Last week I was seriously considering moving up to an A4 Filofax. I've been using my A5 Boston with 20mm rings very successfully. I print out custom-made pages and pop them directly into my binder. It's very liberating. But my life has been getting busier and busier, and I toyed with the idea of upsizing my planner pages.
As nice as it would be to have all that writing space, I realized 1) an A4 binder would be massive, and 2) the A4 version of my printed pages wouldn't have any more lines than my current pages do, the lines would just be larger. Technically I could add more lines on the larger page, but I don't need more lines. I can fit just as much into my A5 pages by writing small.
So I talked myself down and decided to stick with A5 size. For now...
Have you ever used an A4 Filofax?
(Side note: I discovered the A4 size binders are no longer offered on Filofax.co.uk, although A4 diary inserts are still offered. I wonder if they have stopped making A4 size binders?)
And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss anything ring-binder related.
I used my A4 Metropol for work for quite a while - I loved it, all that space. it was great!!! But not so fun on the occasions when I needed to take it home with me... :-)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have the folio sized Malibu from Daytimer that is 8.5 x 11. It's gorgeous and I love it but it weighs a ton. It also never leaves the house. :)
ReplyDeleteFor awhile I used a4 sized ring binder as a planner, when my life got superbly buzy. I don´t suppose I have ever been as productive. I used the printable pages from here and there was all that space to use! The more I wrote down things, the more I planned, the more I managed to do! I still hanker heavily after the a4- system but it would, for me (I have genetically weak joints), be nearly impossible if not incredibly inconvenient to take with me. But I admit, I do miss the a4 size. I still want and need it in my life and I too need to "talk myself down" from its lures... but ever so often the idea whispers sweet, sweet words into my ears.
ReplyDeleteWhen I mentioned earlier a generic a4- ring planner, I meant a generic ringed binder. I do not own an a4 Filofax. Even when the binder was a generic, inexpensive, plastic thing... the practicality and effectiveness made me give it several hugs and praise its name. It was just that good.
Oh, also!
ReplyDeleteI have never forgotten a lady I was mentored by. She always used a4- planner. Always. She always said that you need to write everything down, you need to plan your day in minute detail in order to be as productive as possible. "If it is not written down, it won´t get done". "Your brain is not a bin, it can´t contain all sorts of information forever and you can´t expect to be so clever as never to forget. Nobody is." Also, the thing she said that rang true to me "Your business needs space to grow, You will need to see that there is a possibility to expand. That is why I carry a big planner, because I need to see that I have time and space to accomplish goals and even after that, there is space for more and it will be effortless. You should never need to skimp on anything in life, be it space, writing or your surroundings.Life is so short, why not make the best of it."
Certainly I don´t need to mention that the woman is a gazillionaire. She still, after decades, is a one woman enterprise and in my eyes, she could run the world any given day. And I and certain she still has ample space to grow in her life and she most probably will continue to.
Oooooh wow, this is seriously making me consider moving up to A4 after all!!!! I love her attitude of there always being space to grow.
DeleteI love this woman's philosophy -- this was so inspiring!
DeleteAlthough I'm not considering moving up to an A4, I love the way your mentor thinks! I do find that when I plan my day in much detail--that it's always a very productive day.
DeleteShe was incredibly inspiring to just watch! Every time she met a person, she made them feel like they were the only living creature she was interested in. She always said that if the other person takes time for her, she is entitled to give that person her ultimate best attention- she never did anything half-way. Now, when it came to her planner, her a4 followed here everywhere. It was s thin´ish, spiral bound and hard covered planner. Readily available anyplace, WO2P vertically. At her desk she had a meatier planner with more pages, project pages etc. She also always carried notebook, her all life was written in notebooks and they all were in a4. It was at that time that I went back to a5 after having being in a personal for a while but I made certain to carry an a4 notebook in which I wrote everything, and made daily notes and plans etc. I could tell that she approved sizing up the planner system but she still reminded me that "until you give yourself the prospect of growth, you will be left waiting for it to happen."
DeleteAnd blimey, now after remembering all that she taught me (I could write about her all day, it was a privilege to be allowed to watch her commit to her life) and how she conducted ever day like the perfect opportunity to make history... I have a feeling that I can foresee an a4 size in my life. Actually, lately I have taken on using the a4 notebook since it is the busiest time of my year right now. I will still need to have a reasonable talking to with myself about the planner thing.Would I be hindering my "growth" not going a4 and if I did, how would that effect my life? This is something I actually have been pondering already (which is why I am unnaturally active in the comment box but how could I not?! It IS about a4, after all!) and I think that for going out of the door, a larger monthly TN with a notebook might suffice. Going to meetings, perhaps a separable calendar section would be in order- even if it would be similar to what She did. Would a spiral bound be a solution, would there be a TN sort of version in a4 size? Also, from the time I operated from my desk-bound a4 ring sized planner, I noticed how delightfully thin it still managed to remain- considering that pages were so large and I actually managed to shove so much more in the rings in terms of information (ridding the need for additional planners) and there are ring planners with smaller rings in this world... Annyhoodle, I would like to thank Laurie for fluffing up my feathers and reminding of a very exceptional person, who I was privileged to watch and learn from. Would it not be atrocious to see all that go to waste?
I used an A4 Metropol for a short time but it is very cumbersome overall. Even on the office desk the A5 was more manageable, and you can carry it to lunch if you need. A5 will also take full A4 sheets folded if you need the view, but a double spread of A5 works just as well in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAlthough they haven't commissioned any fresh supplies for a long time, Filofax still stocks the Finsbury, Metropol and Metropol Zip in A4 in the UK, plus the Nappa leather and Smooth A4 Flex by Filofax models.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know Tim, last week when I searched the Filofax.co.uk website there were no A4s but you are right they are back in stock now.
DeleteI don't think they were ever out-of-stock! They seem to remove and reinstate items on a whim!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe comments on here are inspiring indeed. It is not a planner, but I have purchased a zippered A4 writing case from Van der Spek. I have always wanted one, especially for the last three years as I go on interviews. I am really looking forward to using this case especially for Utes size.
ReplyDeleteI do not have an A4 binder. I have a Filofax A5 binder that I do not prefer for the same reason that I do not favor the Filofax personal binder. The width of the page in an A5 Filofax makes it inconvenient to hold the binder in one hand. I have used a different large binder in which the paper was not as wide. Hence I carried it more comfortably in one hand. My insert in my Franklin pocket binder is almost personal size. My pocket binder is shorter in width than the personal Filofax one. I can write on practically the same size paper but carry a smaller and lighter binder.
ReplyDelete