Why is Personal Size still the most popular size?

Whilst I was updating the post about A6 size earlier last week I started to think about Personal size.

Why is it still so popular?

Of course it's the original size that all Filofax organisers started in. The page size 95mm by 171 mm or 3.75 inches by 6.75 inches is the same as used back in the 1920's so almost 100 years.

The same hole spacing has been used too. The inner workings of the ring mechanisms have changed slightly. On the first ones the top set of rings are not linked to the bottom set. The tabs operate their associated set of three rings independently of the other set of three.

A short video will of course help!


I don't know when the change was made to the type of rings we use today happened.

The mystery as to how they settled on that particular paper size is something I have not yet managed to figure out.

After nearly 100 years or more if it was in use before Lefax/Filofax then it will have become a standard page size in its own right.

I've looked for page sizes that are multiples of personal size. There are some of old British Imperial paper sizes that come close to being multiple of personal size but none are exact multiples.

Why do you like Personal Size so much? Tell us in the comments below, thank you.

Web Finds - 30 January 2018

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.

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

1. Gillio pocket mia cara | on the go planner/wallet - Lauren Orsini
2. •A6 Gillio Unboxing• - ruthy escobedo
3. Gillio medium compagna setup | 2018 - Lauren Orsini
4. 2018 Planner Setup| Van Der Spek Junior (Pocket Rings) - HouseOFMeis
5. Plan With Me | Hobonichi Cousin Functional Planning - Anamika Unlimited
6. Filofax Monthly/Yearly Inserts- Pocket Setup (pt 1) - Seaweed Kisses
7. How I set Up My A5 Filofax and Chic Sparrow Pocket Sized Planners - The Kneady Homesteader
8. Filofax Organizers - TheWriteTouch LA
9. Filofax Original Fluropink Personal Setup - Frau Anne
10. Weekly Review Process | Plan With Me | Personal Filofax - PlansMeetPaper
11. Transplantation einer Filofax Ringmechanik - Thomas Aushauser
12. Filofax Clipbook Review - The Planner Project
13. Filofax Setup | GTD and Content Planner 2018 - eat.run.plan.repeat
14. Filofax Classic Croc Pocket 2018- Indigo - maggie
15. Filofax Set-Up: My Work Original A5 Planner - AennePlans - Aenne Plans

• 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. 

My Week Posts

1. Plan with me || Coffee Morning - Karens Obsessions

Enjoy.

Free For All Tuesday No. 365

So what questions or discussion points have you got for us today?

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a more experienced user of organisers, we want to hear your thoughts, questions, opinions etc.

Make today the one day you post a comment or a question.

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

Date For Your Diary - 4 February 2018

We are going to run another conference round-table voice/video chat using Skype.

When? - Sunday 4 February at the following times:

• London 10:00 am, 
• Paris 11:00 am, 
• Brisbane 8:00 pm time.

Additionally we will be on line later in the day at the following times:

• Los Angeles 8:00 am, 
• Denver 9:00 am
• Dallas 10:00 am, 
• New York 11:00am, 
• London 4:00 pm 
• Paris 5:00 pm etc.  

The timing of these two sessions have been chosen to hopefully allow as many people to join in compared to previous round-tables.

Do not worry if you aren't available at the start of one of our sessions each one lasts 2-3 hours so pop up when you are available and say hello.

Where? - an on-line chat using Skype. with voice and video (if you wish)

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. Video is optional, but a few of us will be on video as well.

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, just mute your microphone in Skype

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 4 February 2018.

Reader Under The Spotlight - Tara

Today I would like to introduce you to Tara

Hello from the States!  I am a silver haired almost 50 year old single mom of a newbie teenager.

I'm a planner user that was "all in" from the very beginning just over a year ago.  

I am a very visual person so writing everything down is my way to stay on track.

This Plannerverse has been the most amazing group of people that I am proud to be a part of.

Thank you all for your hospitality and contributions!

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

October 2016 I was perusing the Filofax USA in the wee hours of the morning and there was a major price drop on the A5 Fusion in stone that I thought I could put to use as a work binder.

I did use it for a while until I started to experiment with sizes and configuration of other planners.  The Fusion now is my 13 yr old son’s journal.  And my A5 Domino is used for work.

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

Gigliodoro Compagna croco pocket aka “Freddy” I can’t stop touching it.  It looks like it would be stiff but it’s actually a supple leather.

Previously my favorite which will always be close to my heart in its forever home - my personal Ascot purchased from Anita Lim : -)

That Ascot got me down a  “vintage” path.  I never can get over that it only has 7/8 rings but can accommodate so much more than others of the same ring size!

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

At last count 27 from Deskfax to mini.  + 2 on the way : -) Filofaxes, Gillios & an unknown that was gifted to me. All leather besides the Domino & 1 mini Chino.

I purchase through Facebook Groups, Ebay and also the Adspot on Philofaxy.  I’ve bought and sold so many. . . all in the name of refining what I need based on my planning style of the moment which has finally settled down.

There are some that I will never part with which include:  Freddy, my Fusion because it was my first, my beautiful first Ascot, Scanda, Gillio medium Compagna gold green, brown A5 Ascot - I had sold one that bought another a few months after.

4. What do you use your organisers for?

My diaries are my way of keeping ‘put together’.  My Gillio medium Compagna in gold green is my every day carry.  It holds the sections mentioned below.  I use Freddy as my wallet.  Love that it’s so close to touch when I need a quick ‘fix’ LOL.  At work my A5 Domino.  It travels to/from with me and I don’t mind the dings.

At home:  2 to store old diaries – Monochrome Originals in personal & A5.  3 for finances – personal Lockwood zip in Cognac it holds my cash @ home sinking funds.  Personal Savannah holds a Filofax month on two w/notes diary to track bills due, snapshot budget and monthly expenses.

My A5 Ascot is used for a higher overview of my finances that includes future casting budgets and debt repayment.  1 travel wallet (Malden compact) perfect wallet & planner combo because it has a zipper and I can take my current diary with me.

My personal Finsbury in aqua holds travel info:  maps, packing lists, etc.  Personal black Ascot holds my contacts and info for my buying/selling of planners.  All others are behind a door on a shelf for me to admire when I need an ahhh moment.

I do so appreciate them ALL!

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

1. Notes/brain dump/”in” box

2. To Do

3. Diary section:  month on 2 pages used to note birthdays, work vacation time used & appointments, month on 2 pages tabbed for future planning, day on a page that holds the current month only and sits  within the tabs of the current month, a week on 2 pages in cotton cream so I can see an overview of the week ahead.

I have the whole year of monthlies, 3 months of weeklies, one month of dailies PLUS a yearly foldout for my workout info distance, daily calories burned & length of time exercised AND a four year foldout that highlights when my son is with his father

4. A-Z tabs in back for addresses and reference items ie my son’s school info is in Z for Zachary

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

A gusseted zipper pocket; definitely a back wallet pocket; a secretarial pocket in front and back; horizontal credit card slots that have a slit pocket behind the outer edge (like the Holborns); pebbly medium – dark brown leather; brushed silver rings like my Freddy 30mm rings for personal 20mm rings for pocket

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

Some organisers with stiffeners can be coaxed to be more malleable by rolling the covers like dough which breaks down cardboard type stiffeners.

Change out the rings if you can to size up/down.  If your planner has a wallet pocket put cardboard in it when in storage so rings leave less of an impression in the leather.

I learned that from Chrissie’s World.

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

No : -(  If there was one w/in a day’s driving distance I would definitely attend!

9. What was the last movie you watched?

Gone With the Wind – one of my favorites.  Classic!

10. What was the last book you read?

“Me:  Stories of My Life” by Katharine Hepburn I’m not too much of a reader.  I have good intentions but poor follow through.

Thank you Tara

As you know we are always 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.

Web Finds - 27 January 2018

So I hope you have had a good week

So now it is time to enjoy a few blog posts from around the internet,  so grab a drink and make yourself comfortable for our weekly round-up.

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

1. Web Finds - 20 January 2018
2. Philofaxy Readers Posts - People Wanted....
3. Guest Post - Perfect Planners - Guido
4. Free For All Tuesday No. 364
5. Web Finds - 23 January 2018
6. A6 in Summary
7. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 68
8. Free For All Friday No 480 by Laurie

So here are the latest Filofax and other brand blog posts from around the Internet. Don't forget to leave a comment on the posts you enjoyed reading, all bloggers enjoy getting comments.

1. 2018: The Story So Far… - Mootastic
2. A New Feel - The Official Filofax Blog
3. Save the date! Cambs Planner Con 2018! - Mrs Brimbles
4. TMN TIP: A Positive Attitude Makes Your More Productive - Time Management Ninja
5. A Close-Up Look at the Day Designer Daily Planning Page - Day Designer
6. Take This Down: Benefits of Handwriting in a Digital World - FranklinPlannerTalk
7. Time to Shine - The Official Filofax Blog
8. BluebelsPlanningShop Feature - Karens Obsessions
9. Filofax Chameleon in Personal Size - The Filofaxist
10. Philofaxy: A6 in Summary - Olga plans!
11. Cambs Planner Con 2018 - Tickets on sale now! - Mrs Brimbles

• 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... 
• Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 

Free For All Friday No 480 by Laurie

Believe it or not, we are nearing the end of the first month of this year, and 2018 is nearly 1/12th complete!

Now that you've been using this year's planner setup for a few weeks, you probably have a good idea of whether it's working well for you or not. Will you make some tweaks to your planner setup, do a major overhaul, or something in between? Or are you perfectly happy and will continue as is?

As always on Fridays feel free to ask/ discuss anything ring-binder related!

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 68

Changes. 

Change is a fact of life, if it is by choice or it is forced upon us.

Dealing with change with the help of your planner will make the change in your life/job etc so much easier.

If you have ideas for future episodes please send them to steve at philofaxy dot com

Show Notes (timings approximate)
00:00 - Introductions.
01:00 - End of Year/Beginning of Year urge to change planners.
02:00 - But why change everything?
03:00 - We all need to be flexible to embrace change when required.
04:00 - What else has changed in your life.
05:00 - When a big change in your life happens your planner will help you.
06:00 - Setting priorities and contexts.
07:30 - Change Management Patricia Dugan.
08:45 - Being prepared for the unexpected.
10:30 - Don't feel you have to use the inserts that came with your planner/organiser.
11:00 - Pick the inserts that suit you best no matter what make they are.
12:30 - Use of a duplex organiser.
13:30 - Fold out inserts - DiY Fish.
14:00 - The advantages and disadvantages of A4 organisers.
15:30 - Desk-space.
16:00 - Bookstand or recipe book stand for your planner.
17:00 - Keeping your planner open.
18:00 - The change of the year.
18:30 - When to start thinking about the forthcoming year.
19:45 - Theming your months.
20:15 - Continual 12 months, a rolling 12 months.
21:30 - Preparing for the forthcoming 12 months.
22:30 - Planning holidays.
24:00 - Nothing gets done unless you plan it.
24:30 - Being in control so you can adjust your plans.
26:00 - Contingency plans in the year.
28:00 - Being assertive makes change easier.
29:30 - Tips.

Episode 68 -  Changes

A direct download is also available here: Episode68.mp3

Show notes: A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf

NB: A5 is in A4 format so it can be scaled to suit A5 or A6 size. Personal is for printing direct on Personal size paper.

Presenters - Karine Tovmassian and Steve Morton
Editing and production - Steve Morton

Our Websites:
Karine: Plannerology, Karine Tovmassian (IG)
Steve: Philofaxy, Travellers Notebook Times, Mr Philofaxy (IG)

Naturally we would love to hear your feedback on the podcast. If you use iTunes please gives us your rating or reviews of the podcast.

If you want a quick link to all the podcasts remember: http://philofaxy.com/podcast/

Remember if you have liked this podcast, don't forget to like it, share it and subscribe to the podcast.

Previous Episodes:

2018

67 - Tones versus Pulses - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf

2017

66 - Planning and Execution - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
65 - The Power of Habit - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
64 - Planning for the end of the year - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
63 - Planning For Unexpected Life Events - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
62 - Staying in two sizes of planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
61 - Staying in one size of planner. - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
60 - Functional Planning - Macro and Micro Planning - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
59 - PlannerCon Europe - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
58 - Speeding up by slowing down - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
57 - To Do Lists and Diary Pages -  A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
56 - Hints and Tips on making planner videos - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
55 - Keeping up to date - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
54 - Interview with Jennifer Powell at PlannerCon - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
53 - Conferences and Meet Ups - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
52 - The Magic of Contextualising Your Life - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
51 - Guest Interview - Rose Orchard - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
50 - Organising your significant other - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
49 - Creating the ultimate planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
48 - Getting past New Years resolutions - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
47 - How to understand being a planner newbie - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
46 - Buying and Selling 101 - A5 docx pdf Personal docx pdf
45 - A5 or A6 - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
44 - End of Year - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf

2016 

43 - Digital Planning vs Analogue Planning - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
42 - Planning vs Organising - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
41 - Short and Long Term Planning - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
40 - Good and Bad Planner Habits - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
39 - Tackling Planner Size Change - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
38 - Self-Improvement or Personal Development - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
37 - What is productivity anyway - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
36 - The Planner Community - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
35 - Wellness Planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
34 - Listeners Question - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
33 - Pens and other writing instruments - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
32 - Proper storage, care and shipping of planners, rings etc - A5 docx pdf Personal docx pdf
31 - Guest Interview - Louise Umeki - Plannercon 2017 - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
30 - Form Following Function -  A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
29 - Seasonal To Do Lists - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
28 - Making and keeping annual goals - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
27 - Organising the family - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
26 - Guest interview - Theresa Hall - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
25 - Guest interview - Ray Blake - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
24 - Defining the important things from the urgent things - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
23 - Guest interview with Rita Sedani - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
22 - Printing your own inserts - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
21 - How to derail your planning system by over thinking - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
20 - Digital devices/services and your analogue planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
19 - What To Keep In Your 'Others' Tab - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
18 - Zombie Apocalypse Preparation - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
17 - Managing Finances In Your Planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
16 - Planning for those of us who actually can't live without planning, with guest co-host Carie Harling - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
15 - Automation Nirvana - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
14 - Work Life Balance and Your Planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
13 - GTD Productivity And Using Your Paper Planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
12 - Job Seeking and Keeping - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
11 - Planner Fail -  A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
10 - Planner Hacks - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
9 - Planner Planning - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
8 - Choosing Inserts - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
7 - How do you carry your planner - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
6 - Planners on the go - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
5 - Why would you pay more than the price of a Filofax? - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
4 - Using Your Planner To Create Permanent Habit Changes - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
3 - Getting on with two or more planners - A5 docx pdf Personal docx pdf
2 - Where to start your planning journey and why - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
1 - What size and why....  - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf

A6 in Summary

My small collection of A6 organisers

A6 might not be a size I'm actively using a lot these days, but I know a lot of people that love this size. So it was time to update this post from a couple of years ago and also add in some more information too.

A6 the paper size. 
So what is so magical about A6 paper size and why has the planner world suddenly woken up to it? Until recently there were not many makes of organisers that fitted true A6 size paper, there now is, so people with a little hint from ourselves have started to look in to it a bit more.

A6 size is 148 mm by 105 mm, it is half the size of A5 paper. A lot of people already use A5 organisers, so the A6 is a smaller version. The same page height and width proportions so it feels quite natural to switch between the two sizes.

Alan did us an excellent paper size post some time ago on this very topic so it makes sense to mention it again.

• Guest Post - Metric Paper Sizes - Alan

So as you can see printing for A6 is relatively straight forward. 

Pre-printed A6 Inserts. 

If you don't like the idea of printing your own inserts there are a number of businesses on Etsy that offer inserts in A6 size. I can't offer any opinions on them, but ask on the various Facebook groups and I'm sure you will get some recommendations.

• Pembroke Papers
• DiY Fish
• House of Lotte
• The Agenda Shop and featured on Philofaxy
• Franklin Covey Pocket size (Please note they aren't true A6 size, but the same ring spacing)

Diary Inserts

Philofaxy have also made available a range of inserts for A6 size paper. 

• A6 Diary Inserts for you to print and use

Printing A6 size inserts

You will of course need to know how to print your own inserts and I did a tutorial on how to do that in another post. 

• Printing A6 Inserts/Pages

Creating Inserts

You might also want to create your own pages too. 

• Creating A6 Inserts

So creating inserts for A6 is relatively straight forward, you do have to make some adjustments if you are going from an A5 insert down to an A6 one because everything is 70% the size of the original. So I generally still design in A5 but make the fonts bigger by a couple of  points and reduce the number of lines on a page by 30%, that then gives you the same line height as you have on A5.

Other A6 page size combinations also work with A6 ring spacings.

You can also put larger size pages in your A6 organiser with a little bit of folding of course, this is useful for maps and similar information sheets.

Punching inserts for A6 organisers

The ring spacing or hole spacing for A6 organisers is different to that of Personal size, but the Rapesco punch has a middle setting which is the correct spacing for A6 size organisers. The Rapesco also does Pocket and Personal size by moving the punch blocks together or apart.

If you own one already you might not have realised there is a middle setting. Take the bottom cover off and then move the punch blocks slowly to the middle on both sides and you will feel the middle detent for A6 size. 

Organisers for A6 size paper. 

We have recently reviewed the new Gillio A6 organiser and the redesigned Van der Spek Senior size Touch Me organisers. Both come with 25 mm internal diameter rings.

• Gillio A6 Compagna - Review
• New Van der Spek Touch Me Colours - This includes the redesign for the Senior model for A6
• William Hannah A6 Notebook - If you don't like rings there are disc-bound options for A6

The Gillio A6 Compagna is currently available in 18 colours from €308 (approx €254 outside of EU).

The Gillio A6 Mia Cara is currently available in 6 colours from €500 (approx €413 outside of EU).

The Van der Spek Senior Touch Me comes in five colours the price is €119 (approx €99 outside of the EU).

Van der Spek can also make you a custom leather Senior model the number of colour combinations runs in to the hundreds, prices start at €147.62 (approx €122 outside of EU) for a 20mm ring model, but there are options for 25mm rings plus addition things like:

• Full width back pocket
• Ring protectors
• 2nd pen loop
• Secretarial flaps
• And anything else you consider extra... just email Petra!

It is worth reading Van der Spek Senior Sizes to understand the different VdS Senior sizes

Mulberry Agenda size is also a true A6 paper size organiser.

William Hannah for leather disc-bound notebooks/planners with prices starting at £89 (approx £74 outside of the EU)

My own conversion from Personal size to A6 also deserves a mention because I'm sure a lot of others are going through this thought process at the moment as well. 

• To A6 or not A6 that is the question....

Finding more information.

Apart from Philofaxy, where if you can't find the information then just ask Steve (philofaxy at gmail dot com) or take a look at one of the Facebook groups:

• Van der Spek Organiser Fans
• Gillio Firenze Fans Group
• Using A6 Planners: Info & Resources
• William Hannah Users 

Let us know if you have any questions or other insert suppliers in the comments.

Prices correct at the time of publication of this post, please check websites for the up to date prices. 

Web Finds - 23 January 2018

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.

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

1. MY DAY-TIMER: 2018 Planner Walk-through - The Rasberry Patch
2. Functional Planning Setup January 14-20, 2018 - Fran Plans!!
3. Quarterly/Annual Planning Update | Kendra Bork - Kendra Bork
4. HOW TO: Achieve Your Goals! » Best Goal Method » Functional Planning » Artsy Alyce / Quill & Leaf - Artsy Alyce
5. Van Der Spek Touch Me Senior Unboxing - BluRazberry Co.
6. Girlboss Functional Planning 8 - Time Blocking for Maximum Productivity | Kendra Bork - Kendra Bork
7. PLAN WITH ME | Personal Size / Medium kikki.K | January 22-28 | 'So Bear-y Cold' - ms.paperlover
8. 2018 Filofax Wallet Setup - Pocket Malden - eat.run.plan.repeat
9. Lesson Planning in my Filofax - Annie Smith
10. UNBOXING MY NEW FILOFAX PLANNER | 2018 - foxclouds
11. DIY: A5 Planner Dashboard/Dividers/Cards and Bookmarks (Filofax) - The Kneady Homesteader
12. Pocket Filofax: 2018 Setup - jenalysa
13. 2018 Planner Setup ~ Pocket Filofax Croc! - CraftyLCdesigns
14. Filofax + How To Digital Create Planner Inserts 2018 - Lolli Lulu Crafts
15. Meal Planning in my Filofax | Why and How I Meal Plan - PlansMeetPaper
16. Filofax Saffiano Personal Planner Unboxing & Planner Setup! // Plan with Juli - Juli Ross
17. Filofax pocket Topaz unboxing - subparplanning

• 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. 

My Week Posts

1. Plan with me || Woodland Friends - Karens Obsessions

Enjoy.

Free For All Tuesday No. 364

So what questions or discussion points have you got for us today?

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a more experienced user of organisers, we want to hear your thoughts, questions, opinions etc.

Make today the one day you post a comment or a question.

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

Guest Post - Perfect Planners - Guido

We all have some idea of what our perfect planner would feature... Thank you to Guido for sharing his 'Perfect Planner' with us.

My A5 from diBerardino is the perfect planner: Italian leather, build-in page lifter, zipped. I could not ask for more….except perhaps bigger rings. They are 25mm and during the years I have developed a need for bigger rings.

However, my binder has awkward fixtures for its back plate, so exchanging them for bigger rings is a no go. If you can get a pair to exchange them with by the way, because I have searched internet more than I bargained for without success.

I tried other binders, such as a 35mm from Time/System, but these were clasped binders and not zipped. And do not get me started on pages getting stuck on rings which I despise. So I settled for a binder life less perfect and swapped inserts accordingly.

Until my wife surprised me for our anniversary with a gift. She said I have been eyeing for bigger rings for so long, why not have VDS build you one! Did I mentioned that besides the perfect binder I have the perfect wife? Because I do!

Before I placed my order I first contacted Petra to see if VDS would accommodate for my customisations - most importantly a zipped binder which they do not carry in their substantial collection of organisers. The short and sweet answer was no, they did not. So far for me and my wish list. Or was it?

I do have an advantage when it comes to VDS: we are located in the same country! Their office is about an hours drive from my house - so I contacted Petra again and asked if VDS would be up for a challenge themselves: to build me the ultimate organiser. Petra used her charm on her dad and after evaluating my wish list Mr. Van der Spek accepted the challenge! I asked if I could come over and show her what my exact plans for my binder were. She agreed and some weeks after we met.

She was very kind, showed me around the shop and explained how producing customised organisers works. Then we got down to business and I explained my wishes. Mr. Van der Spek soon joined the conversation. Their love for planners soon surfaced particularly when it came to my current binder: appreciation of craftsmanship, curiosity how parts were build, et cetera. Interesting conversations indeed.

I asked for the following: a zipped A5 binder with 35mmm gold rings, 3 secretarial pockets on top of each other, business card slots on top of those pockets and 1 slip pocket underneath. In addition, I asked for a build-in fly leaf slash ring protector slash page lifter.

And if the zipper was not challenging enough I asked for the rings to be placed off centre to the right. One of the reasons we need page lifters in the first place is because the rings are in the centre of the organiser. If the rings are located to the right (see for example Chronoplan or Tempus A5; both from Germany) then you eliminate half of your problems. My diBerardino has a similar layout.

Such a customisation does require additional filling of the organiser (VDS calls this blown up) and alterations to the back plate as well (because these tend to be rounded rather than flat as they are meant to be installed in the spine of the organiser).

To their surprise I did not want pen loops. They get in the way of my dividers and my pens do not fit most pen loops anyway. Moreover: I already have 2 pen cases from VDS so no need. In terms of colour I chose to fit the binder to my pen case (I know: that is usually the other way around!).

And this Saturday I received my custom binder! Which now leaves me with one challenge: what to do with my other near-perfect binder? I hate to leave it unused although I am an one-binder guy. I am open to suggestions: what do you do with multiple planners if more than 1 are great?

A huge thank you to Petra and Mr. Van der Spek for making my ultimate organiser! It is beautiful!

It almost took my breath away when I first saw the photographs. Another magnificent job done by Petra and the team at Van der Spek.

Philofaxy Readers Posts - People Wanted....

I am sure we all enjoy seeing how other readers used their organisers.

On Philofaxy we have had several different series of posts to help readers share their own experiences of how they use their organisers and which is their favourite one.

We constantly need new people to come along to be able to continue with these series of posts.

So how can you help contribute? We have three different 'reader' series which are very easy to fill in and respond to they are:

• Reader Under The Spotlight - This is based on 10 simple questions (it used to be 19 questions) as well as the questions we ask you to supply a photo of yourself or your organiser. Previous posts in this series can be found here.
• Readers Favourite Organiser - This is 5 questions plus a few photographs of your favourite organiser. Previous posts in this series can be found here.
• Experienced User - This is based on 7 questions, mainly aimed at people who have been an organiser used for more than a year or two, but the questions are fairly generalised. Previous posts in this series can be found here.

We also welcome Guest Posts and Reader Reviews of organisers and related products. We also have Readers Tips too. There is no fixed format for these. It is best to contact Steve before you commence writing any of these.  

Guest posts/reviews must be organiser related, Philofaxy will not publish non-organiser related posts... we often receive offers of very non-specific posts, one for example about body weight loss, when I published a post on weight loss in relation to removing pages from your organiser!  Clearly they hadn't read our post at all or our guidelines!  In all posts we are happy to include a link or links to your own blog or your You Tube Channel or Instagram feed.

So if you would like to contribute with any of the posts above please contact Steve by email philofaxy at gmail dot com  Please indicate which post you are interested in taking part in and he will send you the questions/instructions.

If you responded to my request just after Christmas I would very much welcome your responses still so we can get these series flowing again.

Thank you.

Web Finds - 20 January 2018

So I hope you have had a good week

So now it is time to enjoy a few blog posts from around the internet,  so grab a drink and make yourself comfortable for our weekly round-up.

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

1. Web Finds - 13 January 2018
2. Local Stockists?
3. Gap in History
4. Free For All Tuesday No. 363
5. Web Finds - 16 January 2018
6. Filofax at 100 Years
7. Tell us about...... 20
8. Free For All Friday no. 479 by Anita

So here are the latest Filofax and other brand blog posts from around the Internet. Don't forget to leave a comment on the posts you enjoyed reading, all bloggers enjoy getting comments.

1. Updated List Of Organisers - The Filofaxist 
2. Rapesco Adjustable 6-Hole puncher Review || Giveaway on Instagram !!! - Art of Memories
3. Back with Franklin Covey Compact inserts. I love my Van der Spek... - Olga plans!
4. 2018 Planner Set Up - Polkadotparadiso
5. Infographic: Choosing the Right Planner Size for You - FranklinPlannerTalk
6. Time management Monday: Don’t adjust your goals, adjust your action steps - Quo Vadis Blog
7. My 2 favorite planners housing Franklin Covey compact inserts;... - Olga plans!
8. Brown Crocodile effect organiser by the Book People. - The Filofaxist
9. Scheduling time to try out recipes. - My Filofax Blog
10. 3 Strategies to Manage Time, Money, and Energy Through Achievable Goals - Day Designer
11. “To Do” mini- checklists – functional - MyPrettyPaperDesigns
12. Planner Update (January 2018) - Well Planned Life
13. Artline Monday - Getting organised! - She's Eclectic
14. Filofax spotted in the wild - This Bug's Life
15. Edinburgh firm behind 1980s business essential sees big lift in profits - The Herald Scotland
16. Around Here - I Love It All
17. Mein Arbeitsplaner [video] - Lorelei Lee's Plan-Bar
18. August 2017 – January 2018 Flip Through - Karens Obsessions
19. 5 Ways to Set Professional Goals That Will Help Your Career Soar - Day Designer
20. Organise With Katie inserts - Sam Alderson
21. Romancing the Stone - The Official Filofax Blog

• 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... 
• Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list.