31 March 2019

A Date For Your Diary - 7 April 2019

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

When? - Sunday 7 April 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.  
Do not worry if you aren't available at the start of one of the session as it lasts 1-2 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). Please make sure you have the latest version of Skype.

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.

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 7 April 2019.

30 March 2019

Web Finds - 30 March 2019

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 - 23 March 2019
  2. Silent Sunday
  3. Deskfax
  4. Free For All Tuesday - No. 425
  5. Web Finds - 27 March 2019
  6. Throw-back Thursday - Guest Post - How I use my Personal Filofax for Getting Things Done - David 
  7. Free For All Friday - No. 541 by Steve
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. My planner pages are not pretty, unfortunately, but they are effective - This Bug's Life
  2. VDS Additional Options Explained - Blog Vdsshop
  3. Finding Balance in Pursuit of Your Best Life - Day Designer
  4. Paper productivity - The Old Ways
  5. New release: Customer’s Choice Collection - Gillio RSS blog
  6. 5 Best Practices to Help You Prioritize What’s Most Important - Day Designer
  7. How to Stay Organized When Traveling - Wendaful Planning
  8. Important: changes to our IT systems - Gillio RSS blog
  9. 2019: Setting Career Goals - FranklinPlanner Talk
  10. How Planning with Intention Leads to Productivity and Presence - Day Designer
  • 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. 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
  • Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
And have you tried reading one of my Flipboard magazines yet? It works great on a tablet or smart phone, but you can view them on a desktop machine as well. Be sure to Follow the ones you like and you will get notifications when I update them.

View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

Enjoy




29 March 2019

Free For All Friday - No. 541 by Steve

Well another hectic week for me comes to an end.

I look at my organiser and see how many things I've ticked off on my list of tasks.

Sometimes not many, other times I'm well ahead of the game... this week sadly it is the former and not the later... but there is always next week!

In Europe this weekend, the clocks go forward an hour, a chore I never look forward to because there are so many to do that don't automatically change!

As always it is Friday so feel free to discuss anything organiser related.  Have a great weekend.

28 March 2019

Throw-back Thursday - Guest Post - How I use my Personal Filofax for Getting Things Done - David

I'm repeating this guest post from 2014 because it was very popular back in 2014, and I'm sure some people might have missed it first time around. 

Once again thank you to David for sharing in his system in such detail. 


This is the follow-up to my previous post, which detailed my Filofax set-up for Getting Things Done (hereafter referred to by its usual acronym of GTD). I’m sorry this has taken so long to see the light of day despite reminders and requests from members of the community. The honest truth is that I‘ve been experimenting almost continuously for the last four months or so, with different variants of the set-up, different binder sizes, form formats, etc, and in each and every case I’ve found myself back with the set-up I first detailed in November of last year. The only differences are that I’ve since become the very happy owner of a Cavendish with 30mm rings (goodbye, ring capacity issues), and that I’ve altered the sequencing of the sections slightly to make them more intuitive to me. Otherwise, the system is exactly as it was nearly a year ago, and having ‘wandered far and wide’ in search of what are in reality minor improvements, and returned to the system basically unaltered, I’m pretty sure this is the set-up for me.

As promised, this post really isn’t about the set-up at all (you can get that from my November 2013 post), but about how I use it. For the record, however, the sequencing of the sections is now
  1. Notes/In
  2. Diary
  3. Next Actions
  4. Agendas
  5. Projects
  6. Waiting For
  7. Someday/Maybe
  8. Focus and Direction
  9. Reference
  10. Contacts
I’ve combined Project Plans in with Projects to make room for the Focus and Direction section following reading the new GTD Guide to GTD and Paper Planners. I like the GTD system a lot better with the Focus and Direction element included than I did before….. <A sample of the Guide>

So…..what principles do I employ for operating the system, and what routines do I have in place?

Basically there are only three principles which undergird everything I do:-
  1. Capture ‘stuff’ instantly – don’t rely on your memory, it will let you down. Trust me – I’ve learned this the hard way, through everything from missed appointments to overdue tasks.
  2. The right set-up is the one you’re going to use. If you don’t love it, you won’t use it.
  3. Don’t try to make it perfect. The perfect system doesn’t exist.
1. Capture stuff instantly. This is vital for me. As I said in my previous post, everything (and I mean Everything) goes immediately into the system through Notes/In, with no exceptions allowed. If I come across a task, a project I’m about to take on, an item of information or anything else, it gets written in the Notes/In section straight away. I find even a minute’s delay (or less) means I’ve lost the thought I had in my mind. Once it’s recorded here, I know that I’m going to revisit it at the appropriate time (see below) and decide what has to be done, when, and by whom, and then make the decision about where it ‘fits’ within the system as a whole, either as a Project, an Action, a Someday/Maybe or whatever. Incidentally, this is the main reason why I’m still in the Personal format. Gents – can you really imagine yourself whipping out a Cuban zip binder, or something even bigger, in the pub, the gym or a restaurant. Good. Neither can I……ladies, I *know* you (mostly) carry bags for this purpose and others, but just make sure you can see yourself using that Filo in any and all circumstances……
2. The right set-up is the one you’re going to use. I’ve been through some great set-ups that were just too complex and time-consuming (including some GTD variants), some great binders that were just too bulky to carry, and had some great ideas which would really work well except that I’m never going to apply myself enough to ‘lift that weight’ (to quote David Gilmour). For me, this means I need a system that I can use (not over-complicated), will use (not ‘time-hungry’) and enjoy using. My Cavendish and my ‘reserve’ Hampstead (which I still sometimes move back into just for the fun of having it around) are both great binders I’d happily use all day every day (and do).  In terms of paper quality I’ve moved over almost entirely to Raymay Davinci because I can use any of my favourite pens with it. If you enjoy using your system, you’ll use it. If you don’t enjoy it, it will quickly become a chore to keep updated, and no-one likes a chore, do they?! The next stop is neglect and eventually (usually quite quickly) dis-use.
3. Don’t try to make it perfect. A long time ago I sat in a meeting where a wise person lectured us on the dangers of seeking perfection. I wish I’d listened (more). There is ‘perfect’ (which doesn’t exist, by the way) and there is ‘good enough’, which is, well………Good Enough. Real wisdom knows when Good Enough has been attained – and then stopping! (Can you tell I’m lecturing myself here?) I would have spent far less time trying and then abandoning slightly-altered set-ups than I have, and would have been far more productive, if I’d taken that advice earlier.
Ok, so those are the three principles by which I try to operate my system. In addition I’ve adopted a couple of routines which help keep me on track:-
  1. The ‘daily tidy’
  2. The Weekly Review
1. The ‘daily tidy’. Obviously if I’m constantly capturing ‘stuff’ in my Notes/In section, I’m going to have a bunch of loose ends by the time I’m getting towards the end of each day, so I make it a rule to spend 10-15 minutes before I finish the ‘work’ part of my day sorting these through, making decisions, and neatly logging them into the relevant lists within the system (GTD is really just a set of related lists). Anything captured after that goes into the following day’s Notes/In page(s) and gets dealt with the same way. There are no exceptions to this, no excuses, and I don’t consider 10-15 minutes every day too big a price to pay for the security of knowing that all the loose ends are dealt with. The other thing I do during my daily tidy is to set my MITs (Most Important Tasks) for the next day, so that I come to my desk knowing exactly what they are. For more information on the MIT concept, see Leo Babauta’s excellent book ‘Zen To Done. I set a *maximum* of two MITs  each day, and I make sure they get finished first, before I do the ‘small stuff’.
2. The Weekly Review. Obviously I can’t take any credit for the idea of the Weekly Review because it’s an integral part of the GTD system (see David Allen’s books if you need to know more), but I do my Review each week, for about 30-45 minutes, usually in the cafĂ© three doors up from where I live, or another about four miles away (I live in a small village). Doing that gets me away from my desk and from all the things ‘shouting’ to be done, and gives me the time and space I need to concentrate solely on getting my system up to date (if needed) and to brainstorm anything else which needs to be ‘brought on board.
I think it’s really important to have routines and stick to them. If I’m away on business and can’t make my usual Friday Weekly Review for some reason, I either do it on the train (and I’ll admit that writing on a train isn’t easy), or make sure I make time to visit a coffee shop in London (or elsewhere) and get that review sorted. The great thing here is that I have my Cavendish with me all the time, and this is always my response to the standard and rather tired argument I get in favour of digital planning, namely that of ‘single data entry’ which then ‘pops up’ on different digital platforms.

I have Single Data Entry (OK, count the initial note and the ‘proper’ logging as two if you like) and once I enter it, it stays entered. And I don’t have to rely on it maybe/possibly/probably ‘popping up’ elsewhere, because my Filofax is always with me.

Over all I don’t think 15 minutes a day and 30-40 minutes once a week is too much time to spend to keep up-to-date, and I hope you don’t either. Mostly it’s a matter of discipline. Do I want to save the review time for something else and know I’m going to struggle all week to know what my ‘compass’ should be? Probably not. Do I want to know I’ve always got everything with me, all the time, and that I can’t be ‘ambushed’ by new ‘stuff’ because I have a tried and tested system for capturing it and dealing with it later? Probably. No, definitely.

I hope this brief overview is of help to those who have requested it. Once again, I have to stress that this is the system which works for me – yours may be different. I think the important thing is that each of us should not only have a system but should use it consistently. And remember:-


Happy planning!

David

Thank you David

27 March 2019

Web Finds - 27 March 2019

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

With Google/You Tube still disabling the search filtering function hindering my attempts to bring you the latest videos, I have decided to compile a post from the list it is currently presenting in the search.

It is fairly random in terms of the timing of various videos, but I hope you enjoy this varied list as much as ever.

Please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this list.
  1. Filofax vs. Erin Condren - Kristina Braly
  2. Minimal A5 Planner Set Up // Filofax A5 Planner // 2019 - Let's Make It Sparkle
  3. Filofax Personal Planner Setup | February 2019 - Ahlexandria
  4. Bullet Journal x Filofax c'est plus facile - Lavis de Cherry
  5. Ultimate Personal Planner Comparison | Recollections, Filofax, FoxyFix, Van der Spek & Gillio - Jessica Torina
  6. A5 Finsbury Filofax - A Bowl Full of Lemons
  7. 2019 Planner Setup || Filofax Malden - iheart2plan
  8. New Filofax Planners, Notebooks, and Clipbooks - NSS 2018 Episode 6 - Goldspot Pens
  9. September Planner Set Up | Filofax Malden A5 - Elyssa Nalani
  10. 2018 Filofax Setup | Classic Croc - Annie Smith
  11. 2018 Filofax Functional Setup (in Depth) | Raspberyl Designs - Raspberyl Designs
  12. My Filofax Saffiano Personal Compact Planner Setup - Seaweed Kisses
  13. Unboxing Personal Filofax (Finsbury) - foxclouds
  14. Work and Personal Setup in Personal Filofax // MaryPlethora - maryplethora
  15. Filofax Time Management A5 inserts in my A5 Red Finchley - One Fantastic Find!
  16. Minimalist Planner Set Up | Filofax Finsbury Personal | July 2018 - PlansMeetPaper
  17. How NOT to Remove the Rings from Your Filofax - Alexis aka MissTrenchcoat
  18. Unboxing Filofax - Planner Love
  19. 2019 Planner Set Up Part 2- Personal Filofax Tour - PlansMeetPaper
  20. 2013 Video Series: How to Choose a Filofax Personal Organiser - My Purpley Life
  21. Review and Setup of my new Van Der Spek Custom Planner | Kendra Bork - Kendra Bork
  22. Planner Set Up in VDS TM Planner (Functional Planning) - Katherine Shu
  23. VDS senior planner and how I'm using it. - One Fantastic Find!
  24. VdS planner - leather samples - randompastimes
  25. June 2016 Planner Setup - Van der Spek Standard Touch Me - Carie Harling
  26. Gillio Compagna Croco | Personal Planner Setup - Ashton Womack
  27. New Gillio Croco Set Up + Planner Chat - MadyPlans
  28. Gillio planner unboxing - MoreMella
  29. Planner Flip - Gillio Pocket Compagna (Pocket Rings Setup) - Stephanie Lane
  30. 2018 Functional Planner System - Gillio Undyed w/ 30mm rings, LV PM, and Gillio B6 Appunto - Sierra Poulson
  31. Decorative Vs. Functional Planning - Cindy Guentert-Baldo
  32. Intro to Functional Planning: 5 Reasons You're Not Finding Planner Peace - Alexis aka MissTrenchcoat
  33. Top 5 Functional Planning Tips! - Mary Heather Browne
  • 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. 
You might also be interested in Planner Spread Love on Facebook. 

Enjoy




26 March 2019

Free For All Tuesday - No. 425

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.

We are here to answer your questions.

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

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

25 March 2019

Deskfax

Could the Deskfax make a return? Although Filofax gave up on the size many years ago, the page size is at least an ISO standard size. B5 (176 x250mm) is bigger than A5 (148x210mm) but smaller than A4 (210x297mm). So a good compromise.


The B6 size (125x176mm) is starting to become a popular size as well now. Van der Spek have B6 sizes available in their custom range. B6 is a similar height as Personal size, but 30mm wider. It started to be popular amongst Travellers Notebook users, but it has spread to ring bound organiser users as well now.

The biggest hurdle for any new production of Deskfax organisers is a source of good quality ring mechanisms. Krause don't currently make them and would require an order of 1000 units to do so anyway. I believe people have seen 9 ring mechanisms on some of the Far Eastern web sites.

Deskfax organisers have 9 rings as opposed to 6 rings for nearly all other ring bound organisers. The nine rings are in three groups of three. The three rings in a group are in the usual 19mm spacing. With the groups spaced by 51mm, or if you take a personal page it will slot on to either the top set and middle group of rings, or alternatively the middle group and the bottom set of rings.

This of course means that you can use a Personal page punch to punch Deskfax page by punching the top of the page first then turning the page over to punch the bottom of the page, making sure that the middle group are a common set of holes. With a bit of practice it's relatively easy to do.

For other posts on Deskfax check out past posts here on Philofaxy.

Have you ever tried out a Deskfax? Do you own one?

23 March 2019

Web Finds - 23 March 2019

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 - 16 March 2019
  2. Silent Sunday
  3. Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings?
  4. Free For All Tuesday - No. 424
  5. True Vintage - Norman and Hill Leather Organiser
  6. What happened to Web Finds today?
  7. Reading Lists
  8. Free for All Friday No. 540
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. Red Janet Leather VDS Un-Widened Senior - Sharondippity
  2. Time management Monday - Quo Vadis Blog
  3. How To Be Consistent With Using Your Planner - Wendaful Planning
  4. Online Entrepreneurs – What are you thinking? - Lime Tree Fruits << Planner bloggers please take note!
  5. New Academic Year 2019-2020 Flagship Planners: Top Questions Answered! - Day Designer
  6. Planner Peace 2019 -  Planner Fun
  7. New Quo Vadis Planners website! - Quo Vadis Blog
  8. Mama and Baby :-D - Chrissie`s Universe
  9. Coming Soon on Orangecoffee69 - Orangecoffee69
  10. 2019: Setting Relationship Goals - FranklinPlanner Talk
  11. April Daily Photo Challenge - Mrs Brimbles
  12. Sticker: Telefon Doodles / Telephone Doodles - Lorelei Lee's Plan-Bar
  13. Closing the Loops on Meeting Notes - Getting Things Done
  • 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. 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
  • Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
And have you tried reading one of my Flipboard magazines yet? It works great on a tablet or smart phone, but you can view them on a desktop machine as well. Be sure to Follow the ones you like and you will get notifications when I update them.

View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

Enjoy




22 March 2019

Free for All Friday No. 540

How many organizers do you use every day? Do you have one that lives on your desk, and another for toting around? Or is your organizer an all-in-one solution?

Of course, since it's Friday, all discussion of ring-bound organizers is welcome!

21 March 2019

Reading Lists

Books, I love to read them, but can I remember which ones I've read, and if I'm reading a series have I read them in the correct order?

If you know me well enough then the answer is no... to both questions! Poor memory or just too much going on in life you decide!

This is where my organiser comes to the rescue!  I have some simple templates that I can write in the book titles I've read so far. In the case of a series I write them in to the list in the correct order and then I can enter the dates I read them or simply tick them off as I go through them.

You can find the templates I use here:
Alternatively I've adapted an existing 'To-do' list into a reading list or books to read list. Will there be enough time to read them all is another matter!

You will of course find my dear wife's books here! I'm sure she will welcome a few more fans! 

Happy reading.... 

20 March 2019

What happened to Web Finds today?

Hello everyone.

No, I didn't forget to do the video Web Finds today.

Following the terrible events in Christchurch New Zealand last week, You Tube have disabled the ability to filter and sort videos by the upload date.  Therefore it is virtually impossible for my system to find the most recent videos to include in the Web Finds posts.

My system uses a variety of search terms to find the videos such as this one: Filofax Video

As you will see not only are the videos in some sort of random order, they date from years ago to weeks ago. Normally the videos would be in the order of the most recent one first.

I had planned to assemble the post on Monday before travelling all day yesterday and do a quick update late last night to finish off the post for today. Sadly that wasn't going to be possible given the issues with You Tube.

So I had to quickly finish off the post you saw today which was intended for Thursday...

I will of course be keeping a close watch on You Tube to see if they restore the search/filtering, but until they do I will not easily be able to bring you video web finds. I will also look at other ways of bringing you the recent videos from the frequent video creators as well.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

True Vintage - Norman and Hill Leather Organiser

This last weekend I got to see my brother in law. He has loaned me his 'vintage' Norman and Hill leather slim organiser.

He's not the original owner, he inherited it from a previous engineer at his workplace back in about 1994.

Tony (B.i.L.) has been using it as an address book! And as you can see from the photos it's not in perfect condition, but it has not had an easy life! He has a few old inserts, just lined paper.

The organiser could do with a little TLC as some of the stitching has come undone and may be give it a light clean and a little leather conditioning. But it is in lovely condition for its age. I will not do anything to it until I have had a chance to talk with him.



The rings are the modern linked type, not the very old independent type I've written about before. They are approximately half an inch in internal diameter.

It has a very practical set of pockets on the inside front and rear inside covers. The small pockets, top and bottom of the front inside cover would have been used for postage stamps or railway tickets.


The presence of this emblem might help us give an accurate date to this organiser. 'N&H Ltd London' is of course Norman and Hill Ltd London. 

Norman and Hill is the original company that started to import organisers from Lefax in the USA in the early 1920's, they later renamed their products Filofax from 'File of Facts' 


The original 'cover page' which also shows the Norman Hill address in Newgate Street.


In discussion with 'GMax' we seem to believe that this model is as shown in the 1937 catalogue page 2 as shown below.


We think it is a model A.299 Lefax “pocket book” this matches the pocket layout. Additionally given the address details shown on the cover page, which is an address we know that Norman and Hill occupied before World War 2.

This design was continued through until about 1980/1981 when it became the Filofax 6CL (Gloucester) it also changed from Morocco leather to Calf leather.

This is one of the oldest examples of the Norman and Hill Ltd products that we have seen to date.

Thank you to GMax for his help and knowledge in dating or narrowing down the period we are confident that this organiser is from. Of course thanks also to by brother in law Tony for the loan of this organiser.



19 March 2019

Free For All Tuesday - No. 424

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.

We are here to answer your questions.

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

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

18 March 2019

Can I Fit Bigger or Smaller Rings?


'Can I fit bigger rings to my Make X Model Y in Size Z?' Is a question I am often asked.

People start the year and as the year progresses so the amount of paper they are carrying increases etc. I'm sure you know the story well.

The answer is 'Yes' and 'No' !

Why you might ask... well let's look at the mechanics of rings.

Rings are available in a variety of sizes and often in gold and silver. In the past they were painted/powder coated a few different colours as well.

Image Source - Van der Spek
The different sizes of organiser and different ring sizes result in different dimensions for the mounting points of the rings on to the base plate. As you can see below Standard (Personal) uses the same base plates for both 25 and 30mm rings. Likewise Senior (A6) uses the same for 20 and 25mm as well as the Gillio 23mm A6 rings.

Sadly, on Junior (Pocket) size they have different mounting point dimensions for the 16 and 20mm rings. Therefore you can't easily upgrade a pocket from 16mm to 20mm rings. You would have to do some surgery to remove the backplate and replace it with the correct one. Not impossible, but you would need to be reasonably skilled to do this sort of work, to re-stitch the exterior and interior leather back together again.



As you can see some conversions are reasonably easy to do 25mm -> 30mm on Standard (Personal/Medium) size are more or less a straight swap.

However, this is where an element of 'No' you can't swap the rings comes in.

Whilst they will physically fit the back plate and work etc, there might be an issue with the space left for the pages, increasing the ring size by 5mm in the above example, means that the thickness of the organiser might be increased by 5mm and the edge pages are moved 5mm closer to the outer edge of the organiser.

That said in some cases the designer obviously considered the larger ring size and the cover is 'bigger'  than the normal size of rings and therefore some can take the larger rings without the pages/tabs sticking out beyond the edge of the organiser.

Is there a list of ones that can take bigger rings? Not as such, but a simple way of telling is to measure the distance from the middle of your paper stack in the organiser to the edge of the organiser when closed. The middle being the highest part of the curve of the rings and is therefore closer to the edge.

Also be aware of the top or the bottom of your stack of pages getting closer to the pen loop if there is one.

Another way of creating the additional space to allow for the increase in ring size is to go from using side tabs to top/bottom tabs.

Going down in ring size say from 30mm to 25mm isn't a problem as long as the ring mounting points are the same, you just need to exchange the rings over. And if you are careful removing the rings you can reverse the change easily should you want to go back to the original size.

I hope that helps and answers your questions, if not please leave a comment below and I will try to respond to your questions as quickly as possible.


16 March 2019

Web Finds - 16 March 2019

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 - 9 March 2019
  2. Silent Sunday
  3. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 85
  4. Free For All Tuesday - No. 423
  5. Web Finds - 13 March 2019
  6. Filofax as a wallet?
  7. Free For All Friday No 539
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. Tickled pink and organised - Eclectic Notebook
  2. Reducing the chaos - Mootastic
  3. Real Croco – VDS Custom Planners on Request - Blog Vdsshop
  4. Episode #48: Installing GTD in an Organization - Getting Things Done
  5. Mini Mia Cara: restock & new colours - Gillio RSS blog
  6. Time management Monday: Nervous about setting goals? Here’s how to overcome goal-setting hesitation - Quo Vadis Blog
  7. New GTD & Google Apps Setup Guide - Blog Vdsshop
  8. 2019: Setting Health Goals - FranklinPlanner Talk
  9. FREE printable and Digital Packet! {while it lasts } - Lime Tree Fruits
  10. Customer review: Mini Mia Cara - Gillio RSS blog
  11. Planning March - 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. 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
  • Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
And have you tried reading one of my Flipboard magazines yet? It works great on a tablet or smart phone, but you can view them on a desktop machine as well. Be sure to Follow the ones you like and you will get notifications when I update them.

View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

Enjoy




15 March 2019

Free For All Friday No 539

Happy Belated Birthday to Steve, whose birthday was this week! I had it written in my Filofax of course. :) There are probably 25 or so birthdays of friends and family that I dutifully copy into my Filofax pages each year. I keep these on perpetual monthly pages in my home Filofax, which I use as a reference when filling in my new planner pages each year.

Do you keep track of birthdays and anniversaries in your Filofax? Or do you use electronic reminders, or a different method?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to ask and/ or discuss anything ring binder organizer related!

14 March 2019

Filofax as a wallet?

Which Filofax works best as a wallet? It is a question I often see being asked.

However, someones comments recently got me thinking again about it from another point of view.

So what do you need when you are shopping?
  • Money
  • Credit cards, Bank cards
  • Store cards 
  • Shopping list
  • Short list of essential phone numbers (optional if these are all on your mobile phone) 
  • May be a monthly planner or year planner
  • A few sheets of note paper may be. 
But does your 'wallet' Filofax need to be your planner as well? 

After the discussion recently I reached a conclusion that may be it shouldn't be..... why? As a wallet you want your organiser to be small enough to put in your pocket or in your bag. As a planner a lot of us need more space possibly. And obviously using an A5 as a wallet isn't going to look too cool at the check out? But it is an ideal size as a desk planner. 

Is personal size an ideal compromise? May be but unless you have some big pockets... or you carry your organiser in your handbag/purse or man bag, you have to carry it in your hand, not ideal when emptying your basket on to the check out? 

If you are going shopping do you need to carry all of your planner, information, addresses etc in your main planner with you? If a friend does meet you whilst at the shops and asks if you are available for coffee next week, you could have a facsimile of your calendar on a monthly or yearly calendar in your 'wallet' Filofax, or simply take a note of the details and offer to ring back when you get home? 

So may be an A5 or Personal for home use and a pocket or mini for shopping?  Personally I would favour a small ring pocket, slightly slimmer, 15mm rings would be more than big enough I'm sure. Credit card pockets are available in pocket size too, although I know people do make their own for mini size. 

See my video below from a few years ago, about using a personal size and pocket size Malden as a wallet.


What about you, what would your ideal solution be?


13 March 2019

Web Finds - 13 March 2019

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of videos from around the internet.

Here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Franklin Planner Flip Through 2019 - Tonya Plans
  2. Weekly Review (GTD): How I Plan my Week - Brandy Michelle Plans
  3. Van Der Spek Parme Custom Personal Wide Rings - Planner Mumsy
  4. My Van der Spek Touch Me Senior with Comparisons feat. DIYfish Inserts - PacificOcean17
  5. SF PlannerCon 2019 Haul - the planner spot
  6. My 2016 Planner Setup: The Calendar with DIYFISH Inserts - PacificOcean17
  7. Gillio Special Edition Vintage Mokka Compagna - Elena Bedner
  8. Filofax Planner Set Up | Natasha Harbert - Natasha Harbert
  9. Ring Planner BuJo Flipthrough - Ganchi_mH
  10. Filofax Saffiano Compact Zip + Cash Envelopes - A Penny Plan
  11. Pocket Rings Set Up 'UPDATE' | Pocket Fawn Filofax - CraftyPlannerMom
  12. Filofax Wochendeko KW 9 - starflower_plans
  13. Pocket Rings Flip Through | Filofax Croc Ebony - Amanda Watts
  14. Review Filofax A5 - The Flower Journal
  15. EdiciĂłn Filofax como Bullet Journal - The Flower Journal
  • 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. 
You might also be interested in Planner Spread Love on Facebook. 

Enjoy




12 March 2019

Free For All Tuesday - No. 423

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.

We are here to answer your questions.

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

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

11 March 2019

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 85


Journaling 
Do you Journal? Some people keep very detailed recordings of their thoughts and feelings, details of events and things they have done.

Getting in to the journaling habit can seem like a mountain to climb if you aren't a natural writer.

In this episode we hope we can provide you with some ideas and encouragement to get started on journaling.

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

Show Notes (timings approximate)
00:00 - Introductions.
01:46 - Minimalist Journaling: A Fun and Effective Tool for Tremendous Habit Change - Michal Korzonek.
03:00 - Getting started.
03:30 - Journalling School - Ray Blake (My Life All in One Place).
06:00 - What Steve uses.
07:00 - How and why I record things.
11:00 - The difference between my planner and my journal.
12:00 - Using your planner instead of a journal.
13:30 - Time keeping.
15:00 - Items in the news, weather.
16:15 - Emotions and thoughts.
17:00 - Simplifying journal keeping.
18:15 - How to get started progressively.
21:00 - Including drawings in your journal.
22:00 - Portable printer.
22:30 - Using a travellers notebook as a journal whilst travelling.
24:00 - 4/5 year planner/journal - Four Year Journals
25:00 - Sharing your journal?
28:30 - Using a month on two pages as a basic journal
30:00 - What do you the audience think about journaling

Support the podcast via Patreon

Episode 85 - Journaling 


A direct download is also available here: Episode85.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: PlannerologyThroatPunchResumes.comKarine 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:

2019

84 - Workflows - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf

2018

83 - Routines - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
82 - Productivity 201 - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
81 - Planner Sizes - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
80 - Do you have too many planners? - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
79 - Improving Your Planning Productivity - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
78 - Ten reasons why you have stopped planning - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
77 - Letting Your Planner Take The Strain - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
76 - The Franken Flex - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
75 - Decluttering - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
74 - Engagement - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
73 - Reflection and Review - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
72 - Organisation - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
71 - Clarification - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
70 - Capture - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
69 - How to do nothing - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
68 - Changes - A5 docx pdf  Personal docx pdf
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 NirvanaA5 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