20 March 2016

Readers Favourite Organiser - Sharon

Thank you to Sharon  for sharing with us her favourite organiser. 

1. What is your favourite organiser (Make/model/size)?

I’ve been using organisers for about 30 years, and generally change them as often as I have hot dinners! So it’s something of a record that I’ve used my custom standard Van der Spek binder for just over a year without interruption. It’s brandy outside, mandarin inside, with contrasting stitching. Ironically, I am thinking about moving into a senior Touch Me in the new year to see whether the pockets configuration suits me better – I could keep my iPhone in there – which would mean the custom binder would live on my sofa and house the kind of info you want in one place. And I could pick it up and squidge it often! But I’ve just ordered a flyleaf in the colour combination with a pocket on the front, so don’t hold your breath for any changes …

2. How long have you owned it?

I bought it last November. My Dad, who’s never quite sure what to buy me for Christmas, gave me money. It was no contest what I spent it on.

3. What is it that you like about it so much?

The quality and the colours … Van der Spek’s outstanding work and customer service has now made me very picky about where I buy organisers from – it’s either them or pocket-sized ones from Japanese craftswoman Akiko. Filofax, please take note!

4. Do you use it all the time?

Yes. It gets thrown in and out of the car, chucked into bags and bounced on and off desks. It still looks pristine!

5. Do you think the design could be improved in any way? How?

I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choice, so I chose the colours and went with the normal design. In retrospect, I wish I’d gone for a secretarial flap in the front, and also done away with most of the credit card slots, which I don’t use much, in favour of maybe two or three wider horizontal pockets. I’m freelance, and want to be able to store business cards in the front pockets, but the present size won’t take my bigger cards, and the smaller ones are difficult to fish out quickly. But it’s a minor issue in the scheme of things.

Sharon Wheeler is a freelance writer, editor and stationery addict. She is co-editor of www.crimereview.co.uk, one half of Two Fat Vegetarians (twofatvegetarians.wordpress.com) and tweets at @Lartonmedia.

And here are some photographs of my favourite organiser




Thank you Sharon

If you would like to share with us the details of your favourite organiser, please contact steve @ philofaxy dot com 

15 comments:

  1. I liked very much this interview. Thanks

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  2. I liked very much this interview. Thanks

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  3. Nice! I love how you say it's gets "chucked" about. Signs of a well-used planner!

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    1. Oh yes! Can't imagine keeping it on the shelf when it can make itself useful and also cheer me whenever I look at it!

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  4. Hi Sharon, and what a thing of beauty that organiser is! Forgive my ignorance, but I assume that is what I would call FF Personal size? And yes, 'chucking about' should be a standard test of all organisers! Mine lives wherever I am, including in the side door pocket of the car and on my desk.......

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    1. Yes a Standard VdS is a personal size.

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    2. Hi David! Thank you! Yes, as Emma says, standard VdS = Filofax personal. I think all my main organisers have had to pass the 'chucking about' test. When I get into the car, I throw my handbag in first and my organiser second!

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    3. The first thing I do when going anywhere is to drop my FF into the door side pocket of the car. As I do that, I know I have *everything* I'm going to need that day, and since you can't leave our village except on foot or by car, it works 100% of the time. I can honestly say that on each and every occasion I've (foolishly) left the house without my FF, it's been less than two hours since I've been caught out needing something I didn't have with me, even if I've spent time 'downsizing' to my wallet.

      My brand new (via eBay) brown Personal Holborn arrived on Monday and I've been doing the setup ever since. It's a beautify=ul binder and highly recommended, especially for any male readers as it's very 'masculine' in its look and feel. Happy days.......

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    4. Oh, that sounds splendid! Hope you will post some photos of it, David. I love seeing how other people use their planners.

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    5. Nothing fancy I'm afraid. My setups are very utilitarian :) Generic six-part divider set and cotton cream throughout. I've ordered some new DPP and Wo2P diary inserts from FF Sweden as well, just because I really like the design. The rest is cotton cream, lined, squared, to-do, address sheets. The underlying methodology is still GTD - as always!

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  5. Thanks for this I was worried about how Italian leather ages.

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    1. I've been really pleased - after more than a year, it still looks gorgeous. Now to see if I can resist the red Italian leather!

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  6. What a gorgeous planner! I was eyeing the Brandy and Mandarin colors when I ordered mine--maybe for my next VDS planner. ;-) I also had the same regret--wish I had order a secretarial pocket and also the full size back pocket. Again, maybe for my next VDS. :)

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    1. I'm so pleased with it, Lil! I'm now tempted by a Nomad notebook in the same colours!

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