Reader Under The Spotlight ~ Amanda-Jane

Today I would like to introduce you to Amanda-Jane

I live in Queensland Australia with my husband and a lot of pets, work full-time, study  for fun and participate in volunteer work, I also drink a lot of coffee.

I believe that as a society we all need to do something every day to contribute to a better tomorrow.

My most recent university qualification, for example, is a Bachelor of Dementia Care, which I did out of interest (as it does not relate to my actual job), as dementia is something faced by so many in the world and the more that is known about it the better we can look after those who are living with dementia, find ways to mitigate or slow down the trajectory of the many dementia types, and hopefully one day cure or prevent it.

I studied via distance education/online from the University of Tasmania which I believe is currently the only tertiary institution in Australia offering this degree. I like computers, computer games, music, art, animals and learning. I also like stationery, which is just as well as I enjoy painting and creative writing and, with my many interests, need to keep track of everything I do so I also have multiple organisers, compendiums and notebooks.

My twitter handle is @empressbat and I am happy to promote other people’s blogs as long as they are a positive contribution, or provide some fun, inspiration or education, to the community at large.


Q1. When did you buy your first organiser and what was it?

I bought my first organiser in 1999 from a Morning Glory store that used to be in Brisbane, Australia. The organiser was made of vinyl and featured Blue Bear, a Morning Glory character regular.

I loved that organiser, and used it all the time, it was around a B6 size, had cardboard dividers and Blue Bear themed pages. Unfortunately it was made from cheap materials and did not last long given I was taking it everywhere, using it for work and home and referring to it frequently. I think it was made for fun rather than function. Why couldn’t it have been both … why?!?

Following the demise of my much loved Blue Bear organiser, I again frequented Morning Glory, I think it was just before they closed their Brisbane store, and bought a Pink Bear PVC organiser. I did not like it as much as the Blue Bear one, the PVC cover kept clinging to other plastics and I ended up giving it away.

Q2. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

My current favourite organiser is my purple Filofax Malden in personal size. I call it Little Purple and it is a daily constant and has been for the last six years.

Q3. How many Filofax or other brands of organisers do you own?

Well that is a very good question. I have a lot, and they are all used. My husband has a Filofax Metropol Compendium which he uses daily, and I have a lot of different ones I use.

I find organisers are better than notebooks as everything related to a topic can be easily kept in one place. I have: two A5 Filofax Metropols, one in red and one in black, a purple Filofax Domino in personal, a purple Filofax Pennybridge iPad cover and planner combo, Filofax ‘Back to School’’ organisers one in pink and one in green, a Gold A5 Kikki K, a lilac with metallic diamonds A5 Kikki K, an A5 and a medium fabric covered Kikki K that have watermelon pictures on a green background, a lilac A5 zipper Kikki K and an A5 Kikki K that is white with cats and dogs and inkwells from the Cute range on it.

Then there is the A5 purple Filofax Malden and a mini Filofax Topaz in Burgundy. I also have a pocket sized lilac Metropol. I have several Midori and Fauxdori organisers and  I also have two generic ring binders in clear PVC one in personal size and one A5 I use for paper storage. I think I actually may have more but those are the ones I use and .. well know about!

I used to have a green A5 Kikki K but I gave that away to someone who wanted an organiser and could not afford one, given how many I have I think that was a good choice!

Q4. What do you use your organisers for?

Malden personal size Filofax, “ Little Purple”, is my every day organiser with information that I may need to refer to in a day and I sometimes use it as my planner /diary but other times I use a Hobonichi or a Day Designer for Bluesky as a planner and put the planner into a notebook holder.

A5 Metropols – hobby information (red)  and the other one (black) is  information on volunteer work (I am a volunteer at the Australian Information Security Association and the Australian Women in Security Network as well as a Justice of the Peace, keeping track of volunteer work is as important as keeping track of my paid employment)

• Pennybridge – houses my iPad and some note pages
• “Back to School’- paper storage in one, a herbal glossary in the other
• Gold Kikki K – blog planner
• Lilac with metallic diamonds Kikki K – has sheet music in it
• The two fabric coloured Kikki K – garden information and sticker storage
• A5 Malden – work planner
• Lilac A5 zipper Kikki K – course notes (when I do courses for work)
• The Cute Kikki K A5 – pet and vet information
• Pocket Metropol – computer information (serial numbers, software product keys)
• PVC (Clear) generics – paper storage
• Purple Filofax domino - addresses
• Mini Topaz - my wallet

Q5. How many sections do you have in your organiser and what is each section used for?

Little Purple has many sections, identified by tabs either at the top of the page or on the side. Sections: calendar, maps, lists, Commonplace Book, projects, Nintendo 64 games, pets, indices (for other planners I use so I know what is in where), information such as, how to reference in APA style and weights and measures conversions, contacts, online orders, brain dump, and notes.

Q6. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

I would like a Filofax that is slightly wider than the personal sized with bigger rings. A5 is too big to cart around and the personal sized is not always ideal to use as a daily planner. I think a Goldilocks version of just right, would be a personal sized Filofax made in the Malden style, with extra card slots, bigger rings and slightly wider (only 2 centimetres more!) to accommodate larger paper.

Q7. What's your favourite Filofax tip or hack?

Use Tomoe River paper and make your own inserts. Phiofaxy has a heap of diary and other page inserts to download and print or make your own. The paper from Tome River is thin but strong and is fountain pen friendly. As the paper is thin you can fit more pages in and it is strong enough to not rip even when regularly used.

If you do not have tabs to section off areas in the organiser use Washi tape, I buy heaps of washi tape from a local supplier, Chiyogami Designs, they have so many tape styles I think I may have far more than I will ever use, but the stuff has so many uses I am sure I will need to buy more soon …

Q8. Have you ever attended a Philofaxy meet-up? if not do you intend to one day?

No I have not attended a Philofaxy meet up, I live in Australia and I note there may have been interest in a meet up in Melbourne some years ago, but that is a long way for me to travel! I tend to go to computer conferences more than stationery meet ups anyway if I attend a group gathering!

Q9. What was the last movie you watched?

My husband and I went to "Star Wars the Last Jedi" last year which is the most recent movie I have seen.  I usually prefer to read than watch movies. Which is a neat segue into your final question!

Q10. What was the last book you read?

I read a lot, usually a novel every two days. However today I am reading the SANS Windows Forensics course books as I am doing a course for work.

On my bedside table I have a copy of Machiavelli’s “The Art of War”, (which is an interesting treatise and says as much about his pessimistic view of humanity as it does strategy) and a copy of the late Sir Terry Pratchett’s “Unseen Academicals”, a Discworld novel featuring wizards and football – a satirical treat!

Thank you Amanda-Jane check out her blog at: http://empressbat.blogspot.com

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.