16 January 2015

Free For All Friday No. 322 by Steve

So two weeks in to the New Year, what is working in your 'new' set up if you have changed and what isn't working?

Or if you kept the same set up, what do you think could work better may be?

However, it is Friday so feel free to throw in any topical comments for discussion.

Have a great weekend.


12 comments:

  1. I've switched to an A5 Classic, Wo1P with the Notes on facing page. Two work dividers for respective clients; a creative divider for novel and short story notes; and a journal section with lovely fountain pen-friendly Bindex paper I picked up in Tokyo. A Rhodia A5 jotpad is stuffed in the back, acting as the second draft home to poems, just before I type them.

    I'm treating the A5 like a "mother ship" holding my freelance writer's life. In turn, the A5 launches "satellites" and "shuttles" of cahiers and pocket notebooks I carry on trips out - may be an A6 Sigel Conceptum with graph paper, or a Field Notes in a leather holder with two card slots.

    I've had to pack it for one trip -- and yes, been a bear. However, worth it so far. I'm thriving in the additional writing space.

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  2. I picked up an amazing bargain on eBay so am now in the A5 purple malden I alwayd wanted - and I just received a contract offer for my dream job which means that I am going to make (and print) some custom inserts and downsize to Personal as I'll be living in a tiny space for 6 months!

    Between now and then I'll be travelling, and I've modified my pocket set up so I have all my travel details in there Do1P style, and I'll take my clipbook or malden with me on these pre-departure trips so I can keep planning while I'm gone!

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  3. I used week on two pages, but changed end of last year to day on two pages. Combined with a year planner and monthly overviews this is the best setup I've ever had.
    Most of the layout is inspired by the people here ;-)
    Oh, planner is personal, the A5 is for project work only.
    The pocket records daily health data.

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  4. I also use a personal as my daily planner on the go, an A5 as work planner plus a mini with wallet function as my purse, daily work time record and keyholder that I can easily slip into my jacket pocket when going out for a break. I am happy with this combo that works fine for me. Only small amendments in my personal to come and my work planner is in constant adaptation process according to my changing work needs. For now that it is Friday: Happy weekend for you!

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  5. im using 3 filofaxes at the moment. Ive got a Pocket Pennybridge which i used as my wallet. Personal Metropol which was my first filofax and I keep that with me. Also got an A5 Finsbury that has all my appointments in.
    I love decorating the pages with tapes aswell

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  6. My set-up remains a Malibu Desk,upgraded with 1.25" or 1.5" rings, housing FC MO2P tabbed calendars and Piaric 2DPP dailies. That remains the correct set-up for my needs, but as I've been under a lot of stress and depression lately I haven't been using it every day and am now forcing myself to do so and thereby not let too much fall through the cracks in the face of new family challenges. I did learn that I need to supplement my EDC with an ever-present capture book, however, so rather than hauling my Malibu from room to room or wherever to wherever, I've raided my home office storage closet and have come up with a tiny notepad holder to carry around in my pocket. A smaller pen is on the shopping list for today to go with that. My Pocket Chameleon is just a leeeetle too big for that capture book, unfortunately. The sad little notepad holder will suffice until I find a Mini, which are more scarce than I imagined them to be here in the US, even online.

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    Replies
    1. Nancy, email me if you are interested in my unused mini. mstraat@neb.rr.com

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    2. That's kind of you. I decided to stop whining about what I don't have and instead be grateful for what I do have. :)

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  7. FC classic DO2P is what I like, but I have been trying to code red, yellow, green (per Mark Woods' book "Attack Your Day") I just took highlighters and made the top 8 ABC boxes red, next 10 green, and bottom 8 yellow. I found that markng them first and then having to think about my item before I write it really helps me think about its importance and which color I should write it behind. Then I can work my list top to bottom and don't have to waste time bouncing up and down the page sorting for importance, it is so easy when they are grouped together.

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  8. I went back to week on two pages as the daily pages were too much space and my brain need everything in one view. It's working great. I have daily pages in a seperate filofax for journaling and love that I have lots of room to write and can keep my journaling seperate from my planning, but still dated. I also have a weekly section for my scrapbooking and so far I have used it all, though more on busy days than days where we don't do much. Starting next week though, that is going to change as I go back to work full time after almost 9 months of maternity leave. I'm going to need my planners and to actually plan stuff.

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  9. FC Compact M2P (tabs are a neccessity), W2P slotted behind their respective months. Because I'm too lazy to re-write, all other pages are still FF Personal size sandwiching and keeping the calendar in the center. 4 FC Pagelifters. One on either end, and one at either side of the calendar. This gives me a more solid writing space and together with the occupied pen loop of my Raspberry Saffiano,
    keep the strap from squashing my tabs. Nothing triggers my planner OCD as mangled tabs and pages curling under the rings.

    Onto the Calendars. I've started putting appointments and deadlines on the monthly page. Weeklies are reserved for tasks. I have a 2 1/2" wide page finder which when flipped from side to side, shows and highlights the high priority tasks. Not so important "should do" tasks are covered by the page finder. For non-date-specific tasks, I interleaf my Personal size to do list. This shows part of the larger FC page, and tells me that there's still more of the week back there. Have to do this to deal with the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome.
    Apologies for being long winded. This system, with little tweaks here and there, has really worked for my quirks since the new year. We'll see how it goes.

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  10. I'm still in my burgundy Cavendish Personal after downsizing from an A5 Portobello late last year, using freeform (blank) pages I've cut and punched myself from a fountainpen-friendly A4 pad. After a shaky December and start to January, I'm persevering with a hybrid system based on GTD. My calendar is still in Work Outlook (sadly), on the one-life-one-calendar principle. I also have a red Deskfax (a DX1CLF7/8) which I'm aiming to use for more strategic level planning, but that hasn't fully come into use yet. I need to step back somewhat and get my head round the higher level planning, decide where I want to go and formulate a bit of superstructure to guide my runway-level activity in the Cavendish. There also needs to be a bit more concentration on what *I* need to be doing for *me* - at the moment I'm recovering from a period of depression and my existence is far too reactive and based around what other people want from me... need to get a grip and start driving again!

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