02 May 2014

Free for All Friday No. 285

Have you every found yourself not wanting to write in your Filofax so you won't "mess it up"?

I was really like that when I was younger. The nicer a notebook or diary was, the more I hesitated to mess it up with my "bad" handwriting and "stupid" thoughts.

I've recently switched from a week-on-two-pages calendar to two-days-per-page precisely so I'd have more room to write. There's so much I could fit in a day now, and yet I'm seeing a lot of blank space instead. I need to work on filling those pages and using my organizer! That's what it's for!

Are you timid too? Or do you just grab your pen and get down?

12 comments:

  1. This is why I don't get on well with notebooks, being bound I hate the thought of messing up a page. I have looked at the Midoris love the leather and things that Ray makes, but being essentially a collection of bound books I just can't commit to it. I'm locked in the world of rings!

    I really enjoy writing in my organiser, it's my way of remembering things that I need to remember. Or to plan travel so I have all the relevant details easy to hand. Apps are fine for discovering the information, but paper is so much quicker to flip open and read on the move!

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    1. You might check out what Carie Harling did with her Midori (video on YouTube). She didn't bind the "bound" booklets - just used the elastic to hold them together at the spine. So she has all the comfort of a booklet, but all the changeability of loose pages. Brilliant!

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  2. This might be slightly off topic but as it is FFAF and a blog site I thought it might be relevant. I have been subscribed to many blogs including this one through Feedburner but a couple of weeks ago I stopped receiving all feeds. After searching online I find that a lot of bloggers ahve experienced the same problem and are extremely frustrated as Google do not appear to be doing anything about it. I have tried re-subscribing to the blogs I can remember being subscribed to but I get a message saying I am already subscribed!! I am sure this might affect many bloggers who visit this site and I'm not sure if you are aware of it.

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  3. I used to be very much like that years ago & had notebooks that I'd never used as they were too nice to mess up. However, nowadays I'm quite a bit more relaxed about things like that, so I'll now just dive on in & if pages are scruffy it doesn't bother me. Also once upon a time if I had a new binder I'd need to set it up just right, but nowadays I'd just plonk the contents in from the other one.

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  4. I agree Anita - it is a confidence issue. When I first got my filo I was obsessed with whereabouts on the page stuff went and the colours I wrote it in. Actually now I have become a bit more free-spirited with my entries it looks so much better. Pages become full and are colourful and bring me great pleasure when I flick back through them.

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  5. I have bought a small notebook for journaling, I would like to start to using it. I bring my filofax with me at work and I don't like that the colleagues could potentially spy my personal thoughts.

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  6. I used to buy pretty bound diaries, look at them for a while, feel them and finally write something. Then I would look back and think, what a lot of rubbish and my handwriting looks awful so. I would very neatly cut the page out trying to erase the evidence! A planner is different, tho. Loose leaves are not as intimidating and erasable pens are the bomb. I think maybe decorating them kinda takes the fear away?

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  7. Is the problem of perfectionism getting worse do you think? I used to worry about my planner looking perfect too, but then realised it really didn't matter, and in worrying and therefor not using it, I was missing out.

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  8. Another 'free for all' item that might interest readers in Canada: Succes Canada have a small number of binders and some refills on sale at 50% off on their site. Not sure but Succes might in fact be closing down since there seems to be only the clearance items listed now on their Canadian site and only 2013 items referenced on their european site.
    I just received some Succes refills which I hadn't tried before. Mini size lined and To Do pages.
    Lines are rather closely spaced but faint enough you could ignore them if necessary. Paper is quite thin (a plus for me since it is less bulky) and actually pretty fountain pen friendly (usng a Kaweco fine nib: no bleedthrough, barely visible show through, no feathering).

    Have a great w/e.

    Dave.

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  9. I'm the same, or I was up into I started decorating my pages with washi and stickers, and I use a frixion pen, I now done have any fear I scribble, doodle and memory dump on my pages and if I really don't like the look I pop a sticker over the offending writing and sharpie on the sticker. I actually enjoy looking back at my pages (week on one page) In July I will be going onto a week on two pages, so more room to write and more decorating! No-one actually sees my Filofax it's just for me to view.

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  10. Not with my daily diary, but I definitely get scared about ruining a pretty new notebook!

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  11. Just a p.s. on the Succes refills for mini size. I just noticed the hole spacing does not match FF mini rings/holes. There are 5 holes but the spacing is slightly bigger so they don't line up with FF rings. If you have a punch like the Rapesco one you can easily re-punch so that the pages will fit.

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