Reader Under the Spotlight - Cruz

Hi there, everyone! I’m Cruz, a university student from Wellington, New Zealand. I’m relatively new to Filofaxes, having only just passed my six-month Filo-versary, but am an avid reader of Philofaxy and other Filofax-related blogs.

Occasionally, my own blog, Reflections by Cruz, features my current planner set-up. Just this week, I’ve uploaded a comprehensive description of my Personal Malden in grey, with more photos to come in the future.

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

I bought my first Filofax, a black Personal Apex, at the end of October 2012. Since then, I’ve also bought a Compact Metropol in black and a Personal Malden in grey, both from filofax.co.uk. The Apex came from a New Zealand chain called Warehouse Stationery.

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

Prior to discovering Filofax, I used A5-sized diaries (the sort you can buy in supermarkets) from time to time, but my main organisational tool was my wall calendar, onto which I’d write appointments or deadlines. Now I’m a dedicated user of ring-bound planners, I think I’d like to try a FranklinCovey binder, just to see how much I could pack into their enormous rings. At the luxury end of the scale, a Mulberry or Gillio organiser would be Heaven on Earth, if I could afford one.

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

My favourite Filofax is my grey Personal Malden. It’s my first leather Filofax, and I love nearly everything about it. The texture of the leather is amazing, and the ‘rustic stitching and cool, casual, construction’ of the binder are perfect for someone who wants a sophisticated organiser that’s tough enough for every day.

4.    How many Filofax organisers do you own?

At the moment, I own three Filofaxes. I’ve got my two Personals (Apex and Malden), and one Compact (Metropol). By my calculations, this makes 0.74 Philofaxys.
I’m thinking of experimenting with the Pocket size as well, so I’ve no doubt my Philofaxy total will continue to rise!

5.    What is the oldest Filofax in your collection?

The oldest Filofax in my collection (by purchase date) is the Apex, which I currently use as a storage binder. It houses A-Z tabs (three sets) and various unused inserts that have come with my Filofaxes. It’s also home to last year’s diary pages.

6.    What do you use your Filofax for?

My Malden is my everyday Filofax, and it gets used for just about everything. I use it as a wallet as well as an organiser, so I’ve got some of the Filofax credit-card holders at the front of my book. I keep appointments, bills, and reminders on the diary pages, and track spending and projects on Filofax notepaper.
My Metropol is also a storage binder, holding the inserts I’ll use soon, like spare notepaper and address sheets.

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

I love how easy it is to personalise a ring-bound organiser. Everyone who uses one can fiddle with his set-up or buy the inserts he likes best, to create a planner that works for its user while, at the same time, reflecting the user’s personality. In my opinion, this is why everyone has such a great time swapping organisers at Philofaxy meet-ups!

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

I’d like to make some alterations to the Compact size. First off, I’d introduce a Compact with 19mm rings, and two elasticised pen loops. Needless to say, I’d ensure the binder could close properly even with a chunky pen (like one of my Bic four-colours) in each loop.
I’d actually prefer to design inserts rather than binders. As I’m a student of French, my ideal diary format for 2013 would be a Week on Two Pages in Cotton Cream, unlined, in French. I’m also toying with the idea of moving up to Two Days Per Page for 2014, so that layout, in French, on unlined, Cotton Cream, paper, would be merveilleux !

9.    How do you carry your Filofax?

If I don’t have my briefcase with me (and sometimes even when I do), I carry my Filofax in my hand. I love my Malden so much, I never leave home without it!

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

My favourite Filofax in the current range (besides the Malden) would have to be the Holborn in brown. If I were going to buy another Filofax, this would definitely be my top-of-the-list organiser, but until an amazing deal (like the 30%-off promotion I got with my Malden) comes along, I won’t be buying any more Filofaxes.

11.    What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax? Which model?
The most I’ve ever spent was GBP 35.47 for my Malden (excluding shipping). Thanks to a combination of 30% off grey Maldens and a further 20% discount code (plus no VAT), I scored the bargain of the century on a binder that retails for GBP 76.00. Filofax are still running the 30%-off promotion, so if you fancy a grey Malden, get in quick before they sell out!

12.    What’s your favourite Filofax tip or hack?

This would have to be the extraordinary world of possibilities that have opened up to me since I bought a Filofax-compatible hole punch. Mine is a KW-triO, which I bought from a local stationery shop for NZD 16.00. I don’t use it a lot, but I love being able to punch anything I want to for insertion into my Filofax.

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

For me, Philofaxy is all about the people. Philofaxy and its readers are an outstanding community, and I feel like I’m getting to know other Philofaxers better through reading their blogs (Musings of a Caribbean Princess, The Crazy Suburban Mom, The Life of the Perpetual Student, and Imy’s World are my favourites), as well as keeping up to date with Readers under the Spotlight. If only there were enough Philofaxers in Wellington to organise a meet-up…

14.    And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

Having started reading Philofaxy from its very beginning (2005), I’m currently in the middle of December 2011, and I have to say I’m incredibly jealous of all the amazing discount codes and special offers Filofax created around that time. If only I’d found Filofax a year earlier!

15.    What was the last music track you downloaded or bought?

The last track I downloaded was Céline Dion’s ‘Parler à mon père’, from her 2012 French-language album Sans attendre. I’m doing my Honours French research essay on Quebec French, and am thoroughly enjoying Céline’s French back catalogue, especially ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’, the song that won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.

16.    Katie Price or Kate Middleton?

I'm a huge fan of the Royal Family, so I'll have to go with Kate Middleton.


Thank you Cruz for offering to appear under our spotlight... as always if you would like to appear in this feature please contact philofaxy at gmail dot com