For a few years now, I've used an A5 Filofax for work matters, Personal size for my personal stuff, and a Pocket for fitness records. Lately, I've moved the fitness up to Personal, since I'm focusing more on that now and need more room. I find I'm also leaning toward downsizing to Personal size for work, too. I guess I don't need to take as many notes as I used to. (Also, it would be a good excuse to buy a new Filofax!)
Anybody else thinking about lightening up? Downsizing?
I know I am! lol I love my personal metropol for my college/ school stuff but I currently have a classic (about the same as an a5) sized Franklin Covey that im using for journaling and its too big.
ReplyDeleteI have my eye on a personal sized aqua malden when they get released on the Filofax USA site.
No. I am in the right size for everything but, but having just signed up for a personal trainer I have to confess to needing to downsize me a touch :) so, I want precise details of what is on everyone's health related filos please. Nan, you first?
DeleteFilofax France have a sale on. Lots of Finsburys
Deleteand Chameleons in there.
Don't tell me about it. I already purchased a Pocket Green Apex (lovely) a few weeks ago, and I successfully downsized in it. And now, I've purchased two Minis : a Mini Finchley in Red, on sale on Filofax.fr (70% off!), and a Mini Chamelon in red, priced at 29 euros on Amazon.fr !
DeleteI couldn't decide between the two, I will give the one I won't keep to a good colleague/friend of mine, and keep the other one. As I have a simple life, and look forward to having an even more streamlined/minimalistic purse, I thought a Mini could be the way to go.
So, yes, all of you, go on Filofax.fr while there's stock, you might find a good bargain ! :)
Yes.
ReplyDeleteI recently moved from A5 to personal. At the moment that's a red/merlot coloured Winchester, but I also have my original black Buckingham from the mid-eighties with slightly smaller rings if I need an alternative.
So far it's been painless
Helen, I've posted about it here, except now I'm using a personal Apex so I have larger pages: http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2013/05/nans-fitness-filo.html.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your personal trainer!
Thank Nan, I remember that post now I've gone back to it. Now I need to consider - do I use the pocket Panama I have hanging around, because it was exceedingly cheap on ebay, a personal Malden to go with the Black one I have for my Yoga notes or the Black Regency I just ordered on Amazon and am going to hand unopened to my husband who is not going to return it until I meet my first big fitness goal! Or an A5 even since my trainer is onine and will be emailing me stuff I can print out easier on A5. Hmmmmm....
DeleteBTW if amyone wants a personal black Regency, City Organiser still have one more on Amazon.co.uk at 35% of the retail price. Bargain!
I would just love to try out A5 or pocket size. Frankly, personal size suits my needs so there is no need to.
ReplyDeleteLike many, not a day goes by without me pondering on downsizing, upsizing , thinning out, altering my digital/paper system balance or whatever. I know I'm not alone! As Ray Blake recently commented on his blog, the grass always seems greener elsewhere when you read about someone's latest new binder discovery or different set-up! As well as my usual A5 "Filoflex", I've looked at Slimline, fixed planners, Midori Travellers Notebooks, make your own, etc. etc. etc. I've recently been away a lot and that has given me more time sat on trains pondering my set-up and forcing me to look at slimmer and lighter systems.
ReplyDeleteYou may recall that I recently won a Personal Fusion in a competition. This gave me a great reason to try to move to Filofax Personal! Although I've long used Time Manager Original pages (180mm x 110mm), it's been 25+ years since I used standard Filofax (171mm x 95mm) inserts (the only Filofax size in those days!). I quickly realised why it didn't work for me in 1985 - or (sadly) now! The 95mm paper width is too narrow for me and, coupled with a 23mm ring mechanism, is virtually impossible for a left-hander to work around and leave any meaningful space to write on! Time Manager paper is 110mm width and with a 13mm mechanism makes a huge difference! Yes, I could keep opening rings (carefully) and taking pages out to write on. But I fear the dreaded, incurable "Filofax ring-gap disease" starting - something I've never, ever experienced with Krause mechanisms (which Time Manager have always used). Of course, the existence of this illness has always been denied by Filofax.
I'm persevering, but starting to conclude that there is no right size or optimum set-up. But, I suspect I'll keep searching for a good few years yet!
You're right, there's no right size or optimum set-up. But I think that, like Steve, having one binder of each size *could* be the way to go.
DeleteI currently have a Personal, a Slimline (Personal-sized), a Pocket, and is waiting for a Mini. I have seriously thought of purchasing an A5 too, as I found a good bargain.
I could use the A5 for work, or as a home binder. The Personal could be used for work and/or a home binder too. The slimline could be dedicated to a specific project (for instance, the hunt for a new apartment, or when one travels/prepares for a vacation). The Pocket and or Mini could be the "Your Life In Your Bag" companion, with diary, lists, reminders, etc.
I don't know if I'm trying to convince myself or others, but this kind of reasoning always brings a smile on my face :)
(And obviously, I have seriously considered having ALL sizes from a specific model : the red Luxe, for instance, would be positively marvelous in Mini and Pocket, in Compact and A5. But oh the costs... I opted for bright cheaper models on sale, but I feel I will kind of regret this decision :)
I've been thinking about upsizing, actually. I use a Cuban Zip A5 for work, and have been considering going up to A4 - I'm a teacher, and things like grades are easier to record on A4 with bigger boxes for writing. I'm tweaking the A5 system before I make a change, though; I recently bought the Swedish teacher refills and I'm making some new templates (I print all of my own refills) based on them.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really holding me back is that I want an A4 zipped Filofax that isn't black or brown. I really like the raspberry Finsbury but it doesn't have a zipper. Zipping up my Filofax helps me with all of the temporary papers that I carry from home to school or desk to classroom.
This one escapes peoples attention because it's not in the organiser range... but it does have A4 25mm rings in it:
Deletehttp://www.filofax.co.uk/store/businessdetails.asp?catId=10&productId=471
Noooooooo!!! I so much did not need to discover there is yet another temptation!! I had no idea that hand rings. And it would sort of match my Holborn a5 I use for work ( I see it is not available in wine) ... Must not. Must not. Must not...
DeleteThere's one for sale on Adspot Helen, just waiting to be snapped up...
DeleteThe only thing I need to downsize is my weight, LOL. I use a personal Malden and it is perfect. Sometimes I think I would like to have the A5 (just because it is gooorgeous!) but I KNOW I am going to complain about carrying it everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI have lightened up a little in order to move from my personal Holborn into a new personal Original, namely, removing a reference section. The section was used little, and its removal made closure a bit easier. If only the tab were a bit longer...
ReplyDeleteI recently purchased my first Filofaxes - the personal size for personal use and the pocket for workout/nutrition. I purchased a 3rd binder for home use but it is a different brand. Living in the US, we really need a binder that can fit standard 8.5"x11" paper. I like to be able to add other documents but don't want to have to fold them to fit into an A5. Is filofax planning on offering another size for standard US measurements? I'm really loving my Filofaxes so far & the inserts are perfect for my needs!
ReplyDeleteI guess it's possible now that Filofax is jointly owned with a Candian firm. However, non-International sizes weren't introduced when US Day Runner owned Filofax a few years ago.
DeleteThe United States and Canada are the only countries in the world that don't use the International ISO paper standards, although Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and the Philippines still have US letter format in common use, despite their official adoption of the ISO standard.
But, since when has Filofax 171mm x 95mm ever been a standard used other than in paper organisers?!! I wonder who came up with that?
Hannah you might already know this, but in case you don't: Franklin Covey's Monarch size binders fit 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper.
DeleteAnd to piggy-back on Laurie's Franklin Covey suggestion, DayTimer also makes several binders which fit 8.5x11 pages.
DeleteI have removed some of the items I made for my Filofax like pocket folders, envelopes, and dividers because of the bulk. The dividers that come with the Filofax are plain but to me look fine and are lightweight. My Filofax is looking more like it did before I added the homemade items and small number of labels, tabs, page markers, etc. I would like to buy another personal size planner and there are some nice ones in the new Filofax models; however, I don't like the interior layout or patent finish on some of them. I will probably buy one from a different brand. Then I will be more interested in the diary insert that is included or one that I will buy for next year.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny; I just contemplated doing the same. I got all into decorating my pages and adding in post it notes, journaling cards, smaller note paper, fancy dividers, etc. but my personal binder is becoming quite stuffed and heavy. Also, as much as I love décor, stickers, washi tape, etc., I also love the look of clean pages. I keep going back and forth. I've been looking at photos and videos when people get new planners (especially the Gillio ones) and the pages are pristine, crisp and sticker free. And that is appealing to me all of a sudden. Sigh...
DeleteHi Cheryl. I too like the unadorned pages and dividers that accompany a new planner. I want to revert to a simple planning system and use a few accessories. In my previous comment, I said I removed those items but I have decided to keep a few of them in my planner. While shopping for planner accessories, I found a nice pouch that has two zipper compartments. It is not only compact and fits in my purse but also is big enough to store pens and other supplies. I would not have found the pouch had I not shopped for the other items. Anyway, I want to use the supplies in moderation and keep my planner pages simple.
DeleteDepending on the way the wind blows, I am either downsizing or upsizing. I am constantly changing back and forth between A5 and Personal and different calendar formats. I was just thinking last night that if I can just settle on a size/format, I would have so much more time to do other things!
ReplyDeleteI feel I've got the best of both worlds currently as I'm using both a personal & an A5. I do love the idea of only having one, but I've decided not to restrict myself to just the one binder. I agree with Tim about the grass being greener, so I figure I have both bases covered if I fancy going all A5 or all personal size in the future!
ReplyDeleteI have become extremely resistant to changing my setup because I'm tired of having to write out all my information over and over again. Not only is this tedious, it is most certainly not a very good use of my time unless the current setup is seriously deficient.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I am in the midst of completing my change-over to separate work and personal planners. Currently on my mid-day break at work and have both out in front of me: My red Winchester will soldier on as my personal planner/info book, while my green FranklinQuest (filled with FC 2PPD, A-Z address tabs for contacts and info, and lots of cut-down Clairefontaine notepaper) will do my work planning. My new 2PPD refill starts on July 1, so I'm busy trying to get everything swapped over. I think this will mean that I will be carrying two binders in my bag most of the time. I'm not crazy about that; will test different methods to see if I can get away with leaving the work planner at work by copying certain essential info into my personal planner.
I moved up from a pocket to a personal earlier this year. I also have an A5, which I am considering moving into now that I work from home and don't need to lug it around with me everywhere. Now I have to sell all my pocket binders!
ReplyDeleteAs always, I'm no longer upsizing or downsizing. I do, however, switch between the Personal Hampstead and the Personal Cuban, because I still can't decide whether I can tolerate the lack of binder flexibility in the Cuban - but I *do* like the look of it generally. Otherwise I'm sorted for setup and contents......
ReplyDeleteI'm still thinking about downsizing to personal size, I love the space on the page A5 gives me but I keep lusting after personal size binders. One day I will make a decision!
ReplyDelete