08 February 2013

Free for All Friday No. 221

As I write this, my friends and I in the northeastern U.S. are buckling down for a big snowstorm. Maybe a couple feet of snow in states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

This may be a good time to talk about how you use your Filofax for emergency preparedness, or anything else you'd like to talk about as we gratefully ease into late winter/early spring here in the Northern Hemisphere.
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51 comments:

  1. Unknown08 February, 2013 00:54

    I was hoping to find someone who has the A5 week on 2 pages inserts that are horizontal. I an currently using the columns with appointment times but i want to try the horiZontal inserts. If anyone has a set they are willing to sell, please let me know! I am in the US :)

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  2. mlblog08 February, 2013 01:31

    Is anyone selling their A5 Finsbury Antique Rose? Or know anywhere where it's on sale? Your help is much appreciated :)

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  3. Maria Spinola08 February, 2013 01:37

    On the Itali site there are for sale: www.filofax.it.

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  4. Maria Spinola08 February, 2013 01:42

    Steve, good luck in the snow storm. I hope it will not cause a lot of trouble.
    As alsways a good question. What I do with mine FF for emergency is actually not that much. On the personal information I had filled in case of emergency and also all the insurance numbers, docter numbers etc. I also have all mine adresses and phonenumbers on hand, in case there is no electricity to charge the mobile phone. We still have a house phone, so you still can make calls (if the lines do not go death.. :)).

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  5. ArchiMark08 February, 2013 01:50

    Good luck, Nan, with the snow storm over there...

    Meanwhile, here on the left coast, I'm in the proverbial quandary over the size of the personal Malden ochre I received recently....

    On the one hand, I love lightweight and ease of carrying it around aspects (not to mention the handsome leather and color...)....but on the other hand....

    Really feeling frustrated by the small page size, primarily the narrow width of the pages compared to the A5 size, as I like to use lined pages for taking notes at meetings with a fountain pen during the day at work....feels very cramped after being used to wider pages....

    So, unless someone can counsel me how to get over this feeling, I'm thinking I'll probably end up getting an A5 size Malden ochre, if I can find one....

    Any thoughts?....anyone else successfully made the transition from large to small?

    Thanks for any and all input...

    Mark

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    1. Anita08 February, 2013 08:22

      Hi Mark,
      I know exactly where you're coming from! Last year I decided that I wanted one filofax for everything & migrated to A5. Great paper size but so big to carry about or travel with. I'd love to do everything in my personal Malden, but I often find the narrow pages too small for planning & taking notes. I now have a zipped A5 Holborn for when I need more space & having both sizes definitely works for me :)

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    2. Kelly Marriott08 February, 2013 08:25

      Hi Mark. I'm going from large - Ochre A5 Malden - to personal size. Love the A5 but too much to carry. I tried using the large one for everyday planning and the personal as a satellite to carry around. I just never synced them like I should have. I am looking for a personal Ochre Malden, so if you want to sell, let me know. Likewise, I have an A5 Ochre in nearly new condition. I have a lot of 2013 inserts in it as well. I only used this binder for 4 weeks. It is looking for a new home. I'm on the East coast. Kelly

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    3. ArchiMark08 February, 2013 09:31

      Hi Anita,

      Thanks for sharing your solution to this dilemma....that's definitely one way to do it....although I think for my purposes, I'd like to try for a one filofax solution......at least try.... ;-)


      Hi Kelly,

      Wow! sounds like a plan.....

      Yes, let's do some sort of swap, especially since we're both in USA....

      I'll try to email if you I can your email....if I don't, I'll change my profile settings after I post this, so, you can email me by clicking on my username above and going to my profile page...

      Thanks!

      Mark

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    4. Alison Reeves08 February, 2013 09:53

      I use a personal for all the usual diary and personal stuff, but I also keep an A5 open on my desk when working. It is loaded with two days per page time management inserts and I use it for odd notes during the day and to list my work tasks for the day so they are in front of me. If you worked in a company then you could also use it to take notes in meetings and just leave it at work. The personal contains a monthly and weekly diary and also a more detailed daily one for when I want to list home or personal tasks to do when not working.

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    5. Chrissie`s Universe08 February, 2013 13:14

      I am still trying to figure out,what is working best for me.Since the beginning of the year I use the personal size everyday for work+private stuff.And I really miss the space*cryyyy*.In the evening I write everything in my A5...I love that time of the day :o)Right now I have some trouble with my back...so I want to keep my bag kind of "light-weight"...

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    6. pattygardner.com08 February, 2013 14:51

      I've thought about carrying a spiral notebook with me to go with the personal size for when I need more room or want to write a lot. I would number the pages in the notebook. Then if I wrote anything there I might want to refer to again, I would either transfer the information to the personal or make a note of what page it's on. Then I would save those notebooks along with my archived pages. I haven't done this yet but I'm seriously thinking about it.

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    7. Christine Cortese08 February, 2013 17:10

      Hi, Patty. I've carried a "scribble book" in my bag for years. I page number and index them but - never once in my life did it ever occur to me to synch this with my planner! Ah, thank you, thank you for making the obvious so very clear! I can attest to the value of a separate book and am sure that now my eyes have been opened it is going to work even better. I hope you end up as happy as I've been with a supplementary notebook.

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    8. ArchiMark08 February, 2013 22:26

      Hi Alison, Chrissie, Patty, Christine,

      Your 2 FF (or notebook...) strategy makes sense...

      However, I'm concerned about whether I can keep up with 2 FF's....have a hard enough time keeping up with one... ;-)

      Meanwhile, the good news is that due to Kelly noticing my plight above, we are doing a Malden swap...can't wait for it to arrive...

      Thanks, phILOFAXY!

      Mark

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    9. Unknown08 February, 2013 22:35

      Have you tried the Franklin Covey Compact pages? They are bigger than ff pages and they don't interfere with the strap either.

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    10. ArchiMark10 February, 2013 20:54

      Thanks for the suggestion, Susan....but as my dear ol' Dad would have said, 'a day late and a dollar short'....as per my post above, my personal is on its way to Kelly and her A5 is on the way to me.....

      However, I have used FC pages in the previous A5 I had and they worked well....

      FWIW, I did briefly try some Day-Timer personal size pages...so, no width advantage with them....

      Would have tried the FC pages, but my local office supply stores didn't have the ones I wanted...Was about to order some when the trade option came up on Friday and decided to go for it...

      Might have jumped the gun on this, but think I'm more comfortable with the wider A5 or FC Classic size pages for work purposes...Although will miss the lightweight and ease of carrying the personal around with me during the day....

      Oh well, seems like there's always compromises to be made....

      ;-)

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  6. Unknown08 February, 2013 02:56

    Good luck with the snowstorm.. We have the opposite problem here in Tasmania (Aus). Bushfires... The air is filled with smoke, nearly choking, even though the bushfire is over 20 kilometres away.

    I have never conceived the issue of using the filofax for an emergency. If you lived in an area that was prone to a certain emergency, maybe have a divider section dedicated to emergency routes, what to pack, evacuation points, emergency supplies, contact numbers of emergency support services for before, during and after the emergency. Then there is the whole medical emergency idea, if someone has a medical condition..... Given me a good idea........

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    1. DEM08 February, 2013 21:33

      I hadn't really given thought to having an "Emergency" section before. Don't think that I would carry that around everywhere with me but I just may pull out one of my unused FFs and dedicate that as an emergency binder. Nice idea!

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  7. Unknown08 February, 2013 04:16

    Its hardly an emergency on the scale of bushfires, but, when I arrived home last night to a text from my husband (who had juts gone incoomunicado in a concert) saying:

    "If the heating and hot water is still not working call Bill [our builder, who is working on a garage conversion for us] he will expect your call, and know what to do."

    I really wished I had written the builders phone numbers down in my filofax. Or indeed anywhere!
    Instead I got back in the car and went to my sister's house for a bath!

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  8. LJ08 February, 2013 05:17

    I'm looking for advice. I have a friend who wants a (preferably zipped) A4 Filofax for his dissertation notes, journals, diary, pens etc, not too expensive. What would you recommend? I'm thinking Metropol may be the best option...?

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  9. Tommes S.08 February, 2013 05:59

    Good luck with the snowstorm! Stay safe!

    Thomas

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  10. Anita08 February, 2013 08:35

    Good luck with the snowstorm, Nan.
    I've luckily never needed to use my filofax for preparing for an emergency, but I'm going abroad soon so am getting my binder ready for that with paperwork & numbers for lost cards etc. Wondering if slimline might be a better size for travelling though.

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  11. WellPlannedLife08 February, 2013 12:33

    Here in New York, we are expecting a foot or so as well, especially where I am on Long Island. I'm disappointed since my newly ordered 2ppd inserts are not due to arrive until tomorrow. I was hoping they would arrive today so that I could spend a snowy Saturday getting them set up. And now, if we get as much snow as they're predicting, they probably won't be delivered until Monday. Boo! But on the plus side, my new Filofax is scheduled to be delivered today. Stay tuned for more information on that front!

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    1. Joseph David Quinton08 February, 2013 12:47

      Congratulations on your new Filofax.....you can never have too many!

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    2. WellPlannedLife08 February, 2013 20:04

      Thank you! I couldn't agree more. :) I have received the package, but there is a very slight gap in the rings, so I have emailed the company to find out if I can have it replaced. Here's hoping!

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  12. Unknown08 February, 2013 13:27

    Steve, so you're in the blizzard too??? Hope your warm and dry and watching it from inside a cozy room with a cup of hot cocoa!

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    1. Steve Morton08 February, 2013 13:29

      Nope not me... Nan is though...

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    2. Unknown08 February, 2013 13:34

      Hope she's warm and cozy then! What a time to be here though!

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    3. Steve Morton08 February, 2013 13:36

      At least it's Friday so you can hide in the warm all weekend and hope they get the roads cleared by Monday. Hope you and the dogs are all warm and secure

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    4. Unknown08 February, 2013 15:23

      Steve, yes thanks to a new furnace installed yesterday (just in time!)

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  13. Jen08 February, 2013 14:12

    All those in the path of the storm, stay safe. It's gonna be a doozy. I read on Facebook someone calling it winter storm Nemo. Does it truly have a name like hurricanes do?

    I've been perusing blogs about the Midori Travel Journal and I'm thinking it might be a left-hander's dream. It looks like it would lie pretty flat in the middle so no annoying rings to get in the way when writing on the right side. Or a thick binding. Am I missing something about it?

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    1. WellPlannedLife08 February, 2013 20:06

      This storm is being called Nemo by the weather officials. I don't know when that started, but every storm this year has had a name, so as of now, yes, they name the storms the way they do hurricanes.

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  14. Anonymous08 February, 2013 14:31

    This is an ongoing issue for me (A5 vs. personal). I've migrated back to Franklin Covey as they just have better paper and are more user friendly too. But, I still debate (and buy WAY too many page inserts) between the 2 sizes. The A5 is BIG,,,,,but I can fit everything into it with ease. The personal is compact and fits easily in a bag but I never seem to have enough paper room and have to tri-fold any 8.5 x 11.5 paper to fit in and then it sticks out.
    AND,,,,,not only am I struggling with the best size to fit my needs, but I'm also debating between day per page or 2 pages per day, since I'm combining my personal and work into one so I need more space.
    I think I just need to pick one system and use it for a month or so and see how it works. *Sigh* Thoughts? Ideas?

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    1. Donna08 February, 2013 20:30

      I have the same dilema. I love my personal Malden but the paper size is too small and and A5 is too big to carry with me. I have switched to a FC spiral bound planner which gives me the paper size but not the bulk, but I miss my Malden. Maybe someone will have good ideas that will solve our issues.

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    2. ArchiMark08 February, 2013 22:31

      Erin, Maggie,

      Per my post earlier today above, have had the same struggle too...

      Finally, decided that having enough room and being comfortable to write in was a higher priority for me than having a lighter, smaller FF....so, traded my personal Malden today for an A5 Malden...while I'll miss the ease of carrying the personal around, I'll feel better knowing that actually using the A5 for business purposes will be more practical for me....at least that's my strategy.... ;-)

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  15. Unknown08 February, 2013 14:43

    To all affected by the storm, stay safe and best wishes for warmth from Lakewood, OH!!

    I am so excited - I think I'm about ready to share my Filos for home, out/wallet, workout and business! How best to do it...video or blog post?

    Still on the prowl for my purple Malden... *cue Jaws music here*

    Have a great weekend, everyone!

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    1. DEM08 February, 2013 21:35

      Both, both! Blog post and videos!!!

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    2. Unknown10 February, 2013 20:06

      I'm on it!!! Will get them prepared Monday and Tuesday. : )

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  16. pattygardner.com08 February, 2013 14:53

    No storm here in Missouri. It's 35 and sunny.

    For emergency issues, I have a lot of "information" in my planner including license numbers, contact information, emergency service numbers, like a tow truck. I also have the phone numbers for the utility companies in case I need to call but can't get the number from my computer.

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  17. lifeconsidered08 February, 2013 15:10

    Does anyone have a Boston? Im looking to get one and need to know a little bit about it. Does it lay flat out of the box? On the other end of the spectrum, I also thought about a Domino which Ive heard nothing but positive things about, but Im afraid of buying a non-leather binder. Ive been spoiled by a Malden and an Osterly! Please advise. Thanks

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    1. Laurie08 February, 2013 16:04

      I have an A5 Boston, it does lay flat immediately. You can see my review of it here:

      http://philofaxy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/a5-boston-filofax.html

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    2. Unknown08 February, 2013 17:54

      This might be irrelevant but if you love Malden and Osterley ( as do I - I have six of those in total!) you should also look at the wine Holborn which has lovely touchable leather and lies flat. Might not be exactly what you want but its certainly there in your taste for quality leather!

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  18. Monica H08 February, 2013 19:14

    Aloha All,

    This is my first post here, ever, but I've been following the site for a while. First I wanted to wish everyone good luck with the weather - I hope you all stay safe and warm!

    I wanted to let you know, in case you didn't already, that the Filofax USA website is having a sale. A bunch of the organizers are 60% off.

    Meanwhile, I'm turning to Filofax to try to organize my homeschooling teenager. If anyone has any experience with that kind of thing, I would love some suggestions.

    Mahalo!

    Monica

    PS In case you are wondering, it's currently warm and sunny here on Kauai...

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  19. Unknown08 February, 2013 19:45

    That's why I love my FF so much - If there were an emergency & I couldn't get to the info on my phone, I would be in a real panic. Stay safe & warm out there!!

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  20. Doris08 February, 2013 22:31

    I have a "What To Grab In Case of Fire . . ." page in my Filofax. (:

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    1. ArchiMark08 February, 2013 22:32

      That's a great idea, Doris....

      Think I should go make one....

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10 February, 2013 10:28

    Biding on an A5 malden on a certain site, but can anyone tell me if it has a wallet pocket like the finsbury at the back.

    Or if the cuban with it?

    Thanks

    Susan

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    1. Steve Morton10 February, 2013 10:41

      The A5 Malden has a notebook slot pocket in the back cover, and various pockets/slots in the front cover, with a zip pocket too. Also two pen loops a large and smaller one. Not the same size

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    2. Anonymous10 February, 2013 10:56

      Similar to a Metropol then?

      Like the paper pad at the back for notes.

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    3. Steve Morton10 February, 2013 11:04

      Yes the same.

      Last picture in this post:
      http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2012/08/guest-post-helen-a5-ochre-malden-studio.html

      And pics in this post:
      http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2012/05/mixing-paper-and-digital-devices.html

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  22. Anonymous10 February, 2013 11:08

    Thank you

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