Organisers come in a variety of sizes. Some sizes are more commonly used than others. Some sizes have more support than others, more inserts available etc etc.
What size do you use mostly?
Are there enough inserts available for that size?
Tell us in the comments below.
I have been using Filofax planners since the 80s and the first one I had was a personal size.
ReplyDeleteAfter about ten years of intense usage, it had to be replaced and I got a Mulberry in a6 size. It was quite a change for me and a challenge to find inserts but I got used to it and I actually enjoyed that size so much that I stayed in a6 until about 2010.
But in the meantime I also started using a pocket planner for EDC as I thought A6 was too big and heavy in my handbag and since then (late 90s) I have always used a pocket size planner (Filofax and now VDS).
I switched back to a personal size Filofax in 2010 after I went from Mulberry to an other famous and expensive brand and got really disappointed (their leather is beautiful but though their planners don't have stiffener they are heavy and too floppy and the rings are of uneven quality).
I then decided that it was high time or me to take my vintage Winchester, Dundee, York, Portland and Balmoral out!
I am now happy in my pockets (VDS) and my personals (Filofax).
I use a combination of A5 for diary and bullet journaling, and a B5, Deskfax, for literary research and note taking. In the past I used a personal, but since retirement my needs have changed.
ReplyDeleteI use the A5 size but my planner pretty much stays at home as it tends to be too large and too heavy to haul around. I have one of those very small 2 year calendars that you can get nearly free in my wallet to check dates as far as appointments etc. go when I am out. As far as inserts for the A5, I print out my own. I do buy the yearly month on two pages from Franklin Covey just because I want the monthly tabs.
ReplyDeleteA5 VDS and Regency personal compact for my every day handbag carry. I would love to see a monthly insert that folds out to the left hand side or right hand side of my month's weeklies. I buy DIY Fish's monthly pull out,in A5 as just so handy to see this month's Birthdays and anniversaries at a glance, under my nose, without them getting lost in a separate monthly or info section. xx
ReplyDeleteBeen using A5 the past year after trying to use smaller sizes. Find you just can't beat A5 for versatility and practicality for having adequate page size for taking notes at meetings, Bullet Journaling, etc. Also, great selection of inserts available.
ReplyDeletePersonal size is my preference, due to portability and originally because of the availability of inserts. I make my own inserts and produce them for the personal, A5 and the deskfax. I would prefer the inserts to be wider if honest and have in the past used a Personal size for non business and a TMI for work, as the inserts are a great size and quality.
ReplyDeleteI rely on small covers without rings or strings, large notebooks and A5 binders. I assembled bound notebooks with 64 Moleskine pocket grid sheets. I can remove and add sheets to another style of notebook I constructed for the small covers. Because I want a variety of formats and notebooks I conceived my designs and assembled the notebooks. I doubt that the notebooks of the exact specifications are available from a vendor. Even if the items were in stock I would not purchase them because I have the materials for the assembly.
ReplyDeleteWhen I purchased inserts and accessories for my products years ago I noticed that the selection was not varied. I bought a format of one brand and trimmed the sheets in order to place them in a binder of another brand. I punched extra holes on some inserts. It was not a worthwhile exercise. I buy products to use them. I usually do not want to modify them.
For the last 2 years, I was comfortable switching between a FF Personal/FC Compact with a mish-mash of insert styles and sizes. This year I've moved into FC Classic (approximately A5 size but with 7 rings). Like many, I print my own inserts but purchase FC tabbed monthlies. When the mood strikes to use my A5, it's a simple matter of re-punching. The Swiss cheese effect doesn't bother me anymore. I'd rather have my planner work and please me, than appease any artistic sensibilities. However, I do love to see pretty planners though.
ReplyDeleteMy EDC since July has been a mini Filofax Ascot. I had to order a ruled WO2P from the Swiss Filofax site because other sites only had diaries w/o ruling. For my daily pages/Bujo I just freeform it in note paper. There's not much point in pre-printed mini pages because they are so small.
ReplyDeleteMore generally, I wish DIY Fish inserts were already printed, cut, and hole-punched for larger planners. I like those inserts for the multiple views but not the work that goes into printing and setting them up.
I also really like DIY Fish inserts and I'd love to use them but as she doesn't print and punch them then I sadly can't purchase any.
DeleteI use planners since 1999, mostly personal size. It began with a red Balmoral-my unicorn for so many years. This beauty looks now more than vintage/used and so I tested different Filofaxes. But nothing could reach the Balmoral until I saw in an Facebook group the van der spek planners. So the first one that I bought was a "Touch me" standard in blue. It is so beautiful but bulky and heavy. Next I tested the junior size TM in black. Now I had not enough room to write on the small pages. Last month I ordered a senior-size TM and now -juhu-I found my PLANNERPEACE..... enough room to write, easy making inserts and this beauty is not too bulky for my bags. The Van der Spek "Touch me" range is very well designed with beautiful pockets for everything I want to take with me and the leather is sooooo smooth.
ReplyDeleteI love A6 for all the same reasons, my planner peace as well! ❤
DeleteUse and love A6 (or senior) size, I did find it difficult to find inserts I liked so I started my own shop and use my own! I like the paper size and I feel like its small enough to carry everywhere and double as my wallet but still big enough to be my workhorse!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty boring - use a Personal sized Filofax for all my lists, diary and on-the-go - and found with my Malden I can keep my phone in the back pocket too! Also got an A5 Finsbury which stays at home and has house/family info and other lists I don't need to carry round with me. Love the A5 as I can put an A4 sheet in sideways (useful when planning a holiday) but really love having all my info in my Personal so it's always with me. Also have a Pennybridge which I LOVE for shopping trips - I use it with cash and cards, also transfer my shopping list/reminders of favourites into it (as well as having spare paper/pen with me for notes) and again the mobile slips into the outside pocket. Grab it and go!
ReplyDeleteI've been using organisers for decades, swapping between different sizes as my desire for writing space warred with my need for portability. My favourite size was, until recently, the A5, since that gave me the advantage of space for writing and occasionally decorating, as well as portability. The rings are large enough to hold lots of pages, and I mostly used it as a desk diary both at home and at work. I have also used A4 and personal sized Filofaxes, and briefly experimented with the Pocket size, but I preferred the larger writing area of the A5.
ReplyDeleteBut now that I am coming up to retirement, I have gone back to the Filofax A4, which is perfect for printing my own and Philofaxy inserts, and I have added the Raspberry and Aqua A4 Finsburys to my collection. The A4 is definitely a desk diary, ideal for planning though not very portable, but I can combine it with a Personal Filofax to carry around with me.
So, over the years I have used every size of Filofax except the Mini, which was too small, but each size has been perfect for me at the time I used it. I still love the A5, A4 and Personal, and will probably continue to use some combination of these sizes.