Changing Size?

Have you ever seriously considered changing the size of organiser you are using on a daily basis? Not just going for a different ring size, but a different page size as well.

This post is for you, to help you through the thought process and it is one I've been going through this last couple of weeks or so.

For more years than I can remember I have been mainly using A5 as my main 'go to' size organiser. However, like most people I did start in personal size, well there wasn't many other options back then! I get these occasional hankerings to return to personal size.

This year being what it has been in terms of you make plans only to have to change them a few days or weeks later. I guess I'm not alone in looking at my organiser and seeing how my requirements this year have changed.

My starting point in this exercise is my A5 Enhanced Time Manager layout, I've been using it since mid 2011!

Obviously I have been using a current year version! I started off by looking through recent weeks to see what parts of the layout I used the most. At the moment it tends to be the right hand page more than the left hand appointments side.

I had bought a personal size insert earlier in the year on the off chance I might migrate in to that size, also to use it in photographs so it looked more up to date, it was in one of the many sales that Filofax France have held this year!

The new paper they are using is an improvement over previous versions. I like this layout because it is just one language, which leaves more space to write in. However, it is mainly focused on appointment type entries although I'm sure I could adapt it with a few extra drawn lines to include tasks and notes.

On a recent shopping trip I spotted the Quo Vadis Timer 17 inserts on sale at our local shops. I bought this insert to try out.

The first problem with this insert is that the size is slightly bigger than Filofax Personal at 100mm x 171mm, I trimmed off 5mm off the outer edge of each sheet. That didn't take too long to do and it solved that problem. The paper is excellent, no bleed through at all with my usual rollerball pen. Whilst the lines for appointments make life easier, the time range tends to suit a working day more than evenings. The space at the foot of the page could be used for tasks. However in recent weeks my task list has been more than would have fitted in that space. I could use a supplementary To Do list page. Like my current A5 insert though I don't have enough appointments to fill in that space.

At this point I realised if I was going to find a suitable replacement I would have to think harder about my actual requirements otherwise I would quickly end up with a stack of unused inserts!

Then I found this one in our Philofaxy personal on personal size paper inserts. It is the 4. Week on One Page Plus Notes/Tasks and you can find versions of it for 2020 and 2021 available on the Diary Inserts pages.

The appointments size gives equal space to each day, a plus point for me, it is unlined, but they could easily be added to the design if required. In my limited tests so far there are enough lines assigned to tasks for most weeks. 

For my initial tests I've only printed about 5 weeks of this design on ordinary Filofax white paper,  not the best quality, it is some I bought a few years ago and it seems to absorb gel ink a little too much for my liking, but it is fine with a ball point pen.

As I'm printing on to personal size paper, there is no cutting or punching required, so whilst it is tricker to print, there is less work involved to finish off the inserts. 

In conclusion, if you are thinking of changing page size of your organiser please consider the following:

• Do you really need to change sizes? Obvious really, but would a change of insert format in your current organiser size improve the use of your organiser. 
• Look at how you use your current inserts so you can decide what you require from your new inserts in terms of page space. 
• Have you used the new size previously? 
• Do you already own an organiser and accessories in the new size? 
• Test out potential inserts in the new size for at least a couple of weeks? 
• What other inserts will you need in the new size? Test those out as well if possible. 
• If you don't own an organiser in the new size, test just some inserts in the new size for a couple of weeks before you purchase an organiser and accessories. You might save yourself a lot of expense if you find the new size doesn't quite work for you. 

I will let you know if I make the jump back to personal size or not. 

Have you ever seriously considered changing the size of organiser you are using on a daily basis?