Before I started using a Filofax, I tended to have a number of notebooks on the go, which unsurprisingly didn't work very well for me. I forgot which notebook I'd previously used, or one of them got mislaid which resulted in me finding it weeks later and it just wasn't very efficient. David Allen's book 'Getting Things Done' talks about what he calls ubiquitous capture, so like many people in the community, I have an inbox section at the front of my Kensington with spare paper and notes and to-dos get written down there.
However, I won't always have my Filofax with me, even when I'm at home, so I have a number of small capture tools that I often use alongside my organiser.
Left to right - PocketMod, leather jotter and tiny notebook (7cm by 10cm).
My favourite is the leather jotter that was an eBay bargain as no one else bid, so I got it for the price of postage! It's a lovely little thing made by a company called Fabriano, and takes record cards that measure 12.5cm by 7.5cm. And another stroke of luck was that my Mum-in-law had a stack of those cards that she was getting rid of, so I have lots to keep me going.
Currently, the leather jotter lives in a basket in the drawer of my bedside table, so that it's within easy reach. Once I've written anything, the idea is that any of these capture tools are small enough to just pop into my Filofax, so that I remember to process the notes. I tend to put the jotter behind the flyleaf, which keeps it in place and it's also the first thing that I see when I open it up.
In the past, when I used to work in an office, I'd also sometimes keep a spare lined insert (folded in half) in my wallet, so that worked well too for the times that I might leave my Filofax at home. I find that I benefit from more capture tools like this when I'm going through a busy time, as it helps ensure things don't fall through the cracks and also helps me feel less overwhelmed.
Do you also do this, or does everything just go into your organiser straightaway?
I use a Bloc Rhodia no. 11 A7 pad. Fits in my pocket, the pages are perforated so I can tear them off and throw them away when I've added them to the main system.
ReplyDeleteI have them everywhere!
I love jotters like this, but need them to take personal size leaves.
ReplyDeleteSadly these are very uncommon. Filofax used to make them until 1990.
I must admit that if I don't have my work, or Personal FF to hand it's my smartphone 'tasks' app, although only when FF isn't an option (I'm outside and a) it's dark or b) it's raining!
ReplyDeleteI use the 700 sheet cubes of note paper (85 x 85 mm), preferably in light pastel colours, so they are visibly different from the white pages in my Filofax. I set my hole punch to "Pocket" size and punch (four) holes on two opposite sides of the note paper. The note paper is an inexpensive way of capturing notes and can be easily moved between most sizes of Filofax, from A5 to Personal to Pocket. The reason for punching holes on opposite sides is that when using a Ruler Page Marker, the notes can be flipped so that the front page of the note always faces you when you open the Filofax. I keep a few of these sheets of punched note paper in each of my main Filofaxes.
ReplyDeleteMy primary Filofax is a Personal Sherwood with a Week-to-a-Page diary insert for my appointments and notes (fortunately, I can write tiny). I also replicate the appointments in my Outlook Calendar on my Mac, which syncs with my iPhone. If I don't have my Sherwood, I generally have my Filofax Pocket Finsbury.
I have little jotters dotted about the place and a tiny one in my bag
ReplyDeleteI keep post-its everywhere. I know it's not the same, but it's more practical that looking for my hole punch.
ReplyDeleteI use an index card holder similar to the one Anita uses. I added a pen loop that holds my favorite pocket fountain pen.
ReplyDelete