Web Finds - 31 March 2015

I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is 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. Clocks change; filofax change - Paper Pens Ink
2. Pineiders A Plenty - This Bug's Life
3. Time management Monday: Streamline your day - Quo Vadis Blog
4. Unboxing my pocket Bethge - Love All Planners
5. Comparison of Van Der Spek Janet Leather and Undyed Leather - This Bug's Life
6. Personalizziamo l'agenda _ il page marker - Lucy Wonderland
7. Week on 2 Pages Update [printable] - Planner Fun
8. Planning with a "Different Mind" - The Paradox of an Organised Scientist
9. Gucci Planner - This Bug's Life 
10. Made an Impression with GTD - Getting Things Done
11. Last week’s planner hauls - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
12. My ‪‎Malden‬ got jealous of my ‪Cremebrulee‬ ‪chunkiness :D !!!! - Art of Memories
13. Organisers by Embroleather on Etsy - This Bug's Life
14. To Filofax or Not to Filofax - This Hobbits Life
15. How to make Ribbon paper clips for your planner or journal - Mrs Brimbles
16. Is this my unicorn? - This Bug's Life
17. #LISTERSGOTTALIST Challenge April 2015 - The Velvet Filo
18. This One Productivity Tip Helped Me Do a Week of Work in 3 Hours - Strange & Charmed
19. An Easter Blog Hop With Jessica - Hey Charlie
20. A trade about to happen between Nati and I - This Bug's Life
21. Details of a Daily Plan - Giftie Etcetera
22. The Diva Arrives…! Filofax Personal Amazona in Red - Kel and Filofax
23. NK Stockholm has limited edition Filofax Exotics in stock! - This Bug's Life
24. April Pocket Challenge - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
25. Planner compromises? - Plannerisms
26. Overcome Your Time Management Weakness - Time Management Ninja
27. Il Bisonte organisers - This Bug's Life
28. My Review Monday: The Reset Girl Labels for Planners + Giveaway - My Purpley Life
29. March Release Guest Post – Riley - Studio L2e
30. DIY Filofax Planner Vision Board - Seaweed Kisses
31. Under production, a trio of organizers by VDS in Louis Vuitton/Longchamp leather - This Bug's Life
32. Sometimes, Last Place Is a Win - 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. Planner Setup March 2015 | Filofax, Erin Condren + Midori - Haley Cairo
2. 5 Favorite Planner Resources | Plan Like an Entrepreneur - Alexis
3. My Review Monday: The Reset Girl Labels for Planners - My Purpley Life
4. The Night I Burnt My Filofax - Kent from Oz
5. Filofax A5 Calypso Setup 2015 Update - Dimjourney
6. My DIY Filofax Vision Board - Seaweed Kisses
7. Mein Terminplaner/ Filofax - xBeCreativeWithMex
8. Mein "Filofax " // deutsch | - xLindeyy
9. Mein Filofax | Hype ? | Personal Nude | Filofaxing | Verlosung | Deutsch 2015 |  - Simply Jessy
10. My Current Filofax's & TN Setups - Monique Smith
11. Filofax Domino A5 Setup - WerWolfLover
12. Mein filofax ♥ | butterfly personal | Terminplaner24.com - Jessis diary
13. QUICK GILLIO PLANNER SETUP - Shanita Mills

• 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.

My Week Posts

1. My week 116 - Sabina
2. My week #12 - She's Elcectic
3. Filofax Friday Week 14!! - What My Mama Gave Me
4. My week #154 - Paper Lovestory
5. My Week #13 (2015) - Joanny White
6. I'm so ready for it - This weeks pages - Mrs Brimbles
7. My week 117 - Sabina
8. My Weeks 10/52, 11/52, 12/52 - So Joey Creates

Enjoy

Free For All Tuesday No. 217

A Date For Your Diary - Sunday 5th April

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 5 April from 8am New York time, 1pm London time, 2pm Paris time, 10pm Brisbane time.

Yes we realise this is Easter Sunday, but yesterday the clocks all changed in Europe (one hour less sleep) and the weekend after I am not available to host the call.

With this timing we hope to be able to join people on the East coast of North America with our friends in Australia

See the World Clock to make sure you have the right time.

The timing of this one session has 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.

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! A tea or coffee and some chocolate Easter eggs!

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 5 April 2015.

Filofax UK 2013-14 Product Guide

Today we look back to the recent times of 2013 to see the product guide for 2013/14.

The 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.

Reader Under The Spotlight - Natasha

Today I would like to introduce you to Natasha.

Being an optimist with a dry sense of humor has gotten me out of alot of tricky situations. Now I 'homestead', this term is used very loosely, in suburbia with a husband, 3 dogs, 1 cat and 5 chickens.

While I work for a large corporation in a 'satellite' office (OK, it's a room in my house) I balance my days with cooking, organizing, crafting, vlogging and occasionally showing my mug on camera. Cooking has always been one way I express my love which explains the amount of leftovers friends and family are usually sent home with after social events. A large part of my brain is geared to solve problems, work related or not, I see the big picture and tend to approach things from the point of view - I can fix pretty much anything - stopping short of surgery and tooth removal.

I first fell in love with all things paper when I was 5 years old on a visit to my grandfather's accounting office and have been hooked ever since.

You are more likely to find me in Staples than Nordstrom or Harrods. Ironically I work in a the tech field but there is just something very comforting about writing on paper that I'm not ready to replace entirely.

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

I was introduced to planners/organizers at my first full time job in 1988 but now can't even recall what it was besides the fact that it was ringed and the company I was working for provided calendar refills.

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

I'm always keeping an eye out for new or interesting organizers and just how much customization they offer but at the moment I'm eyeing the Erin Condren planners because of the cover flexibility.

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

My current favourite, purely based on use, is the Black Personal Metropol which is my wallet. I love the fact that it's utilitarian, faux leather and stands up to being tossed around without fear of scratches or dents.

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

At the moment I have 10, 9 Filofax and 1 PlanAHead find that is in personal size that I keep for my husband. They are primarily black, violet and purple because I find them timeless.

5. What is the oldest organiser in your collection?

The Pocket Sketch in black, it was a giveaway prize from an online friend which reminded me just how much I enjoy writing on paper vs. keeping track of life on electronics.

6. What do you use your organisers for?

I am primarily use my organizers for scheduled events, projects, plan weekly menu, receipts, appointments and most unusual part of my daily tracking is the number of eggs from our backyard chickens.

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

It's all about the rings for me. They make the customizing possibilities endless, challenging for me to find new ways to use my organizers.

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

My Franken-Filo would have the following bits & bobs:

• Black Personal size Embossed Faux leather with raised portions silver leafed
• Full length hidden pocket
• Zipper interior pocket
• 1.5 in Silver rings to match the silver leaf on cover
• Faux Leather Dividers with silver leaf metal tabs
• Faux Leather Credit Card/Business Card inserts
• Back cover with multiple elastic pen loops (from rings to edge horizontally)
• Detachable wristlet that attaches via permanent eyelet at the top above the ring assembly
• Eyelet at the bottom (below the ring assembly) for interchangeable charms
• Easily removable ring assembly for swapping out content or removable covers, depending on which way you look at it
• Inside pockets with gussets and hidden magnetic closures to collapse when not in full use
• Better stop here...

9. How do you carry your Filofax?

I only 'carry' one and that one is on a wristlet which is clipped to the top ring. I find it easy and convenient to grab and go out the door.

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

I have yet to see a Filofax that I MUST have but I always check for new arrivals.

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

I am a bargain hunter and try my best to not pay full price for anything which includes my Filofax organizers. The most I paid was my recent addition of Purple A5 Malden for $121.80

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

Using the Rapesco Adjustable Diary Punch for A5 inserts by making a couple of simple markings (I did a video along with all the math so it's easy peasy).

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

Your utmost dedication and the passion you share with your readers/followers/subscribers. It's infectious!

14. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

Not sure there is anything that I dislike.

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

Regina Spector - Oh Marchello

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

No but I think it would be lovely if there is one driving distance from my home.

17. What was the last movie you watched?

St. Vincent

18. What was the last book you read?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

19. George Clooney or Brad Pitt?

Clooney, Pitt is simply too pretty and a girl just can't compete with that, lol.

Thank you Natasha. 

As you know we are constantly looking for new people to appear in our 'Reader Under Spotlight feature, you don't have to be 'well known' or a long term user to be considered to appear in this 'spot'. 

So please contact Steve philofaxy at gmail dot com today. Thank you.

Web Finds - 28 March 2015

I hope your week has gone well.

So now it is time to enjoy a small collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

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

1. We’re a bit taken with these colourful new Filofax Notebooks - Shiny Shiny
2. GTD through a Life-Threatening Illness - Getting Things Done
3. My Pineider planners just arrived!!! - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
4. My mulberry setup – for now - Argentum VivumXO
5. Pre-printed holidays? Or write them in yourself? - Plannerisms
6. How to Create Perfect Lines in a Planner - Giftie Etcetera
7. Personal Size To Do List with Rabbit Clipart [printable] - Planner Fun
8. Free Printable: Instagram Stickers - Plannerholics
9. The GTD Methodology Hasn’t Changed - Getting Things Done
10. New Dashboards - Stationery Starlet
11. A Different Way to Use DIYLife Mapping Inserts - Homemakers Daily
12. Spring Cleaning Essentials Checklist {Free Printable} - Strange & Charmed
13. GTD and the Power of Moms - Getting Things Done
14. Goodbye Mr Finsbury. I’m Sorry It Didn’t ‘Workout’ - Hey Charlie
15. Poll: Where do you buy/ get your planners? - Plannerims
16. Filofax spotted in the wild - This Bug's Life
17. Personalizziamo l'agenda _ la dashboard - Lucy Wonderland
18. Filofax Domino - Thoughts & Feelings - Mrs Brimbles
19. Finnaly I got some courage to start my own YT channel :) - The Paradox of An Organized Scientist
20. Work-Life Balance - Stationery Startlet
21. Friday Feature: An Interview with Label Me Merrit - Planner Bug
22. A place to keep track of my Collections - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
23. What Gets Your Awe? - Filofaxuations
24. Filofax Friday - Fluropink Original - Confessions of a YarnAddict
25. Filofax Cabriolet - Travellers Notebook Times
26. My (not so little) planner family - Blackeyedthoughts
27. Have You Checked These Out? - Planner Fun

• 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

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:

1. Reader Under The Spotlight - Laurie
2. Filofax UK 2012-13 Catalogue
3. Free For All Tuesday No. 216
4. Web Finds - 24 March 2015
5. Gillio launch new pastel colours for Spring/Summer...
6. Gillio Meet Up - March 2015
7. Free For All Friday No 332 by Laurie

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

1. Van der Spek Touch Me - Scrap Joy
2. ♡ FILOFAX ♡ || Set-Up, Ideen, Inspirationen ... - MissAsSoon AsPossible
3. No.1: Page Flags in Your Filofax - Scrapjoy
4. Pocket Malden using DIYFish inserts - One Fantastic Find!
5. Updated Filofax Tour! - A Paper Umbrella
6. SETUP | Personal Filofax (Terminus) - MelComesAround
7. DIY tracker :) A quick filofax hack - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist
8. First look-at my new Filofax!!! - Ellie Paik
9. Personal Planner Comparison // Kikki K Time Planner, Filofax Saffiano, Color Crush Planner - Moe Howard
10. Personal size DIYFish inserts with Day on 1 page for work and personal use. - One Fantastic Find!
11. Filofax Pocket Setup - Mein Planer - Planner Rocket
12. How to make Filofax inserts on Word! (2 Printing methods) - Emma Hannah
13. Quick look at the IL Bisonte Insider medium planner - One Fantastic Find!
14. Part 2: Filofax Planner Clearance Sale Video - The Domestic Handmaiden of Distinction
15. Planning in A5 Filofax - From Chaos to Order
16. New Setup in Filofax Personal Size - Paper & Planners
17. My Planner Set Up A5 Filofax Turquoise Patent Domino - Housefulofgrls
18. Filofax Update - Karobi
19. Updated Filofax Routine - Nicky Goldsmith
20. A look at the pocket dividers I added - One Fantastic Find!
21. Filofax Domino - Thoughts & Feelings - Anna Brim
22. Filofax Insert Tutorial Lesson 3 - WO1P with 2PP - ScrappinMariposa
23. Screencast Tutorial | How to Print a PDF as an A5 Insert for a Filofax - Alexis
24. My Rapesco Hole Puncher Review - Jessica Bella

• 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 332 by Laurie

I just recently discovered the joy of printable planner pages. I admit I was resistant, for years. But I finally caved and I'm so glad I did!

I keep it as simple as possible and print directly onto A5 size paper so there's no cutting (which would result in disasterously uneven edges due to my terrible cutting skills). I'm loving the freedom of not having to rely on any retailer to produce the pages I want. I just print and go!

It seems to me that printables are becoming more and more popular these days as mass-market retailers offer fewer options. There are loads of downloadables online such as the free printables here on Philofaxy or for sale on other sites like Etsy or people's blogs.

Do you use printable planner pages? Why or why not?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss and/ or ask anything ring-binder related.

Gillio Meet Up - March 2015

This last weekend I attended the Gillio meet up in Brussels and Antwerp. It was quite an event, I travelled to Brussels on Thursday so I could offer some help to get things ready and to meet the team at Gillio.

Mella met me at the station and we took a short metro ride to the area of Brussels where the Gillio Boutique is located.

Photo by Mella

My offer of help was very welcome, no sooner had I arrived at the shop in Brussels I was helping to unpack lots of different organisers and 'oh Steve can you please check the rings on them all' !! Good job I had my 'rings toolkit' with me!!!

Gillio launch new pastel colours for Spring/Summer 2015

At this last weekends meet up, Gillio Firenze revealed their new range of pastel coloured leathers. A more detailed report will be published tomorrow.

Initially shown in their Mia Cara range, they said this range of new colours will be added to their other organiser models over time and possibly to some of the non-organiser products as well.

Naturally the reactions from the people present and on the Gillio Facebook group have been very positive about the new range of colours.

I've created a collage of the new collection from the pre-launch photos:

Photographs Copyright Gillio Firenze 2015

The video of the new collection.



There was time to look at the new colours and they were passed around and then there was a 'one more thing' moment....

We were shown a prototype of their new A6 size, which included various design elements that had been suggested at the Gillio Think Tank that was held in London last June.

They also showed us some new fly leaves with integral credit card slots, another suggestion from the Think Tank.

Taken from the Gillio Website.

Availability of the Pastel Collection & other novelties

Thanks everyone for the wonderful responses to our new Pastel Collection!

We know you are all eager to find out when they will be available...

We only had a few prototypes of each colour, and many of them were sold at the store during the meet-up already. The last remaining prototypes will be sold on our website on Thursday, March 26^th, at 11 o'clock CET.

The ‘full' release of the Pastel Collection will be around the end of May, in Pocket, Medium and A5 Mia Cara. Other styles and sizes will be available later on, once more leather is produced. Pre-ordering is not possible.

We were happy to see that the A6 Compagna (with full length back pocket and removable ring protectors) was also a success! The design will now be evaluated and ‘tweaked' to perfection. We expect to be producing it by July. 

And, last but not least: loose flyleaves! We have different models - with pen-loop, with a zipper, with credit card pockets... They will be available in Pocket, A6, Medium and A5 size and in different colours. They will be available around July as well.

Thanks again for all your enthusiasm and we are looking forward to a colourful summer with our new epoca leathers!

A big thank you to Ben, Tom Van Haelen and the rest of the Gillio team for hosting such an exciting event.

Web Finds - 24 March 2015

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is 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. Reader's Reads #2: Steve Morton - Fennell Books
2. Filofax Scanda in personal size - This Bug's Life
3. Filofax - Country Girl - City Life
4. New Chevron Dividers for my Filofax - Filofax Love
5. New Work Planner - Stationery Starlet
6. Reader Requested Simple Checkbook Register [printable] - Planner Fun
7. The A to Z Challenge: The Theme Reveal - Planning with Printed Portal
8. Blocking off time - Susan's Blog
9. Binders with leather covered backplates - This Bug's Life
10. Time management Monday: Do less? - Quo Vadis
11. Fountain Pen & Planner Bliss (Hopefully) - It's Bluetiger
12. The Life of an Organized Scientist - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist
13. Brain dump monthly inserts & Brain dump trigger list [FREE] - Organise your Life & Mind
14. A sneak peek inside my work planner - Stationery Starlet
15. To Do Lists - Their Many Types and Uses  - The Paradox of An Organised Scientist
16. Friday Feature: An Interview with MsWenduhh - Planner Bug
17. Nati’s Pineider binders - This Bug's Life
18. Stop Being So FILOFUSSY! - Filofaxuations
19. Compact pennybridge wallet update - PaperCutterz
20. VDS and Fountain Pen Case - It's Bluetiger
21. My Bedside Table Planner Essentials - Hey Charlie
22. The 5 minute review | Gillio planners - Style playground
23. Jan-Dec dividers for 2015 for Personal and A5 Filofax - My Life All in One Place

• 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. What's in my Kikki K planner | Life is crafted inserts | Axelle Blanpain 
2. Filofax Insert Tutorial Lesson 3 - WO1P with 2PP - ScrappinMariposa 
3. FILOFAX Update I neues SETUP I Saffiano I Tipps - Sara Marie
4. How I Set Up My A5 Filofax Original As My Business Hub - Anne Samoilov
5. Présentation de mon Filofax - Le Corps La Maison L'esprit Laetitia
6. Mein Filofax...! - Mami Anne
7. Filofax pocket Size Holborn Used As Wallet - Cindy W
8. Filofax Setup Saffiano - Manchmal Sonne

• 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.

My Week Posts

1. My week #153 - Paper Lovestory
2. My Week #12 (2015) - Joanny White
3. Filofax Friday Week 13!  - What My Mama Gave Me
4. Week Thirteen - Stationery Starlet
5. This Weeks Decorated Pages // Week 13 - Hey Charlie
6. My Week #7 - The Kentish Kitchen
7. Week planner 93# - Lucy Wonderland

Enjoy

Free For All Tuesday No. 216

Filofax UK 2012-13 Catalogue

This week we go back to look at the UK catalogue for 2012-2013.

The 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.

As this is a picture heavy post, there is a break after the first image, please click 'read more' to see the whole post.

Reader Under The Spotlight - Laurie

Today I would like to introduce you all to Laurie. 

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

My first organizer was the ARC system from Staples. It's bright pink. I bought this is in September of 2014. Up until then I was using the At-A-Glance student calendar. I needed something that worked more as an organizer than a date book.

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

I currently have the Filofax Lemon Patent Compact, Webster's Pages binder in Skyblue, a Franklin Covey Macaroon in Black and a Kate Spade Filofax in Red. I love them all and have purses to match.

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

I love the personal size, its just the right size to put into my handbag and to hold all my stuff.

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

Currently I own five. I started on this journey in September, now it has turned into a full blown addiction. I love that I can carry around everything I need to keep track of the many schedules in my life. There is no more forgetting to pick up one kid because the other kid has to be someplace else at the same time. I love that they are so busy and have such full lives but it does take some planning.

5. What is the oldest organiser in your collection?

That would be the ARC planner. Its not very old but as I said I am a newbie in this world of personal planners.

6. What do you use your organisers for?

I use them to keep track of the schedules of a very busy family of four. Siena (my 14 year old) is on a dance competition team and has dance three days a week, as well as many other rehearsals and shows. On top of that she is very active in school working with the drama department and of course she is a social butterfly.

My 11 year old, Ani is a total sports junkie, so we have basketball, soccer, track and bike club schedules to contend with as well as all her school and social activities. My husband travels for work so I need to have his schedule at the ready as well as my own schedule. I also keep master copies of the girls teams schedules in my binder. I also use it to schedule errands, and any volunteer work that I do.

Inside my binder you will also find my reading list, my to do list as well as grocery lists and the such. My planners are definitely work horses.

7. How many sections do you have in your organiser and what is each section used for?

I have six sections in my planner at all times. After my dashboard I have the monthly calendar pages, this is where I put everything into before it goes into the weekly pages. The next section is the weekly pages. I keep four months at a time in my binder and I spend time each Sunday night decorating and updating the info for the following week.

The next section is my To Do lists. This usually includes things like "pick up dry cleaning, rhinestone Siena's costume or schedule orthodontist appts". Then comes my Grocery lists, I update this as we run out of things.

Then I have a section for keeping track of my reading lists. I found a great print out on Pop Sugar that I am currently using.

Then I have a pocket for all my inserts, like master schedules for my girls activities as well as the school calendar. Like I said my planner is the control center of my life.

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

This is going to sound strange but I love the rings. They line up perfectly and hold a lot of stuff in place.

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

I would probably add a little pocket for my smart phone.

10. How do you carry your Filofax?

I toss it into my purse, on the passenger side seat of my car and it ends up on the kitchen counter quite a bit too. I am so glad its sturdy and easy to wipe down if it gets smutz on it.

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

Right now I am lusting after the personal sized Domino in turquoise. Oh yeah I am so buying it and a purse to match.

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

I spent roughly 118 on my Kate Spade for Filofax in red.

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

I love the idea of a laminated To Do list that I got from Alexis at http://www.strangecharmed.com/.

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

The people are by far the best! I love that everyone is so willing to help everyone else. There is no competition between members that you find in other online communities.

15. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

So far the only thing is not really a problem with Philofaxy. Its more with my iPhone. Its to darn small to read the blog on when I am in the car. (as a passenger not the driver, LOL)

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

OMGosh I have no idea. I can tell you the last audio book I downloaded though.  "The Virgin's Lover" by Phillipa Gregory.

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

Not yet but I would love too. That would be so much fun, to hang out with people who share your planner enthusiasm.

18. What was the last movie you watched?

"Into the Woods" with my girls.

19. What was the last book you read?

"The Queen's Fool" by Phillipa Gregory. I am a total history buff. I am currently reading "The Virgin's Lover" and "The Other Queen" is next on the list. All of these are by Phillipa Gregory.

Thank you Laurie. 

As you know we are constantly looking for new people to appear in our 'Reader Under Spotlight feature, you don't have to be 'well known' or a long term user to be considered to appear in this 'spot'. 

So please contact Steve philofaxy at gmail dot com today. Thank you.

Web Finds - 21 March 2015

I hope your week has gone well.

So now it is time to enjoy a small collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

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

1. A Fresh Work Space - Day Timer
2. My planner hints - Stationery Starlet
3. Mom's Night Out: A Planner Discussion - Planner Fun
4. Filofax/Midori/Hobonichi stencils - This Bug's Life
5. Finding the right planner setup: part 2- First set up in compact wine Holborn - Random Pastimes for a Restless Mind
6. My Mini Unicorn!!! - Adventures in Trying to Organize my Life
7. Planner Pals - A lesson learnt the hard way - Stationery Starlet
8. to-do lists: no task too small - Paper Lovestory
9. Reader Designed Daily Page [printable] - Planner Fun
10. On their way to me from the Pineider sale in Italy  - This Bug's Life
11. Sick of Planning? 6 Questions to Get You Back on Track - Homemakers Daily
12. Why I Use Tags for Repeating Tasks Instead of Movable Tasks - Giftie Etcetera
13. A5 Weekly Inserts for my ARC Planner  - Organise your Life & Mind
14. Getting Things Done Updated for 2015 - GTD
15. Cognac Italian full grain leather (21 years old) and the new VDS equivalents  - This Bug's Life
16. How My Planner Gets All The Things Done - Giftie Etcetera
17. Using Your Planners : Tips from our Designers - Mrs Brambles
18. Freebie Friday: Cleaning Schedule - Black Eyed Thoughts
19. How do you use Priority boxes in your planner? - Quo Vadis
20. Filofax A5 planner decoration March - The Creative Canvass

• 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

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:

1. Reader Under The Spotlight - Lisa
2. Filofax Time Management Catalogue 2006-7
3. Free For All Tuesday No. 215
4. Web Finds - 17 March 2015
5. Guest Post by Tim Edwards PART 1 - Time managemen...
6. Guest Post by Tim Edwards PART 2 - Filofax Time Ma...
7. Free For All Friday No. 331 by Tim Edwards

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

1. {Filofax} Planners Update - DarkLittlePeople
2. FiloFax Malden Setup and Review - Brianna Cato
3. How and why I use a color coding system in my Filofax - Missfilofax
4. DIY FILOFAX #follow me trough - Frau Punktum
5. Mein Filofax | Domino A5 - JulimachtLaune
6. Websters Pages Planner | Initial Thoughts| Comparison - MissVickybee

• 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. 331 by Tim Edwards

Some people are avid collectors of different binders, and others love decoration or the tactile feel of the different Filofax designs.

On the other hand, many users see their organiser as a planning tool to help them set goals and progress towards achieving them. This week has featured several time management posts.

Do you use your organiser(s) primarily for planning with monthly, weekly AND daily pages?

Do you set and review progress to achieving goals on a regular basis?

Ask yourself - is your Filofax collection really a hobby, or is it a way of life?

Naturally as this is Friday please feel free to discuss anything ring bound planner or organiser related.

Guest Post by Tim Edwards PART 2 - Filofax Time Management – The Professional System

Yesterday we took a brief look at the time management systems that were competing against Filofax in the 1980’s and I asked why Filofax had not entered that market.

It was almost the end of the century before they did – at a time that demand for paper-based time management systems was – surely - already largely exhausted. It came as a massive surprise to me, therefore, when I saw the launch of Filofax - The Professional System in a Viking stationery catalogue in 2003.

Overwhelmed with email and yearning for a return to the glory days of paper, I purchased the new A5 system, directly from Filofax.  It was the first official Filofax I had owned!  But, from where did Filofax Time Management originate?

James Noon (from ‘A’ Time) has provided the answers!  He tells me that his first connection with Filofax was in 1997 when Filofax bought the intellectual properties of his successful system.  Filofax also purchased the copyrights to his book, the ‘A’ Time trademarks, the designs of his ‘A’ Time pages and his customer database.  James wrote a book for Filofax in 1998 called ‘Start Time Forward’ which was all about planning forward from start times rather than planning backwards from deadlines.

He also ran the ‘A’ Time training courses for the first couple of years under Filofax ownership. Filofax acquired the domain name www.timemanagement.co.uk in 1999 and launched in 2003. They still own it, but is now defunct. Production continued of ‘A’ Time pages with Filofax branding. They had very pale red headings and feint grey lines on white paper. 

Big changes were planned and in 2003 Filofax re-launched The Filofax Time Management brand as The Professional System and with slogans such as “making time work for you”, “time for business…time for leisure” and “a dynamic tool for smarter working. (Note that The Filofax Professional Organiser was the name originally given to the Deskfax system – not the same thing!).

Comparison between 'A' Time page from 1995 (when brand still independent) and 2002 (when it had been acquired by Filofax, but before the 2003 relaunch) Photo: Lynn (Cloudberry)

The ‘A’ Time forms and accessories were redesigned and the colours changed to black and white, presumably to save cost. James disagreed with this decision because the three-colour printing was a basis of the ‘A’ Time brand. However, Filofax Group now owned that brand and references to ‘A’ Time were completely dropped!

Logo 1997-2003 when ‘A’ Time forms were being sold

Logo from 2003 with the launch of The Professional System

One thing that did not change was the discrete letter ‘A’ in the time plan column of pages and which was an important feature of the original system. It can still be found today on the dated products, but I had no idea that it related back to ‘A’ Time!

The only reference I could find was on page 8 of the 2003 user guide that just says “In column ‘A’, block out chunks of priority time on your appointment schedule with a vertical arrow or bar”. But as James explains: “by marking this column (say with a pencil scribble) ahead in time it signified that at that time you would be doing ‘A’ priority work even if you did not know what that work was at the time of marking. This helped to protect your time ahead so that when you arrived at that time ahead you did indeed have time to plan and focus upon very important work”

Clearly, a lot of work had been done leading up to the 2003 launch of the Filofax Time Management range. Brochures from 2003 and 2005 may be viewed here

At its height there were zipped and unzipped, leather and leather-look A5 options. There were two pages per day and two pages per week options and a Pocket Companion wallet and annual refill. Dated and undated stationery packs were widely available and each form could be purchased separately as you needed them. I found the Mind Map, Results Planner and Project Planner forms particularly useful.

There was a user manual and advice on setting up your “Key Area Sub-Division designed to capture and manage dynamic information relating to your work under the sub-dividers”. Training courses were offered (still sub-contacted), particularly the one-day Time Skills Open Course, held in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

I quickly discovered the biggest limitation of the system was size and weight. My leather look, zipped version was a standard A5 Logic Zip binder. Even with just the weekly contents, it weighed around 2kg!

Furthermore, I now had a mobile phone and laptop to carry around, which I didn’t in the 1980’s. I persevered for a while but soon went back to my relatively lightweight Time Manager Compact size for general use, with my A5 Logic tethered to the desk.

The last brochure I received came out in June 2006. The 44 page brochure of 2003 had become 22 pages in 2005 and just 10 in the final edition. Although the courses had been scaled back, the range was still intact.

After 2007, first to go from the product range was the Pocket Companion wallet. The selection then petered out as stocks became exhausted. In the end, in about 2009, it became just a footnote on the main websites. You would struggle to find it

All reference to the Time Management range (apart from three remaining items) disappeared entirely as the new Filofax websites were rolled out, starting with the UK. You can still find the odd overseas webpage for the system standing in splendid isolation with no links to it!

Also, three products are still available – at least in the UK - for existing users. These are: -

• TM701551 Time Management Week to View Diary
• TM75024 Time Management - To Do
• TM75026 Time Management - Receipt Envelopes

So, that’s it then? Well - no - it might not be quite the end! In 2010, James Noon decided to re-write ‘A’ Time, both as a new book (print and e-book) and as an e-commerce purchased self-training system. Part of that design will be that pages can be printed out in a format to suit an A5 ring-bound system and/or downloaded to a range of electronic devices (laptop, tablet, mobile).

As part of this strategy, he asked for the rights to ‘A’ Time to be released back to him by Letts Filofax and this was granted. So it is James Noon who now owns new trademarks in the name ‘A’ Time (only in the UK at the moment).

James describes his new venture as a ‘swansong’ (he reckons to be 70!). He reports that the book is already half completed and is now looking at the paper and electronic possibilities for using ‘A’ Time.

Even in our digital era he remains convinced that we all need assistance/reminding that simple ideas can make a substantial contribution to personal and organisational productivity. However, James recognises that it would need developing as an app in order to have modern widespread appeal. “Ideally, I would like to licence out the development of the electronic side of my plan. An entrepreneurial app developer/e-commerce developer would have the worldwide exclusive rights to ‘A’ Time. So, if you know of any such person or business then let me know!”

I’m sure there are many Philofaxy readers who would be very interested in his re-vamped time management system in paper or digital format and we wish him well in developing this venture.

With many thanks to James Noon for his very helpful and interesting answers to all my questions. www.jamesnoon.co.uk.

Thanks too to David Popely and Cloudberry for the background information that enabled me to contact James.

Copyrights to all material acknowledged.

Tim Edwards, Ilkley Moor, Yorkshire UK

Thank you Tim for a brilliant two part guest post, now I know what that column is on those inserts!

Guest Post by Tim Edwards PART 1 - Time management systems in the 1980’s

The Filofax was certainly an aspirational “must-have” in the mid-1980’s, leading to it becoming (usually in jest) one of the status symbols of the “yuppie” (“Young UPpwardly mobile Professional” or, in America, the “Young Urban Professional”).

However, time management systems and training quickly became a serious competitor to the Filofax (and other brands) in business circles around the world.

The typical Filofax was used as a standalone binder of punched inserts. Although there were many serious users, its contents were often little more than a weekly diary, address and phone/fax/telex numbers, expenses pages and assorted pre-printed (and rarely referred to) reference sheets such as a Chambers spell-checker, post-war wine vintages and international radio station frequencies!

A time management system was perceived by many as a better option. It was still based on a ring binder but promised to be your “results tool”; helping you use your valuable time effectively, plan your schedule and encouraging you to concentrate on your goals and projects. This would free-up more time for leisure activities and a balanced lifestyle. (Like we all have today, right?)

There were (and still are) several different systems produced around the world. I haven’t space to cover the American-based systems here but names such as Franklin, DayRunner and Pro-Planner by Day-Timer are well known. In Europe (but sold around the world), two Danish systems were the leaders. Time Manager (TMI) was created in 1975 by Claus Møller as “the world’s first results tool”. It still claims more than 400,000 people world-wide use Time Manager as their daily planner.

Time/System with the slogan “Right things in the right time” came along in 1981. It claims to be the market leader in Europe and that more than a million people have used the system as their planning tool. It is still printed in 10 different languages.

Me? I was a Time Manager devotee from 1987. I never attended the two-day TMI course (my company was too frugal) but I devoured the contents of the three booklets that came with my vinyl binder, colourful dividers and assorted punched pages.

Each of the different systems really deserves a post of its own. For now, let’s just ask, what makes a time management set-up different to a standard Filofax?

Taking Time Manager as an example, central to its system is splitting every aspect of life into “key areas” and setting goals for each. With Time Manager, you have nine key areas – typically six for business and three for your personal life. A tenth tab is reserved for “bright ideas” that might come along at any time of the day or night!

Even today, nearly thirty years on, every aspect of my life, business and personal filing systems and entries into apps like Evernote and Informant are still indexed and tagged according to my key areas! These have changed over the years as my life has change. Running a small business, my current key areas are: -

Still using up 30 year old leaves!

“The Christmas Tree Principle” is an important way that you’re encouraged to look at your life with Time Manager. The tree trunk is you and the overall goals you’ve set yourself for your private and business life. The branches are your key areas on which to concentrate your efforts to reach your goals. The twigs are the major groups of tasks or projects and the pine needles are all your individual activities.

The idea is to avoid what Time Manager calls “flapsi hapsi” where you’re just surrounded by hundreds of to-dos (the needles) with no overview or clear priorities!

The other big attraction for me has always been the emphasis on long (annual and monthly), medium (weekly) and short-term (daily) planning and the relationship between each. In all systems, you are encouraged to look ahead, get fixed dates such as birthdays, tax returns and summer holidays written down first.

You must plan monthly and particularly the week ahead before the end of the previous week (typically Friday afternoon), setting tasks and deadlines and allocating time to achieve them. Time management binders typically open out so that monthly, weekly and daily pages can all be viewed simultaneously. Try doing that with a modern app!

A third player came along in the UK from 1984. James Noon was a member of the directing staff at Henley Management College and wrote a book called ‘Time for Success’. James ran a number of workshops on time management at the college and these became very popular.

He formed a joint venture company, called Business Time Systems in the UK with International Thomson Publishing. He bought this venture out in 1986 and at the same time he took a distribution license for the Danish Time/System product in the UK, which he combined with his ‘A’ Time ideas and training.

In 1992 he launched his own planning system designing specifically for his book 'A' Time- The busy Manager's Action Plan for Effective Self Management.

Like Time Manager and Time/System, ‘A’ Time became very popular around the world (Europe, USA, Japan, Africa and South Korea). James states that he sold 750,000 books and that (literally) thousands of managers were trained in his system.

Again, this system deserves a post of its own! Has anyone pictures of an original ‘A’ Time system or pages?

Where did Filofax feature in all this? In a nutshell - it didn’t! With massive sales in the mid-1980’s, it was already a hugely successful company. Profits in 1986, for example, were £1.4 million on sales of £6.7 million. It was only when the company turned heavily loss-making following a collapse in demand in 1989 that the new owners (Transwood Earl) started looking into other products – such as different sized organisers (A5, M2, Deskfax etc) and different markets.

Entering the time management sector didn’t come until the late 1990’s, by which time Filofax was owned by USA’s Day Runner and when paper based time management systems had been largely superseded by electronic PDAs such as the Psion organiser and desktop/ laptop packages. I used the “Time Manager for Windows” programme from about 1993 and packages such as Microsoft Outlook for Windows were well established by 1997.

Tomorrow, I’ll delve a bit into the origins of Filofax Time Management, its’ products and short-lived existence together with a look at the final catalogue from 2006.

Copyrights to all material acknowledged - Tim Edwards, Ilkley Moor, Yorkshire UK