaking Swahili as they had never heard of the Winchester but did say they change their binders yearly and would I like a catalogue, which was a lovely gesture. We have the grand total of 9 Leather (including the different colours of which there are 4) on offer in this country, so getting to have a touchy feely for myself isn't an option. So I'd love your opinions please. Thanks.

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    1. What kind of a company doesn't know their own product history?? Further proof that Filofax is run by people with the absolute wrong priorities.

      Unfortunately, I don't think you are going to find anything in Filofax's current range that comes anywhere close to comparing with the Winchester for quality, construction and ring size. Filofax has moved far away from those days of classic style and quality construction. Now the binders are designed to be "fashionable" and to last maybe one season.

      Personally, I think you should look for a Winchester on eBay. They come up periodically, and they cost about the same as a new, much lesser-quality Filofax costs.

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    2. Hi
      I think the closest you will ever get to a Winchester these days is either a Mulberry or the Glen Royal as reviewed by Gerard

      http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2011/12/guest-review-glenroyal-organiser-gerard.html

      But yes I despair at the response you received... all very current but totally lacking on the history and what matters to people.

      Steve

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    3. As Steve and Laurie have said, there are none, I would offer these personal observations. The key to the "Winchester" quality was not only the leather that was used, but the gussets that were right next to the rings, front and back. This protected the covers from getting the indentations showing through to the front and back. Many people make a big deal out of the binder being able to lay flat right out of the box. I really don't want that. It is a good indicator of thin floppy leather, and I can assure you, they don't last. Another thing that adds to the quality, I have quite a number of Winchesters, and not one of them have a zippered pocket in them. That is just one more thing to go wrong, and to me detracts from rather than adds to the durability of the binder. Lastly, ring size. I have them from 1/2 inch through the 1 1/8 size, and much prefer the smaller ring size simply because they are so much easier to write in.

      If I were looking for a new binder, I would look for one that is all leather, no cloth lining, It tends to tear or separate from the binder over time. I would look for one that didn't lay flat; they will do so eventually, and will do it for much longer.

      I hope this helps, it is just my preference which is different than most, but if you want a binder for the long haul, these are the things you should look for.

      As Steve said, I think the best there is right now is the Glen Royal. It is by far and away the best made with the best material, plus it is made in Scotland.

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    4. Um, these are timely comments. I posted something the other day on the Filofax FB page asking what was up with all the 'fashion' posts and to please pay more attention to quality, fine leather, good inserts and working ring mechanisms. (Guess I was feeling a little snarky that day). So the response given on their FB page was "Hi Cheryl and Judith, we are keen to find out what you would like to see from us. It would be great if you could message us directly. Look forward to hearing from you." Immediate ROFL. I've emailed them a few times and the standard response back is 'we have no information about that, keep checking our website for updates'. WHO is working there? I'd be fired if I sent out a response like that to a customer!

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    5. Thanks so very much for your input everyone. Laurie I think your idea is a good one but I'm also loving the Glen Royal. That is very classy. It's nice to know that my feelings of disappointment are justified in this case.

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  2. Hi all,

    In the Philofaxy Flickr pool I saw a photo made by Aspiretobe/Lauren of a DO4P set-up. I'd love to see more details and was wondering if she has a blog, but I can't find one. Does anybody have more info on the DO4P?

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    1. Maybe message her Ling and ask her? She certainly does have some amazing photos.

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    2. A day on four pages? Now that's some serious organisation!

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  3. Just thought I'd ask here as well as on Facebook page, does anyone know of FF binders with gold coloured rings? Either A5 or personal? I have an Ivory Panama with gold accents which is very pretty so they must do others?

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    1. I have the siena in expresso which has the gold coloured rings.

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    2. My personal lizard had gold rings, Alison

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    3. I've not heard of that one Ro, is it called a Lizard?

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    4. It is the genuine lizard leather, like the croc or ostrich, and on the US site, just referred to as Lizard, I believe. Lizard skin wears like iron, and when I sold it after six years of every day use, it looked exactly like the day I took it out of the box. And the rings were perfect, no problems whatsoever. Expensive Filofax, but worth every penny.

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    5. Thanks Ro - In the UK they don't appear to do anything like the lovely high end binders in the US - some of them look really delicious! - we just get the fashion rubbish which doesn't last!

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    6. I asked Filofax US once why the Alligator, Lizard and Ostrich binders aren't available outside the US and they said it's due to export restrictions on the farmed exotic skins, which makes sense. Those binders are actually made in the US too, so I'm guessing their construction is probably much better than the rest of the current Filofax range!

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    7. I'd better start saving then if I also have to include a trip to the US to buy one!!!

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    8. Now that is strange because I live in Sweden and they have all the exotic skin FFaxes for sale here - I was browsing the lizard, croc and ostrich ones a few weeks ago. Wonder if that is a UK restriction only? It's certainly not an EU one or Sweden would not be able to sell them either. My guess has always been that Aspinal and Smythson are two very entrenched high end stationery brands that they would be competing with in the UK. Sweden has many more inserts than are available in the UK too so perhaps Filofax UK needs a kick up the butt to shake their act up a little.

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    9. And to reply to the orginal question sorry - my Siena A5 has gold rings. It is in Cappuccino

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    10. I was just looking at the Lizard binders recently. The black one was marked down on pens&leather. Quite nice. My Cavendish is not holding up very well to daily use. Thin leather!

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    11. The PANAMA also has gold rings...
      See http://www.amazon.co.uk/Filofax-Panama-Personal-Organiser-Maroon/dp/B0035Q9DUE

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  4. I have a question about how folks structure their to dos from week to week. Do you just transfer any unfinished to dos to the next week?? Or do you have another system of sorts???? I started to use the letters MF as a code for moved forwards.... but then looking at a series of MFs that made me feel like I'd failed as that meant stuff undone, but it seems silly to tick off tasks when they are not finished either!!! A small thing, but the lack of ideas for a good to do system that will work for me, is driving me nuts!! BTW, I have a separate Filofax with projects in which I look at each week for my weekly review..... GTD style and use jot pads as David Allen's tickler system.

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    1. I've always had a separate to do list, and then written daily lists. I tried more of a GTD approach, but I like to keep project info together and found that pulling 'next actions' out of context threw me. I'm changing things up a bit at the moment, so happy to hear what other people do too.

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    2. I have to keep my weekly to-do list in front of me at all times. I use a sticky note on my page marker. If I've over-tasked myself for the week and something doesn't get done, I write it on the next week's to-do list.

      If there is something that's been on your list for weeks but hasn't been done yet, take a look at it. Is there something that needs to be done first before you can do that task? Is it not actually a task but a multi-step process? Make sure you have actionable tasks on your list. For something like "do taxes" or "back up hard drive," you need to break those down into actionable steps.

      Hope this helps!

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    3. I use the standard set of GTD lists, keep my next action list current, and I cross out the ones which are done. When the list is about 70% crossings-out, I rewrite a new list within the context of my weekly review.

      All that having been said, I'm beginning to find the GTD system quite 'high maintenance'. I seem to be constantly moving stuff between Next Actions and Waiting For, and it's quite onerous. I may have to revisit the way I run my system - but I'm convinced that it's pretty efficient in comparison to some others I've used in the past, and the fact that I'm *still* (mostly) managing to keep it in one Personal size Filofax makes me think there isn't much to be gained by changing it

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    4. My weekly to dos are written in my TM diary under tasks. I am transfering anything undone onto the next week. Just seems, as Laurie said, that some to dos keep moving from week to week!!! I think she has grasped the root of the problem..... it is not that I am not tackling these things, just that they are big projects. So, even though I've broken things down into smaller steps, it seems like the tasks are taking forever.... but they are big tasks..... so will take longer. Maybe need to be more reasonable on myself here!!!

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    5. I'm having a simlar issue Jane, but I think it is because I am procrastinating on the big stuff! (I'm sure you are not bye the way!). I also use some of the day timer hot lists for things that will move from week to week and also for a waiting list so I don't have to keep writing them out.

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    6. I used to use GTD after a fashion, but the overhead got a bit silly just at the time I was under the heaviest load and it all collapsed under its own weight.

      These days I'm using a system called SuperFocus developed by a time management chap called Mark Forster (www.markforster.net). It's got much lower overhead, although aspects of GTD could be applied at the overarching 20,000 ft and above levels - SF is a system for doing, not a system for deciding what to do. The process is described here: http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2011/2/10/rules-for-superfocus.html

      It developed out of a previous system called AutoFocus, and has notionally been superseded by 'The Final Version' the process for which is available on the website.

      A few of the critical takeaways are:
      1. it works off an endless list, spanning as many pages as you need, through which you cycle picking off tasks.
      2. like GTD, tasks need to be broken down to next action level
      3. your list is not a 'to do' list it's a 'will do' list.
      4. there is a 'dismissal' process with an associated review cycle, which means that if a task lingers too long and you don't want to do it then it gets dismissed. Dismissed tasks are then reviewed, which if the task really needs to be done, can result in it being expressed a different way, broken down more etc. Alternatively you might decide that you never intended to do it anyway!

      I've been running this system for well over a year and, minor boggles notwithstanding, it's the best system I've found so far. The best bit is it works very nicely in an A5 filofax and also (with tweaks) provides me with the raw material for filling in my timesheets at the end of each week without too much effort.

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    7. I'm so sorry but I must be in the weirdest of moods today...seeing all those MF's would immediately send me into peels of laughter (or frustration). Oh the irony of calling 'undone tasks' MF's. SORRY.

      A long time ago I had a 'to do' insert that was plastic like the page markers, only wider. It said 'to do' or 'tasks' at the top. It also had cut holes so that you could move it around. It was erasable but to be honest, I didn't care for the fact that the marker would smear sometimes.

      What I do now is really dorky and simple. I attach my 'short list' to do's written on one of those Day Timer hot lists and stick it on an extra plastic page marker which easily moves around my Filofax.

      As far as my ongoing major task and project list--can't help you there. Mines a big mess full of strikeouts, whiteouts and such.

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    8. Cheryl and Alison a Day Timer hot list sounds good. Also, Paul your link and comment was so interesting that I am certainly going to follow that one up. Cheryl, a whole list of MF's= Move forwards, did have me rofl in frustration.... that idea was quickly abandonded as a mega fail.... worth a try.... but not much good in reality. Am I missing something here.... is MF text speak or shorthand for something else, which would make my use of it doubly ironic then??? Like David Cameron, I thought LOL was lots of love at first!!!!!!!

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  5. Just spotted the orange Osterley on CityOrganiser, it's a bit lovely.
    One day...

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  6. I have a load of A5 meeting notes inserts that I no longer want - does anyone want them for the cost of the postage? If you do please email me on alison at writetowin dot co dot uk.

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  7. Question to you filofaxers. For those of you who have several children, a job, a business, and other activities, do you find that you can properly manage your life with a personal size, or do you feel that you need an A5?

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    1. Personal works fine for me.....although I get constantly a) tempted by the extra space the A5 would afford, and b) then remember how much it hurt the last time I tried to carry it on a business trip, and/or how much of a dork I looked carrying it to a restaurant or evening out (my Malden Personal Ochre *never* looks out of place *anywhere*). It's all about the set-up for me.

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    2. I think your size choice has a lot to do with whether you have to carry it around everywhere, how practical that is (fr example if you drive everywhere wouldn't be such an issue) and how much stuff you want to track. Also some might have all their diary stuff in a more portable personal, and heir more reference stuff in an A5 which stays home. Personally I always drift back to A5 as I like the space, the ability to more easily print stuff out and punch, and I don't go out much!

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    3. I too prefer A5. Not only does it provide me with the space to write, but I can easily print my own inserts. However, to keep weight down I only carry the vital essentials and archive anything else to a stay-at-home A5 Filofax.

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    4. I work full-time, have two young children, and manage household/family tasks all in a personal. It works splendidly. I use both color-coding and quadrant coding (each quadrant on the day box is assigned-work, me, children, misc). I take my FF everywhere with me. It helps me keep on task and is always available to add new appts, notes, or to dos.

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    5. I use an A5 because it is the only size that works for me but there is no getting around the fact that it is a brick.

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    6. I use both an A5 and a personal. I like to carry around my personal so I can take notes, check my calendar, etc. I "sync" them in the evening. It is more work, but I like the extra space of the A5 and I like having a "home base" Filofax that my family can check. Doing the manual sync also reminds me what I have coming up, and gives me a chance to calmly assess my days and activities. I just ordered the family organiser pack in A5 and am really looking forward to all those features.

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  8. @2cgarsnrealest8 I use an a5 for work and keep that in work, and I also have an a5 for my home binder, I love the a5 size and find that it best for home and work use. Now in saying that I also have a personal which is my me binder for exercise diet and all things personal to me. But with school bills and family goings on I could never use just a personal size imo.

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  9. OK, not strictly a Filofax-only question, but once again I find myself thinking about the logic of time management, where tasks 'come from', how they relate (or don't relate) to personal goals, etc etc etc. I've been a fairly hardcore GTD user for a while now, but the thought is never far from my mind that the GTD system is very *very* reactive, and doesn't lend itself well to personal goal setting and fulfilment. I've been doing some reading around the Stephen Covey system, not with a view to adopting his planner but more to understand here he's coming from, and he's much more top-down in his approach. In this respect, I've read Making It All Work, which alleges to be the more-top-down complement to the GTD book, but I still find myself with a fairly reactive approach to things.

    I wonder if there are any other practitioners her who have any views on this.....

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    1. Hi David,

      I’m having a similar problem in that I seem to be constantly fire-fighting. I neeed to tie my goals into my tasks, otherwise I lose sight of the bigger picture.

      I'm in the process of designing my A5 templates down to Personal size, as that system worked well for me. I like the principles of GTD but it didn’t work in practice for me. I prefer the Urgent/Important matrix of Covey to prioritise my tasks.

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    2. Cloudberry, have you looked at the Time Manager International system? As an alternative top-down system to Franklin Covey I think it's got a lot going for it....I've got a full system and it works pretty well. Best of all (as I said in my FFAF rant last week) it's got a proper philosophy behind it. It's designed mainly as a business-user system, but works pretty well for whole-life planning as well, although I *do* think the FC system is probably marginally better....

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    3. In my (not so) humble opinion, the major flaw in the FC approach - from what I know of it - is that there seems to be an implicit assumption that you are in absolute control of how you spend your time. That assumption holds to varying levels for most people, at least those who are employed by someone else or who have family commitments. I remember reading that Steven Covey had a team working for him so that he could concentrate on the big thinking - clearly very few people are in that elevated state!

      I also read Making It All Work and have tried applying the overall 20/30/40/50K views but life seems to continue to conspire against me and I fall back to the runway level except for really big things. Planning at a higher level is something that I find very hard and it may be that it is intrinsically difficult to align everything from top to bottom. That's probably why it's important!

      Having said which, the 'Sharpen the saw' habit from Steven Covey's work is something which GTD doesn't really mention explicitly - I suspect David Allen thinks of it as just another set of next actions/projects/areas of focus etc - and is in some ways the foundation of getting on top of your time - it's a bit like the safety instructions in case of a plane depressurizing: put your own oxygen mask on before attempting to help anyone else!

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    4. Hi Paul. Interesting that you should raise that, because it's the standard objection raised against both the FC *and* TMI systems, namely that having any kind of reactivity in one's life is an excuse for jettisoning any kind of top-down planning. David Allen is certainly very dismissive of top-down systems in GTD, which is probably why his system features virtually no top-down elements apparent from a few 'afterthought' chapters in Making It All Work. Personally, I think this is throwing out the baby with the bathwater in a huge way - it's certainly true that there is more reactivity in most of our lives than was the case, say, twenty years ago, but there are some very simple strategies which can be applied (and which were present in the 'old fashioned' top-down systems which Allen dismisses, and in which you seem to be following him)to minimise the interruptions which give rise to the perceived need for constant states of reactivity.

      Secondly, isn't the reason why most people adopt an active approach to their time management precisely that they want to get some linkage between their *own* personal goals and the tasks they engage in? Isn't this in some way what gives us meaning and purpose as individuals? Personally I would rather be pursuing my own goals than juggling the demands of others, which is what GTD seems very good at.

      To the argument that we all have to react to email, I would answer, "Yes, but how quickly?". Cannot our clients, friends, etc be trained to accept the fact that we *don't* jump every time our phones go off, or our email alert pops up? I think they can, and I think I've proved it in my own business. Yes, there are occasions when we all have to 'drop everything', but they are not nearly so many or so often as we kid ourselves, or, more importantly, as we allow society to kid us that they are.

      I'm in favour of a top-down approach, and to those who say it's an outdated concept, I would say, along with Barrack Obama and (more famously) Bob the Builder - "Yes, we can".

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    6. (adding this one again in edited form after Blogger munched the original!)

      Actually I'm not going to disagree that a top-down approach is best in some circumstances, and without some sort of top-down view it's easy to get lost and wake up 10 years later wondering what went wrong. You'll notice I mentioned that I personally find it quite difficult. That may be an attribute of my particular circumstances - I'm a (though I say so myself) fairly critical member of staff who is an informational resource, technical expert and reviewer for a raft of projects all operating on different timescales. A large part of my life is made up of meetings, discussions, workshops etc with various colleagues and attempting to guide/resolve/provide information to assist them in moving their projects forward. I work from home most of the time, and just to make life difficult we have 4 dogs and a lot of cats. I have a partner who is self-employed and we have to coordinate critter maintenance, people maintenance and home maintenance. I'm also a director of my partner's company and the company secretary, and also the webmaster. So there's quite a lot going on.

      I have tried - with some success - some of the strategies you mention in a work context. I don't have a new mail indicator, for instance - it is turned off - and every now and then I designate a day as a 'seclusion' day when no incoming calls will be accepted other than from my line manager etc. I even have the support of my management in doing so, as at one point a few years ago the workload was truly stupid - more recently all the project managers get together once a week and we map out a sensible(ish) plan for the use of me as a unique resource. But even so I find the top down stuff difficult, even in a personal context. That doesn't mean I think it's not important, just that in my particular situation I have limited success in making it stick!

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    7. further thought -

      in software design (my field) there are historically two main approaches which have been endlessly debated since time immemorial, mirroring the GTD/FC 'dichotomy':

      (a) top-down
      (b) bottom-up

      With the exception of 'theologians' who champion one extreme or the other, it is generally accepted by most practitioners that the most sensible and pragmatic - and productive - way to operate combines elements of both. This has occasionally been described as 'middle-out'...

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    8. I used the Stephen Covey system for years when he first became affiliated with Franklin planner as it was called prior to his involvement. It was common practice for companies to send all their top and middle management to these training sessions where we were all given a basic binder, a year's worth of inserts, etc. Some of the companies I worked for supplied the inserts each year as well. I didn't find any major flaws in the approach but then I am not familiar with GTD so I can't compare. The problem was, we were all sent to these training, given these amazing systems, then pretty much bullied into 'dropping everything' and 'responding immediately' to everything. While most of us were bringing our planners to meetings, most of the people who went through the training (in my experience) was just using it for note taking and appointment scheduling. Those of us who truly implemented the system were fighting a loosing battle. There was a period of time where I actually had the audacity to shut my office door for an hour at the end of the day to do paperwork and/or shut off the email notification and do a little planning for the next day. I nearly lost my job and was told 'you do not do that'. It is unfortunate, but I did spend nearly 20 years in a company that apparently thrived on putting out fires. Like all systems, its only good if you use it and you have to have others on board with it or it's an uphill battle. I seem to do fine in my personal life but the minute I walk into a company's doors I may as well throw the planner in the receptacle at the entrance because in my experience most companies will tell you they want organized individuals who set goals but they do not walk the talk. Everything is an emergency (even when its not) and if you don't respond to email immediately it's like you committed a crime. Could be why I'm taking a little holiday from work at the present and resorting my priorities.

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    9. The above was never an issue when it was the customer needing assistance. Customers, clients, etc., are always the top priority and when your biggest client is one of (actually all 3!) of the US auto companies then when they say jump you say how high. No problem, I get that and that's in my nature. It was the constant interruptions from coworkers who couldn't do their jobs, countless useless meetings and the ever lovin' 'goal setting' meetings in which we spent half a day off site setting company goals only to return on Monday afternoon and business as usual. LOL

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    10. Hi David,

      I’m going to show my age here! In the 80s, on promotion, I was sent on the ‘A’ Time course and was issued with the A5 (plastic) binder. I traded up to a maroon leather zipped. It was still in daily service for many years using FF TM inserts - with a slight dalliance when I was seduced by FC and bought the 7 Habits to go into my A5 binder....

      I've just downsized to a FF Personal Ostrich but miss the TM format, so I was over the moon to find Steve and Ray had designed a TM version for Personal.

      I think 'A' Time morphed into TMI? Would love to see your TMI – do you have a blog or would you like to guest on mine?

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    11. Hi Cloudberry

      I too benefited from a beneficent employer with a seemingly unlimited training budget, back in the 1980s, and was sent on the TMI course, which was one of the foundational moments in introducing me to the whole concept of proactive time planning. I got my first TMI (plastic) binder there, and soon upgraded to the rather nice leather version I've still got (and it still looks great!). TMI and A-Time were, and still are, two separate companies, A-Time became Time/System and is still going, I believe. TMI was sold to Cello and thence a further time, and is now very much a bog-standard training consultancy. I think they call it 'corporate culture change' - I think maybe Slam PR and/or their near relatives have been at work on their 'image' too. As a result TMI no longer do open courses, which is a shame, but the full range of refills is still available, with the diaries regularly published (you can order 2013 now), although everything now ships from somewhere in Shandinavia rather than from Henley-in-Arden.

      Definitely up for a blog-swap, I'm just finishing one off for Paulien on 'digital envy' which will go up later in the week, and have an excellent post from her on managing free (non-work) time. Drop me an email at davidpopely (at) googlemail (dot) com and let's talk!

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    12. David, this sounds like a really interesting couple of blog posts. If Steve's web widget doesn't find them, could you please email me a link to your blog. Thank you

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    13. Sure will Heather......we should know when both posts are going up, within the next 24 hours......links to follow. Thanks for your interest

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    14. David's posts are captured by the web widget so they will feature in web finds....

      Steve

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    15. Hi David - have emailed you.

      Looking forward to blog-swapping!

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  10. Not a question but an observation. I finally realised I have a Filofax 'issue' when I found myself ever so excitedly telling my other half that a character on the TV programme 'The Thick of It' was carrying a red A4 Domino!

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    1. Yep...I would say that's an issue! welcome to the club. When do we get our own 12 step program?.....

      I do stuff like that all the time, it drives DW mad.....

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    2. I think my DH decided I must be certifiable the other night when we were watching Transporter 3 (nothing else on tv!) and I pointed out the document holder was an A4 Domino folder! I definitely have an "issue!"

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    3. LOL Steve! Which do you like, that I identified the Domino folder or that I was actually watching Transporter 3???

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    4. No identifying the Filofax... not come across Transporter 3, I don't watch that much TV these days!

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    5. You're not missing anything, believe me!!!

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    6. Nice to know I am not alone!

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  11. Replies
    1. Looks good, Ray - I'm going to check these out....

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    2. Ray, got an A5 version?

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    3. Ooo love those - will certainly try them out.

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    4. ooh me likey...thanks! now if only i had the mind and the means to print them properly...that's the most frustrating part!

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  12. Whatever became of the once-mooted 'Philofaxy Conference' idea? Is anyone else still interested in seeing it happen?........

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    1. Not forgotten about David, but I've had a number of things that have constrained my time this summer. I'm hoping to meet with Filofax or their representatives when I'm over in November. To gauge their interest and get them to be active in participating in the conference.

      As a result it is now more likely to be early 2014 rather than 2013 that it will happen.

      In the mean time we will continue to hold meet ups in as many places as possible (Cardiff included) holding these increases our potential number of people that might want to attend such a conference and therefore makes it more viable from an economic point of view.

      I will have more information soon.....

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  13. Anyone in the UK looking for graph paper - just come back from a quick grocery trip and picked up 2 spiral bound A5 perforated (and punched - 2 holes) graph paper. There are 160 sheets of 70gsm paper. I've not tested it out for inks etc. Oh, they're 99p each :-)

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  14. Does anyone in the US print their own inserts? Where do you find the right sizes of paper? I would like to print some custom "chores" A5 inserts for my son. Thanks!

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    1. I haven't tried this personally since I dont have an A5 but I've heard that some people buy legal sized paper and cut a bit off at the bottom and its the same size as A4. After that you just cut it in half and its A5 sized. hths!

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    2. Oh, thank you very much! :) I will try that.

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  15. As a direct result of webfinds I bought off adspot a pocket Chameleon to use as a wallet with the full knowledge that it probably would not work as a wallet which is why the seller was selling. But It was a panancea to a self ban onbuying yet more A5s. . It arrived, I set it up at once and I love it. So now I have a problem. Its not going to last forever. The Chameleons are being phased out. So... Is it bonkers to buy lots more so that I have a life time supply if that means that I then have no money to put in the wallet?

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    1. I don't know why they are discontinuing these. Not sure if anyone has had problems with them or not but I have 3 (A5, compact and personal) and I love them. I'm kind of in the same boat...I have my eye on a red or raspberry A5 before they run out! For me, the price is right and its just a different look from the Holborn or Malden (both of which I love as well for their attributes)--the Chameleon is just a bit 'dressier' or something. I mean who wouldn't want a Lizard but I don't see that ($$$) in my future any time soon.

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  16. Can anyone comment on the quality of the Aspinal organisers? I was looking at them recently as I'm somewhat disappointed with Filofax quality of late. They are more costly than Filfoax but significantly less expensive than the Smythson models.

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  17. I need advice. I am in analysis paralysis about which Filofax to buy. I would love to see all the planners in person and buy one that really speaks to me but I don't live near a store that carries them. I have read 100s of wonderful Philofaxy blog posts and have looked at dozens of wonderful Flickr pictures and I drool. I am not limited by how much they cost and have a pretty good idea of how I want the insides to work for me. (not sure if I want to attempt using my planner as a wallet but would like to carry it on errands and when I travel.

    I currently have a Franklin Compact zipper planner in black that I love. I would like a new brightly colored Filofax for a change of pace but ordered and returned the pink Finchey and ochre Malden. The ochre malden felt too masculine for me and the Finchey too stiff and not my fav.

    Can anyone give me advice on how to narrow it down? I want a cheerful,cute, handy planner and love leather. I am going to Chicago at the end of this month and live about 3.5 hours away from the Franklin Covey flagship store in Salt Lake City.

    It seems crazy to keep ordering planners to try only to return them.

    Any advice or comments are welcome!

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    Replies
    1. Debbie, I think most of us are either in paralysis or just buy too many different ones! I definitely recommend stopping into a retailer when you're in Chicago to look at several. I thought the Cuban would be right for me until I held one in my hands at the retailer...

      The problem is that here in the US most retailers don't have the latest product line in stock, so you may be limited to what you can sample. But something is better than nothing.

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    2. Debbie Heres my tip Look at Josh's, redforrori, Perpetual students and Imysworld youtube channels. I personally believe it will help you find your organiser nirvana four points of view all very eloquently spoken and thought out. Maybe even organisedlikejen if your on the fence about A5..I was on the fence about Filofax and these people convinced me filofax was for me. Filofaxy also confirmed me that a5 size was not going to be price prohibitive because of the templates they produce, good luck

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  18. If you liked the Malden at all you might have liked the Crimson or Vintage Pink colors but you may have to shop around for those on sites other than Filofax (City Organizer, Pens and Leather, etc.). If money is no issue to me the Lizard. I like the vintage look of the Maldens at times but mostly I like a little polish to my binder and the Lizard is so pretty. People have also raved about the Osterly and the Amazona. On the low end, the Chameleon is one of my faves. If you didn't like the Finchley you wouldn't like the pebbly grain of the Aston either. So in summary, I'd look at the Lizard, Amazona, Osterly and maybe the Chameleon. I can't touch or feel them in person because the only store in my area (22 miles away) has a pitiful collection of about 8 on display and most of them are Classics! So I rely on the picture heavy blogs and You Tube videos before I make an online purchase. I feel your pain: I've returned one just this morning and have returned 2 others in the past month! Good luck!

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  19. Cheryl

    Thank you for your comments. They are helpful indeed. I will check out the ones you suggest. I love the feel of a juicy textured leather or smooth leather. I did not really dislike the Finchley it just was not spot on for me for some reason.

    Thank you!

    Debbie

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  20. I don't know if this has been asked before but since I've seen people commenting on the quality of the Filofax paper, I was hoping to get a general opinion from a few people.
    The standard Filofax pages are either white or cream, and other companies that make similar inserts such as WHSmith and Paperchase also stick to white.
    I also know that Franklin Covey do some inserts in a couple of other colours & patterns (personally I think they're all hideous)
    I was wondering whether people would like coloured refill packs if you could buy them?
    (I think it might appeal to those of us who can not make a printer read our minds and print what we want at home!)
    Or does everyone prefer the white or cream ones ?
    (Do tell me if these exist already and I've just not noticed)

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    Replies
    1. I use cotton cream throughout my Personal Malden, apart from when I occasionally get the urge to adopt a diary format which FF don't supply in CC (which is most of them). The paper quality usually persuades me back pretty quickly.

      I consider FF's coloured refills to be one of the great aesthetic crimes of the century, and I wouldn't use them, either now or in the future. I've even adapted my diary format to Cotton Cream, and that's where 'm sticking. It's not great paper, but it's the best FF do.....

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  21. I cannot answer your question other than to say that I agree about the Franklin Covey designs being hideous.

    I would enjoy colored paper refill packs! I like writing with sharpies so would like a paper that allows for that.

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  22. Which personal sized planner in your opinion has the best set up for using as a wallet in addition to being a great planner? Meaning has good number of card slots and an easy to use coin/cash spot AND looks good while being super functional?

    I am thinking it would be fun to be able to grab just my planner from my purse and go into a store.

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I have a Personal Holborn in wine and it's so much more beautiful In person than I had exoected it to be from looking at it online. It has plenty of pockets, the leather smells divine and it's supersoft. The zip pocket has room for plenty of coins and is easy to get into. It would be my choice for a personal wallet, but I'm using a pocket Filofax as a wallet already.

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    2. I have to second the Holborn. I recently acquired one, and I think it has the most pockets of any current Filofax - and the pockets are incredibly useful as well, in my opinion. I don't actually use mine as a wallet (as I have a lovely Fossil wallet which I got for my birthday), but I did a test drive with the Holborn as wallet and it would work very well.

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    3. My ochre Malden Personal does pretty well. Four card slots in the front cover, plus a small zipped pocket for change, and a larger pocket behind for notes and/or receipts. I use it *exactly* the way you are contemplating (as well as for everything else!)

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  23. Can the personal sized chameleon be trained to lay flat?

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    1. My personal Aqua Chameleon is flat (I've only had it a couple months and it does not even get daily use when I switch out to others) and my Black Compact Chameleon is almost there and I've only been using it 10 days. Mine were relatively flat out of the box but I don't think that's been everyone's experience. Wonder if it has something to do with color?

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  24. Does anyone know of an aqua finsbury personal for sale?

    Thank you.

    Debbie

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