Back in A5 again

I have a confession.
After writing this post about going back to owning just the one personal Filofax, I purchased another A5 about two weeks later.

I am in the process of clearing out and taming my paperwork, and it occurred to me that the larger A5 size would actually be quite handy for the project. As per my previous post's disclaimer, I did start looking at a Clipbook again, but I realised that a Filofax would be better suited due to larger rings, more storage and a notepad pocket. For not much more than the cost of a new Clipbook, I won an auction for a black Hamilton with great rings, but it has a couple of marks and dents which kept the bids lower. The added bonus is that the seller turned out to be someone that I had met at the last Philofaxy meet up, the lovely Jacqui!

I finally had a small epiphany about me and the A5 size. My needs will change depending on what's going on in my life, and also based on my perception of my ability to cope with this. I won't always need an A5, but there will be times when the additional space and storage will be helpful. I have no regrets about selling my Ascot and Mulberry, as somehow I feel happier about spending less money on something that I won't be using all the time.

I really like the oiled leather with contrast stitching.

I forgot to photograph it, but there is a pocket on the back exterior which is quite handy for tucking paperwork into and can be seen on the Filowiki.

On the left hand side, there is 6 credit card pockets, two smaller pockets, a full length pocket behind and a very generously sized pen loop. On the right hand side, there is a notepad pocket with a slimmer pen loop. The 30mm rings are great for holding all that paperwork!

The internal layout is great, but I do miss the secretarial pocket that I had in the Ascot and Mulberry. I was very pleased with the repair that our local cobbler's shop did, so I will be taking the Hamilton along to see if they could make the full length pocket on the left into a secretarial one. I was initially tempted to just cut it myself, but would prefer the shop to have a look so that it doesn't end up tearing over time.

Whilst I still love the Maldens, over time I have found that I prefer binders with a slimmer profile and the Hamilton hugs quite nicely around the rings. Despite the 30mm rings, I find it just means that it doesn't feel quite so big.

At the moment, the Hamilton is just a bit of a dumping ground for old notes to process, things I have cut out of magazines and project information.

So, here's what I figured out:

• I accept that my needs will change over time
• If I'm not using my A5 right now, it doesn't mean that I need to sell it as I will find it useful fairly soon
• I need to be careful not to mix up how I use the A5 and personal as I dislike needing to look in two places too often. 

I've discovered with experience that whilst I love black binders, I'd prefer not to have one as my main one, so having my oxblood Winchester with the Hamilton as back up is just perfect.