9 years and counting..

Nine years to this day Philofaxy came in to being....

In the beginning was the first post by Philofaxer, who started it all off and helped us celebrate our 5th anniversary four years ago.

A lot has changed in 9 years... but we continue to enjoy writing about our paper organisers. You can see what it looked like back in 2006 here.

A big thank you to all our supporters over the years, the people that read the posts every day, all the people that work behind the scenes in the various companies we have got to know.

Here's to the future and the next 2600 posts!

Nan created this fun video as a sort of celebration, as well as a halloween celebration.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Free For All Friday No. 311 by Anita

I'd like to wish you all a happy Halloween!
Even witches need a little organisation...

Do you have a Halloween theme in your binder, or have you been using it to plan any events?
And as it's Friday, please feel free to discuss anything ring-binder related.

How much do you think this is worth?

I'm often emailed photographs like this one below with the simple question.  How much do you think this is worth? I'm thinking of selling it...

Naturally this is a perfectly normal and acceptable question, but answering it isn't always so easy.

On some models the prices things are sold for can vary quite dramatically, from one country to another from one year to another.

The photo above is of one of my Cavendish Personals, about a year ago the prices these were being sold for varied between about €80 and €350, they have now come back to more sensible prices.

So whilst Ebay can give you some idea on prices it isn't set in stone. Do a search on there and look at completed listings which are the ones that have sold, this will give you a better idea on what particular models sold for.

Be careful though because some sellers don't always accurately describe organisers they often put A5 instead of personal size, personal instead of pocket etc.

If it is a more recent model, may be one of the ones recently phased out in UK but may be still available through some retailers, just searching on Google can bring up the details of the prices items were new. Some retailers still list older models even though they no longer have any stock and never likely to have any more stock.

Naturally you need to take the condition of the item in to account, is it like new, unused, well worn but still in reasonable condition.

Are the rings perfect, are there any gaps, photographs with a some rolled up colour paper on the inside of the rings will highlight any ring gaps. Whilst these can be sorted in some cases. If all of the rings have gaps then I would avoid buying the organiser unless the ring mechanism is removable and you are able to find a source of new rings for it that will fit.

If you are selling always be prepared for people making an offer on your for sale price.

Be cautious about people stating that a particular Filofax is 'rare' or 'vintage' there's no definition of these phrases, there's no date which before or age is considered to be then classed as vintage. How rare is rare? 10, 100, 1000 items ever made?

Even some pre-production samples that never went in to full production are produced in numbers of as many as 25-50 and then sold off.

So here is another example of an email I received from one of our readers. Expert opinions please?

It is a Winchester and one with 5/4" rings, so nice and big! Unusual colour may be?

What price would you put on this one?

The Collection

Once upon a time a man had a big collection of organisers... he had so many he didn't quite know how he had got so many and why he had so many....

That would be sort of funny if it was just a story.... but there is an element of truth in it... somewhere!

I am frequently asked 'So what does your collection actually look like Steve'...

Well in May 2009 it looked like this:

That's right just three... two Finsburys (A5 and Pocket) and my original Winchester from 1986...

By the end of April 2011 almost 2 years later it had grown to this:

Starting at the bottom working upwards, A4 Classic, two A5s, two personals, the Winchester of course, a slimline, two pockets and a mini.

Remember in May 2010 I had moved to France and I was now blogging full-time, that is where things got sort of out of hand... !

By May 2012 I had got a bit of a soft spot for the Malden model...

Moving forward to 2013, things had got so crazy that I had several attempts to take photos of the complete collection, but none of them were that good, but after a lot of mistakes and a lot of trial and error I managed to take a photo of all of them:

So having worked out how to take this picture, which is in fact 4-5 photos stitched together in software, I was content that I could repeat the exercise in future.

Get to 2014 and I needed a spreadsheet to remember what I had got or hadn't got! The photo taken above in 2013 was done when my dear (understanding) wife was in UK... and the opportunity arose this last weekend for me to attempt to photograph the collection again whilst she was in UK.

You will see what I mean that it takes quite a bit of organisation. Our normal dining table starts off like this:

But becomes a little chaotic once I've brought them all upstairs from the office in our sub-basement

I then start to put them in to a sort of size order on our garden bench outside, last year they fitted easily... err not so easily this year!

I started off by putting the pockets and other smaller sizes in front of the others.

That didn't look quite right, so I removed the non-Filofax brand ones, all 7 of them!

They are from left to right, DeVilliers, Launer, Van der Spek, Second Thousand (VdS) Gillio Mia Cara, Van der Spek Standard, Gillio Medium Amica

So then I had a little bit of a rearrangement and adjustment, getting them to stay up right isn't easy, because the white board you can see behind the organisers isn't the full length of the bench it gets moved around as the camera is panned through the 5 photos (letting out all my secrets here!) and I eventually managed to squeeze them all in...

And to save you counting... there's 45 there in total.. eek!

Why so many? Shouldn't you consider getting rid of some? Do you use them all?

Yes I have had all these questions. firstly the ones not in daily use do all fit in to my assigned cupboard in the office.

My intention is that they will never get more than can fit in to this cupboard. There's a little scope for a few extra ones! But there is also some scope for one or two to find some new homes.

But why so many? Well if I wasn't writing about them on a daily/weekly basis then certainly I wouldn't need anything like the number I have. I've found that having a range of models allows me to do more accurate comparisons to new models when I get them for review.

I don't keep all of the review samples or the ones sent to me... goodness if I had I would need two cupboards! I have my favourites of course, ones I love using, ones I'm very fond of because of their design or how they were obtained and I would find it difficult to sell/giveaway some of these extra special ones.

Dare I mention... there's another one about to join the collection... another Van der Spek! And of course you will get to see that one when it arrives. And the dining table is back to being tidy again... just in time for Alison to arrive home again today... you won't say anything will you....

Web Finds - 28 October 2014

I hope you had a good weekend? Time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:

1. Mixing digital and paper…again - MacPsych
2. The Start of My Van der Spek Journey - Reflections by Cruz
3. Holidays Are Coming - Roses in December
4. IN THE PRESS – THE LONDON MAGAZINE - Filofax Blog
5. Van Der Spek Touch Me binders back in stock! - This Bug's Life
6. Letters & Correspondence - Roses in December
7. Updated Planner Set Up - The Storage Studio
8. 2014 Gillio Tour - Part 1 - Imysworld
9. {31 Days #27} Planner Hacks - Planner Fun
10. Study Fridays : Tracking the Progress of a Student - The Paradox of An Organized Scientist
11. An Envelope For Bits & Pieces - Roses in December
12. Black A5 Cross Organiser with pen – a gift from Nati - This Bug's Life
13. Mrs Brimbles October photo challenge - week three - She's Eclectic
14. Post Its - Roses in December
15. If you like Filofax, Gillio, Van der Spek, Franklin Covey - My Summer Touch
16. Analog 2015 - Analog 2.0
17. My First Filofax - Filofax Blog
18. Philofaxy Meetup - Roses in December
19. Hello Handsome. - Mrs Brimbles
20. Themed Filofax Monday : The Naturalist's Filofax - The Paradox of An Organized Scientist
21. Time Management Monday: Scheduling free time - Quo Vadis Blog
22. Simple & Blank Week On Two Pages Inserts - Ms Wenduhh
23. Building a Planning Habit - Planner Bug
24. {31 Days #28} Blog Planner Insert - Planner Fun
25. Web Finds - 27 October 2014 - Travellers Notebook Times << New Blog

• We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
• We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
• For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post

And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.

1. Filofax Halloween setup 2014- "The Black Kendal" - Kat Le Noir
2. Introducing the LM Hyperdex - Mary Anne Moll
3. The Hyperdex, The Hyperdex Petite, and the LM Hyperdex  - Mary Anne Moll
4. Red Kate Spade Agenda (again!) - Lola Karwowski
5. Gillio Compagna.....Compagnas!! :o)) - Chrissie's Universe
6. Filofax Decoration Week 44 - Palestblue
7. Flip trough my personal Malden Ochre Filofax. - Ingrid vd Linden
8. Planner setup: Personal Holborn in grey  - Palestblue
9. New Filofax Poppy Red Saffiano Set Up - Craft Room Secrets
10. Filofax A5 Wochedekoration 27- 03 Okt/Nov - Sweetly Angel
11. Restringing the Gillio Giramondo - Ray Blake

• For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
• Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 

We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

This Week Posts

1. My week #132 - Paper Lovestory
2. My Week #43 - Life of Kitty
3. WEEK in REVIEW: 10.20.14 - 10.26.14 - Innocent + Twisted
4. My week #43 - She's Eclectic
5. My Week #43 - Joanny White
6. Pumpkin / Halloween decorated pages  - Mrs Brimbles
7. Filofax Pages Oct 26- Nov 1 Hello Kitty - Ink'd paper by mae

Enjoy

Free For All Tuesday No 195

A date for your diary - Sunday 2nd November 2014

We are going to run another conference round-table voice chat using Skype. And the 'morning' session returns so our friends in the Far East and Pacific can join in again.

I'm sure we are gradually getting to know each other's voices, but I will make a point of going 'around the table' to get everyone to introduce themselves this time.

So...When, Where, What, Who and How?

When? - Sunday 2 November from 9:30am London time, 10:30am Paris time, 8:30pm Sydney time and 10:30pm Wellington time.

Additionally I will be on line at 8:00am San Francisco 10:00am Chicago, 11:00noon New York, 4:00pm London time, 5:00pm Paris time etc.  See the World Clock to make sure you have the right time.

The timing of these two sessions have been chosen to hopefully allow as many people to join in compared to previous round-tables. The timing of future ones will be varied to suit everyone if need be.

Please note: This is the weekend of the ending of DST in USA and Canada, normally I wouldn't hold a chat session on this weekend because of the confusion that the clock change causes, but I'm not available the next weekend.

Where? - an on-line chat using Skype.

What do I need? - just a micro-phone and some head phones(in ear phones work fine) and a free Skype account. Using headphones or earphone reduces 'echo' on the call. If you have a webcam then you can join in on video as well, but this is optional!

Who - All of you... connect up with Philofaxy and we will attempt to get as many of us linked in to the audio conference as possible. Come and listen if you don't want to chat.  What do we talk about? Filofax stuff... but anything else as well. It's like long lost friends meeting up for coffee and a catch up.. but don't worry if you have never joined in before... you are an old friend too!

If you have any questions you want to ask then please let us know in the group or before we start.

How -

1. Connect to Philofaxy by firstly searching for Philofaxy in Skype, I will then add you as a contact.
2. Then  'Send Contact Request',  I will then add you in to the chat room. 
3. Then if you request it, I can add you to the audio conference as well. But if you just want to chat via keyboard that's fine. That way it's slightly less hectic for me! 

Come and join in the fun, even if you only pop in to say hello... but don't be afraid to join in the discussion.

As with previous round-tables there will also be a parallel text chat room going at the same time as the voice conference, so you can listen to the voice chat and type if you wish.

If you need any assistance setting up Skype, please pop a comment in this post and I will try and help you get one line. Skype is free for computer to computer calls....

Here is my post on how to improve your Skype audio with headphones or a headset.

Hope to be chatting with you on Sunday 2 November 2014.

Filofax Corporate Sales 2010

Today we take a look at the Corporate Sales Catalogue from 2010.

And there are higher resolution versions of all the pages here.

As always the pictorial content of this post is the intellectual property of Filofax Group Ltd. The scans are reproduced here with the full permission of Filofax Group Ltd. for educational and non-commercial usage.

Van der Spek 'Touch Me' Range - back in stock

Van der Spek today announced that the new improved Touch Me’s are now available to order.

You can order them now on vdsshop.com

The Touch Me Standard is back in stock in brown and black and also the Manager A5 in brown.

They are specially made for the bigger rings to fit perfectly. So the standard size which is the same size/ring spacing as Filofax Personal size is now available with the 25mm or 30mm rings and the Manager A5 with the 35mm rings.

Despite of these new improvements Van der Spek will keep the same prices for the rest of this year!! But from the 1st of January 2015 there will be a price increase, also an increase on the Custom made collection. So be fast And you can also order the zipped pencil pouch as well. 

There is also a Van der Spek Junior Touch Me model which is the same size and ring spacing as the Filofax Pocket size. 

Please note the the prices shown on the webshop exclude VAT, once you are logged in to the site and have put in a delivery address the correct rate of VAT will be displayed.

The Touch Me binders represent excellent value for money for a leather organiser with a great internal layout, big rings and a back pocket too, oh and did I mention they come with replaceable rings too. 

Janet has done some excellent posts about the Touch Me range, take a look if you still need convincing. 

• Van Der Spek Touch Me in Brown and Black, Personal/Standard and A5
• Van Der Spek Touch Me binders
• Brown Standard (Personal) size Van Der Spek Touch Me
• Black A5 Van Der Spek Touch Me
• A Touch Me Day

Reader Under the Spotlight - Heather

Today I would like to introduce you to Heather. 

Hello.  I’m Heather and my Filofax helps me to stay organised with the busy work, parenthood and personal life interests.  I’m a Mum to two gorgeous busy boys, I work part-time as well as run my own holistic business (www.heather-holistics.co.uk), However as a self-confessed IT geek, I love to combine my Filofax with my PC and iPhones.

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

I think it was around 1993.  It was a black vinyl personal Filofax which I still have.

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

I’ve only ever used Filofax

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

I’m currently using my pocket Aston in Orchid in my handbag and an A5 Cuban in brown as our Household binder.

4. How many Filofax or other brands of organisers do you own?

3 minis, 3 pockets, 2 personal, 4 x A5 and 1 x A4 organisers.

5. What is the oldest organiser in your collection?

The black vinyl as mentioned in one above.

6. What do you use your organisers for?

Generally as a diary/planner and list keeper.  The mini’s I sometimes swap around with the pockets in my handbag.  One mini is kept in my car as a car binder.  My pocket Pennybridge is my travel binder and purse combined.  My original personal is kept in a cupboard and the second personal is my journal.  The A5’s are project binders for each aspect of my personal life (recipe binder, Scout group, Rugby Group, household) and the A4 is used at my day job.

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

That I can design my own inserts, print them to most sizes of Filofax and then change the layout again the next week.

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

Similar to a tent or bag from the Harry Potter stories; small and lightweight whilst carried (mini size with 11mm rings) but once opened magically expands to A5 size and 30mm rings.

9. How do you carry your Filofax?

In my handbag

10. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most?

The A5 Original in Green (it isn’t exactly current range)

Are you going to buy it?

If I could find one at the right price, then yes.

11. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax or other brand of organiser? Which model?

Probably my A5 Cuban although I haven’t bought any new Filofaxes recently

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

Don’t think you have to have everything on paper or via technology.  Combine them both.  Oh can I have two tips please?  I colour code each ‘compartment’ of my life – Husband, Sons, Personal and my business so I can tell immediately who is where.

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

The community, the great tips and ideas exchanged.

14. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

There is nothing I dislike about Philofaxy, I think you all do an amazing job – thank you.

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

Now 86

16. Have you ever attended a Philofaxy meet-up? if not do you intend to one day?

I’d love to attend one however my weekends are always so busy.

17. What was the last movie you watched?

I watched Terminator 2 (again) with my son

18. What was the last book you read?

Eat that Frog!

19. George Clooney or Brad Pitt?  

George Clooney

Thank you Heather. And if you would like to appear in this feature please contact philofaxy at gmail dot com

Web Finds - 25 October 2014

I hope you had a good week?

Time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are the latest Filofax blog posts from around the Internet:

1. Black A5 Van Der Spek Touch Me - This Bug's Life
2. My Planner World - Love a Little Life
3. Simple Ideas for Combining Paper & Electronic Planning - Homemakers Daily
4. Personal Inserts- Nov 2014 - Jan 2015 - So Joey Creates
5. Brown Standard (Personal) size Van Der Spek Touch Me - This Bug's Life
6. Work Planner Stickers - MsWenduhh
7. Why I Started With A Filofax - Planner Bug
8. Filofax: Most Used Items and Tools - Little Big of Everything
9. 2015 Planner Prep: Change is in The Air - Yay, for Fridays!
10. Van Der Spek Touch Me binders - This Bug's Life
11. What are your planner struggles? - Lime Tree Fruits
12. Tag: Planner Addicts - Life of Kitty
13. My Filofax Pros and Cons - Joanny White
14. My (not quite) Perfect Triumvirate - Becky's Paper Route
15. Van Der Spek Touch Me in Brown and Black, Personal/Standard and A5 - This Bug's Life
16. Planner Addicts Tag - My Purpley Life
17. IN THE PRESS – PRIMA MAGAZINE - Filofax Blog
18. Simple Vertical Weekly Layout Inserts - Ms Wenduhh
19. PRINTABLE London Dividers - Filofax Love
20. DIY-Fish #1 - My Last Eureka
21. Meal Planning For The Week - Planner Bug
22. ‘Project Master Plan’ Printable – Free Download - Paper Goodness
23. washi tape e filofax: un binomio perfetto! - Lucy Wonderland
24. How To Use a Planner With Your Desires In Mind - Renew Your Space
25. New A5 Malden Dividers - Indigo Blue
26. Do You Wanna Use a Filo? - Kent from Oz's Filofaxuations
27. filofax friday | to do list printables - I love it all
28. The Planner Addict Tag - Joanny White
29. The Franklin Way - Looking through a frosty window
30. LM-Hyperdex, a new time visualization tool to Life Mapping™ System DIYfish
31. Starting Fresh - The Peaceful Parent
32. Why I Love My Malden & I Spotted a NEW Franklin Covey Binder! - Sparkle Frogs
33. FREE Filo Friday! This week Halloween note paper A5 - Embellish Everything
34. Feature focus: Month grid calendars - Quo Vadis Blog
35. Taking a broader view ... Gillio in the Filowiki - FiloWiki
36. Filofax Curiosities: The Quality Control codes - The Paradox of an Organized Scientist
37. Gift List Budgeting - MsWenduhh
38. Christmas Filofax - It's Bluetiger
39. Reflection - Paper Pens Ink
40. Goals: Planning Versus Doing - Giftie Etcetera

• We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
• We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
• For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post

And here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.

1. Filofax Aston in Personal Orchid - Debbie Hockedy 
2. Filofax A5 Finsbury & Budget Setup! - OATTblog
3. Planner Addicts Tag - My Purpley Life
4. Part 1 Some new Franklin Covey Quest planners and my thoughts about them - Tracy Reinhardt
5. Part 2 - newly acquired frankin covey quest binders.. - Tracy Reinhardt

• For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
• Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 

Enjoy

Free for All Friday No. 310

Some of us keep gratitude journals in our Filofaxes, which is a wonderful way to increase awareness and appreciation of life.

This week, I realized how grateful I am for my Filofax! It's always there for me when the unexpected happens and I have to make a sudden change of plans.

Why are you grateful for your Filofax? (Or anything else, since this is "free" for all Friday!)

How much paper is too much paper?

Does your Filofax look as stuffed as this one?

Actually that one isn't so bad, most of the 'extras' aren't on the rings themselves, although the strap looks like it might pull the popper out of the front cover....

How about this one, doesn't look too bad does it?

Look at this one!!!! Ah now we are talking... now pay attention to how the paper is bending around the rings.

Thank you to Deb, Chris and Leah for those photos. Here's some I set up myself.

So to attempt to do something similar I just kept adding paper the odd diary insert or two as you do, to get a similar result.

Again notice the pages being pushed around the rings towards the base plate.

Notice what happens when you open the organiser, the pages just fan out, because that is what they want to do when there's too much paper on the rings.

Here is the same organiser with the normal number of pages in it.

Notice this time when we open it, the pages largely stay together in the middle.

What about slimline organisers?

If we look at a slimline with only 11 mm rings the issue of the paper inside of the arc of the rings becomes a little more obvious.

With a similar number of pages on either side of the rings, there doesn't look like there is too much of a problem. But when you have more on one side than the other, the inside edges of the pages start to interfere with each other as in this first picture below.

Then when you try to move all of the pages to one side of the rings... they open!! Getting the pages back on to the rings and getting them closed takes some fiddling!

Why does this happen?

So what is going on here. Let me try and explain with the aid of some simple drawings and we will look at normal size personal size rings.

So here is a 'normal' load of pages, if you imagine each single page here was say 20-25 pages you will get the idea better...

So with this number of pages, they sit quite neatly in the middle arc of the rings.  Now at this point I want you to note what is happening to the inside edge of the pages that sit within the rings. In this example you will see that as they are neatly sat towards the middle of the arc of the rings the inside edge, inside the rings is clear of the inside arc of the rings.

So with the organiser open, we add even more pages, more than double. As you can see they start to fan outwards the further around the arc of the rings they are.

Now look at what is happening with the paper on the inside of the rings, it is starting to press against the inside of the rings.

To make matters worse if we use card dividers towards the front or back of the organiser with this amount of paper they will not bend as easily and will press on the inside of the rings with this amount of paper in the organiser.

If we now close the organiser with this amount of paper in it look what happens. The inside edges of the paper are now pushed inwards as the paper is compressed.

I have tried to show here that having more paper on the rings than you should have this results with the paper on the inside of the rings being compressed together on the inside of the rings and this potentially starts forcing the rings open or causing them to gap.

So what can you do to solve this issue?

1. Use less paper in your organiser...  or
2. Use an organiser with larger rings, such as a Van der Spek Standard (personal) which are available with 30 mm rings. or their A5 Manager with 35 mm rings.

How much is too much?

Whilst I was at the Van der Spek workshop two weeks ago, I was given a copy of the Krause rings specification sheet for the rings they use on their organisers.

The ring capacity is given in the specification sheet as a thickness of paper on the rings. Krause quote their rings by the external diameter, were as we normally quote the internal diameter. The letters and numbers in () are the Kruse model numbers which you will find on page 21 of the catalogue in the link above.

• Pocket (PER152/06/20) - 20 mm internal diameter - Paper capacity 14mm
• Personal (PER171/06/25) - 25mm internal diameter - Paper capacity 19mm
• Personal (PER171/06/30) - 30mm internal diameter - Paper capacity 24mm
• A5 (PER216/06/25) - 25mm internal diameter - Paper capacity 19mm 
• A5 (PER216/06/30) - 30mm internal diameter - Paper capacity 24mm

So as a rule-of-thumb, take the ring internal diameter in milli-meters and subtract 6 mm and you have the paper capacity in milli-meters.  You should be able to apply this rule-of-thumb to any brand of organiser with similar size rings.