I thought it had been quiet on the other side of my desk... no mail coming in... The post was scheduled but for some technical reason it didn't automatically get posted...
I've had my head buried in RSGB http://www.rsgb.org/ stuff this morning....
Thanks to Kate_TPS for asking me if there was a FFAT today!!
Are you licensed as well then Alan? I'm G8SFR although that is my UK callsign, I haven't as yet gone to the expense of applying for one here in France.. don't have enough time!
Do people prefer their planners pages to have lots of empty space in so that you can fill it with doodles and stickers etc, or do you prefer to try to cram as much text and info as you can into the available space?
Me too! However, I think the reason for this is that I didn't want to have to carry a huge stash of paper with me. So I use A5 paper with a week on 2 pages layout to manage my daily tasks, appointments and small notes. I couldn't find a standard layout that fit my needs (either from filofax or downloadable from anywhere) so ended up creating my own. I've managed to fit in space for each day to have:
3x Big Rock tasks 11x Less important tasks 3x appointment slots Slots for tracking my hours of work/sleep (trying to get a good balance!) Space for small notes (wide enough room to write a full address in it) 8x Checkboxes per day for things I need to do regularly (Daily review, Exercise, timesheets, record any financial spendings)
It's very customised to my needs though so wouldn't really suit anybody else. But I'm pleased with it!
I DID end up using quite a few stickers at the end of last year but then I end up having to buy LOADS of stickers... I am now limiting myself to one per side in my planner pages and no others. It looks less childish too! Especially with my pretty VW camper stickers!
I do both: I do a lot of writing, to do's, appointment and also a lot of sticky notes with remarks and reminders. I added a section 'Notes' to my Malden and make a cross reference to the 'Note' section. I try to make the space work.
I think doodles and stickers no-doubt make a planner more fun (both to look at, and to maintain). Mine is plain and boring in comparison. But since I use this planner for business, and I'm often at customer sites, I prefer to have the functionality over having it too "fun". Although I did what I could to make my custom layout look a little less boring than the standard filofax ones.
I have a personal Filofax that I use as my wallet and an A5 FF that I'm putting together for a fitness/health filo. I'm finding it to be a pain to carry both of these with me, but I don't want to do away with my personal FF as I love it! However, I could make the A5 fit more. So, my question is this...has anyone had success in using both sizes on a daily basis without lugging around the A5? Obviously, I need to write down what I eat for my food...but I don't want to lug around the A5. Suggestions on how to make this work?
I used to use an A5 filofax, but it just got too heavy. The advantage of course, is that it can hold most of what you'd need! So what I have done now is bought a slimline (11mm rings?) personal size to carry sheets that change often (and don't need much space), and bought an A5 filofax flex for my other stuff. On one side is a standard A5 filofax flex notebook, on the other is a personalised A5 diary that I bound using the Fellowes Comb Binding System ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fellowes-Starlet-Manual-Comb-Binder/dp/B000NJY6AS/ref=sr_1_1?s=officeproduct&ie=UTF8&qid=1358879610&sr=1-1 )
Have you considered using a pocket cashier notebook (see Moleskine site)? You can put that in your personal size and put here all the info regarding the food. When you at home you can copy the info to the A5.
Great ideas!! Thanks for the replies. I found out I could punch the top of the A5 page, fold it in half, and it would fit in my personal FF. However, I'm not hip on having all the holes in the paper! I will look at the cashier notebooks and see if I like that better!
How many tasks are realistic to do in a day? Obviously that's a question that depends on how hard those tasks are and how long each will take. But I'm curious how many tasks people put in their filofax per day. Do most people actually acheieve all of the tasks they are entering into their filofax?
Do you list everything that needs doing (GTD style!) or do you just write the most important things that have to be done and just rely on your brain to remember to do, and prioritise, the other stuff? If the latter, how do you make sure you do the unwritten stuff? If the former, how do you deal with things like email that can generate tens of actions per day (or more)?
I have a question regarding regarding Personal paper. When I need personal size paper for my FF, I customize A4 paper to personal size. I was wondering is there a place where I can buy the paper already cut and ready to be printed on? I use FF blank paper, but I find that rather expensive. I do not need it to be hole punch, just personal size blank. Thanks.
On a typical day I normally list out approx 12-20 tasks. The FC inserts allow you to prioritize the tasks in addition to being able to check them off (or forward, delegate, delete) so I will work through the list quickly to prioritize. Longer tasks get scheduled in the scheduling block. I do complete all or nearly all tasks every day. I try hard to make sure to keep the list realistic and sometimes have to drop the whole thing because something else comes up.
I have a daily to-do list, as well as an undated to-do list for those tAsks I need to get done, but not necessarily today. I then pull from that list whenever I have extra time when I'm compiling my daily to-do's.
I'm curious what others think of the Flex Slim in terms of size as compared to the Personal Filofax.
I received one today and not really sure what I'll use it for but was quite enabled from reading the Filofancy blog and recent posts on how to use it in conjunction with an A5 and Personal ring binder.
Would it have made more sense for the Slim to be the same page size as the Personal pages? If they were perforated and hole punched you could use the Flex not only for its intended purpose, but also as a 'satellite' notebook to carry when you didn't want to carry around an overstuffed ring binder. You could jot notes, make lists, etc. and then tear out the page and place it in your Personal or A5 ring binder. I used to have a Franklin Covey 'satellite' system such as this with a jot pad and hole punched notebook. They also sold vinyl and leather 'covers' with almost the exact same pocket configurations as the Flex. You could carry this 'satellite' notebook around everywhere when you couldn't carry your binder, then the pages fit in either a Compact or Classic size FC binder when you got home. It was very handy. Guess I was hoping Filofax had done the same sort of thing (although if I had read the dimensions closer I would have known better!)
I also wish that the Flex Slim cover were just slightly taller so that you could slip currency (for me that would be US dollar bills) in the outer pockets without having to fold it in half. That would be very handy as well. I also would like to see a leather version in the Slim size; not crazy about the non leather version.
I guess Filofax didn't intend for the Flex Slim to be used in conjunction with the A5 and Personal ring binders but to me that would have been a good marketing approach. For those who just wanted to use a Flex as their notebook and diary, fine, but why not also sell it to customers who use ring binders as a 'satellite' notebook with perforated hole punched pages.
I thought it had been quiet on the other side of my desk... no mail coming in... The post was scheduled but for some technical reason it didn't automatically get posted...
ReplyDeleteI've had my head buried in RSGB http://www.rsgb.org/ stuff this morning....
Thanks to Kate_TPS for asking me if there was a FFAT today!!
Steve
So when are there going to be Philofaxy radio meet-ups? :-)
DeleteAre you licensed as well then Alan? I'm G8SFR although that is my UK callsign, I haven't as yet gone to the expense of applying for one here in France.. don't have enough time!
DeletePreviously been ZC4SM as well!
Steve
I put it down to technical error and it was going to turn up eventually.. or my computer well not working ...LOL...
ReplyDeleteYou just can't trust technology, can you...............
ReplyDeleteOr busy people that didn't notice!
DeleteHaha, I thought your where sick. We have here the flu. But yeeee, free for all..
DeleteDo people prefer their planners pages to have lots of empty space in so that you can fill it with doodles and stickers etc, or do you prefer to try to cram as much text and info as you can into the available space?
ReplyDeleteI don't doodle or sticker at all, but I do write a lot of details each day so I do cram a lot of writing into my days.
DeleteMe too! However, I think the reason for this is that I didn't want to have to carry a huge stash of paper with me. So I use A5 paper with a week on 2 pages layout to manage my daily tasks, appointments and small notes. I couldn't find a standard layout that fit my needs (either from filofax or downloadable from anywhere) so ended up creating my own. I've managed to fit in space for each day to have:
Delete3x Big Rock tasks
11x Less important tasks
3x appointment slots
Slots for tracking my hours of work/sleep (trying to get a good balance!)
Space for small notes (wide enough room to write a full address in it)
8x Checkboxes per day for things I need to do regularly (Daily review, Exercise, timesheets, record any financial spendings)
It's very customised to my needs though so wouldn't really suit anybody else. But I'm pleased with it!
I don't doodle or sticker either - just appointments, short notes and todos for me!
DeleteI DID end up using quite a few stickers at the end of last year but then I end up having to buy LOADS of stickers... I am now limiting myself to one per side in my planner pages and no others. It looks less childish too!
DeleteEspecially with my pretty VW camper stickers!
I do both: I do a lot of writing, to do's, appointment and also a lot of sticky notes with remarks and reminders. I added a section 'Notes' to my Malden and make a cross reference to the 'Note' section. I try to make the space work.
Delete@Suus S - How do you cross-reference your notes? Are the notes numbered? Is it by page number? or something else?
DeleteI think doodles and stickers no-doubt make a planner more fun (both to look at, and to maintain). Mine is plain and boring in comparison. But since I use this planner for business, and I'm often at customer sites, I prefer to have the functionality over having it too "fun". Although I did what I could to make my custom layout look a little less boring than the standard filofax ones.
ReplyDeleteI have a personal Filofax that I use as my wallet and an A5 FF that I'm putting together for a fitness/health filo. I'm finding it to be a pain to carry both of these with me, but I don't want to do away with my personal FF as I love it! However, I could make the A5 fit more. So, my question is this...has anyone had success in using both sizes on a daily basis without lugging around the A5? Obviously, I need to write down what I eat for my food...but I don't want to lug around the A5. Suggestions on how to make this work?
ReplyDeleteI used to use an A5 filofax, but it just got too heavy. The advantage of course, is that it can hold most of what you'd need! So what I have done now is bought a slimline (11mm rings?) personal size to carry sheets that change often (and don't need much space), and bought an A5 filofax flex for my other stuff. On one side is a standard A5 filofax flex notebook, on the other is a personalised A5 diary that I bound using the Fellowes Comb Binding System ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fellowes-Starlet-Manual-Comb-Binder/dp/B000NJY6AS/ref=sr_1_1?s=officeproduct&ie=UTF8&qid=1358879610&sr=1-1 )
DeleteHave you considered using a pocket cashier notebook (see Moleskine site)? You can put that in your personal size and put here all the info regarding the food. When you at home you can copy the info to the A5.
DeleteGreat ideas!! Thanks for the replies. I found out I could punch the top of the A5 page, fold it in half, and it would fit in my personal FF. However, I'm not hip on having all the holes in the paper! I will look at the cashier notebooks and see if I like that better!
DeleteHow many tasks are realistic to do in a day? Obviously that's a question that depends on how hard those tasks are and how long each will take. But I'm curious how many tasks people put in their filofax per day. Do most people actually acheieve all of the tasks they are entering into their filofax?
ReplyDeleteDo you list everything that needs doing (GTD style!) or do you just write the most important things that have to be done and just rely on your brain to remember to do, and prioritise, the other stuff? If the latter, how do you make sure you do the unwritten stuff? If the former, how do you deal with things like email that can generate tens of actions per day (or more)?
I have a question regarding regarding Personal paper. When I need personal size paper for my FF, I customize A4 paper to personal size. I was wondering is there a place where I can buy the paper already cut and ready to be printed on? I use FF blank paper, but I find that rather expensive. I do not need it to be hole punch, just personal size blank. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOn a typical day I normally list out approx 12-20 tasks. The FC inserts allow you to prioritize the tasks in addition to being able to check them off (or forward, delegate, delete) so I will work through the list quickly to prioritize. Longer tasks get scheduled in the scheduling block. I do complete all or nearly all tasks every day. I try hard to make sure to keep the list realistic and sometimes have to drop the whole thing because something else comes up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Josh, It is true that these days your best laid plans can get thrown out the window when something "urgent" pops up!
DeleteI have a daily to-do list, as well as an undated to-do list for those tAsks I need to get done, but not necessarily today. I then pull from that list whenever I have extra time when I'm compiling my daily to-do's.
DeleteI'm curious what others think of the Flex Slim in terms of size as compared to the Personal Filofax.
ReplyDeleteI received one today and not really sure what I'll use it for but was quite enabled from reading the Filofancy blog and recent posts on how to use it in conjunction with an A5 and Personal ring binder.
Would it have made more sense for the Slim to be the same page size as the Personal pages? If they were perforated and hole punched you could use the Flex not only for its intended purpose, but also as a 'satellite' notebook to carry when you didn't want to carry around an overstuffed ring binder. You could jot notes, make lists, etc. and then tear out the page and place it in your Personal or A5 ring binder. I used to have a Franklin Covey 'satellite' system such as this with a jot pad and hole punched notebook. They also sold vinyl and leather 'covers' with almost the exact same pocket configurations as the Flex. You could carry this 'satellite' notebook around everywhere when you couldn't carry your binder, then the pages fit in either a Compact or Classic size FC binder when you got home. It was very handy. Guess I was hoping Filofax had done the same sort of thing (although if I had read the dimensions closer I would have known better!)
I also wish that the Flex Slim cover were just slightly taller so that you could slip currency (for me that would be US dollar bills) in the outer pockets without having to fold it in half. That would be very handy as well. I also would like to see a leather version in the Slim size; not crazy about the non leather version.
I guess Filofax didn't intend for the Flex Slim to be used in conjunction with the A5 and Personal ring binders but to me that would have been a good marketing approach. For those who just wanted to use a Flex as their notebook and diary, fine, but why not also sell it to customers who use ring binders as a 'satellite' notebook with perforated hole punched pages.