Philofaxy: July 2024

31 July 2024

Video Web Finds - Wednesday 31 July 2024

I hope you have had a good weekend.

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.

Please leave a comment on any of the videos you enjoyed and mention you saw a link on Philofaxy.
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.
Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
Follow Philofaxy on Reddit
Follow Philofaxy on Threads

Enjoy

30 July 2024

Free For All Tuesday - No. 704

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 post a question. If you are commenting as 'Anonymous', please include your name in the text of your comment.

It is Tuesday after all, so fire away with any questions and comments.

If you are commenting below, please include your first name at the end of the comment. Thank you.

29 July 2024

Filofax Brand Guidelines

I came across this file whilst looking for something else the other day.

Whilst I don't necessarily follow all of them 100% of the time, I still think they are valid.

28 July 2024

Silent Sunday

New Orleans divider in vintage pink A5 Malden

27 July 2024

Web Finds - Saturday 27 July 2024

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

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

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.

Other models that can fold over? - Filofax
Execute Your Ideas - FranklinPlanner Talk
Episode #268: Slice of GTD Life with Blanka - Getting Things Done
Finally settled on my first Filofax - Filofax
Franklin Covey Pocket - Sharondippity
The Truth About Planners: Why Most Planners Don’t Improve Your Productivity - Strange & Charmed
Malden - Filofax
Adding Visual Interest to a Planner or Journal - An Inkophile's Blog
I deringed my Filofax Lockwood Personal Zip. (It fits a Stalogy B6.) What do you think? - Filofax
Link Love: Is Your Pen Chaotic Evil? - The Well-Appointed Desk
Web Finds – 24 July 2024 - Travellers Notebook Times
Your blog post could appear here. Please let us know if you have a blog that features ring bound organisers.

Please leave a comment on any of the blogs you enjoyed reading and mention that you saw their post mentioned on Philofaxy. Thank you
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.
Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list.
Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
Follow Philofaxy on Reddit
Follow Philofaxy on Threads

Enjoy

26 July 2024

Free for All Friday No. 820 by Nan

When you're busy, do you use your organizer more or less? Usually, I use my organizer more when I have more to organize...up to a point. When, for example, I have a big work deadline or an urgent all-consuming project, I put all of my focus on that project and stop writing.

Then, in the aftermath, I try to write a summary in my organizer, which is an A5 Filofax. It's an interesting pattern. Do you do this?

Of course, since it's Friday, feel free to discuss anything else related to your favorite ring-bound organizer!

25 July 2024

You Tuber Under The Spotlight - 'Flatability'

Today, we are starting a new series here and occasionally over on Travellers Notebook Times as well.

It is similar to our 'Readers Under The Spotlight' feature that we started many years ago. And funnily enough today's YouTuber featured in that series back in 2022.

We aren't sure how many YouTubers we will feature, but I'm sending out some emails to those that regularly appear in Video Web Finds to see if they would like to appear.

I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with Neil of the 'Flatability' YouTube channel, so Neil was an obvious choice to start off our series.

Tell us about your YouTube channel.

On the "Flatability" YouTube channel, I talk about paper based productivity, and that inevitably includes Filofaxes. I'm a big fan of vintage Filofaxes but, this year, I've started to look at Filofaxes from the current model range.

I also review other binders (LeFax, Microfile, Omega, Van Der Spek, and many more). My channel is called Flatability because, in my opinion, good flatability (the ability of a binder to lay flat when opened) is just about essential if you want to use a binder as a serious working tool.

I also host The Flatability Podcast and, for those looking for even more, I make "behind the scenes" and "coffee break" videos excusively for channel members.

What encouraged you to start your channel and when did you start it?

I remember, as a teenager, splicing audio tapes together to make mix tapes, and then, a little later, experimenting with cine film. So I guess I've been experimenting with audio and moving images for quite a while now. I started the Flatability channel about three years ago and, as I write this, I've made over 340 videos. I love Filofaxes (I've been using them every day for over 30 years, and I love making videos, so it made sense to start a YouTube channel.

A lot of people feature plenty of subjects/topics on their channels these days what topics are popular on your channel?

That's a very good question, because my channel is followed by several different interest groups. There are, for instance, viewers who enjoy my Filofax reviews, others who enjoy watching my "ink on paper" tests, some who like my paper based productivity discussions, or the Flatability Podcast, and of course there's a huge EDC (every day carry) community out there who enjoy my videos too.

But, from a statistical context, you can see which videos have been viewed most often by clicking the "popular" button. I did consider having separate channels for different aspects of paper based productivity but in the end I decided to keep everything together.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own YouTube channel about planners?

The best advice I can give, is to just press record. Your viewers won't be expecting you to produce some cinematic masterpiece, and the planner community are a great bunch of people who won't give you a hard time.

Just start with a smartphone, with some cheap lighting (or sit by a window), speak clearly, and learn some basic editing using something like Apple's iMovie app. I have used a GoPro, and several mirrorless cameras, but I find that an iphone gives me the best results overall.

Don't worry if your first few videos aren't great; your viewers will find them endearing and you'll improve. If you look at the first videos made by some of YouTube's top stars, you'll see that they made some pretty bad videos at the beginning; so don't be despondent.

Just keep filming, and try to make small improvements as you go. And just one more thing; if viewers take the trouble to leave a comment then you should take the trouble to respond.

If your channel grows, you may reach the point where you cannot answer every comment but, until you reach that point, make sure you do. It's just being polite.

What types of planners do you enjoy using?

This is a difficult question for me, because I'm not a typical "everything in one planner" kind of guy.

What I tend to do is dedicate different planners for different purposes. I have one binder completely stuffed with ideas for new videos, for instance, and another that exclusively documents my health.

Having said that, I'm a big fan of the smallest Filofax ever made, with perhaps the longest name; the Guildford Mini Extra Slim (although I'm looking forward to trying a Plotter Mini 5 as soon as I can get hold of one). No dividers, no pre-printed inserts, just 80 pages of wonderfully thin Clairefontaine 50gsm paper, which I hand cut into A7 size.

It's enough for me, and it's so small it will easily fit into a jeans pocket. A mixture of calendar, notes and to do lists, but very minimal. If I have a specific project then I might use another binder with a little more space and, right now, I'm actually carrying five binders in my bag or backpack, because I'm in the process of moving house. But this flexibility is a key advantage for Filofax users.

What planner are you currently using?

I'm using several on a daily basis, but the one I'm opening most often during the day is my Filofax Heritage Compact, which I'm using as part of a long term review.

It currently holds all the details of my house move, so, a project book if you like. When I've finally moved house, I'll probably use it for some other purpose. I'm a big fan of slimline binders, but ring size is often quite limiting. This model has slightly bigger rings but still remaining slim enough to fit in a jacket pocket. I like it.

Where can we find you on social media?

I'm not really a fan of social media. Look for flatability on Instagram and Facebook, but I hardly ever post there, and I can't even remember when I last posted on other platforms. For me, it's all about Youtube because, inevitably, time spent on social media means I might make fewer videos. And I like making videos.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1258982394934607

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flatability

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Flatability

Any further thoughts?

If, as an 11 year old, splicing audio tapes with a razor blade, or trying to make a school production on cine film, I could have seen into the future, I would have been amazed that filming near broadcast quality video, editing, and then uploading, can now all be done from a smartphone.

And for someone previously brought up in age where film making was always (and very frustratingly) limited by affordability, rather than creativity, that's incredible!

Thank you Neil and if you have a YouTube channel and you would like to be featured here in this series please get in touch philofaxy at gmail dot com .

24 July 2024

Video Web Finds - Wednesday 24 July 2024

I hope you have had a good weekend.

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.

Please leave a comment on any of the videos you enjoyed and mention you saw a link on Philofaxy.
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.
Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
Follow Philofaxy on Reddit
Follow Philofaxy on Threads

Enjoy

23 July 2024

Free For All Tuesday - No. 703

If you are commenting below, please include your first name at the end of the comment. Thank you.

22 July 2024

Guest Post: Distressed Leather Filofax Malden

Greetings my name is Marios, I live in Hellas and I love anything analog.

I like pencils (mostly Blackwings) fountain pens (Kaweco, Waterman etc.) and of course notebooks, organisers and good old vinyl records.

A month ago I decided to acquire a Malden in brown colour that I wanted it for a long time.

Unfortunately half of the rings was slight misaligned and with gaps... (Filofax why? really why ?)

Anyway they didn't have another, so I decided to buy it and fix it myself, I used pliers with plastic tips I was able to perfectly correct the rings.

But as the days went by I didn't like the way that the leather looked and also it didn't feel right to the touch.

I regret that I didn't buy an old Malden from the web, so I decided to distress the leather and to remove the paint so to see how it looks.

DECLAIMER: This procedure is irreversible and it may void your warranty in a new Filofax. So do it at your own risk. Also, I don't think that it will be good with other colour Maldens like the black or the blue. Make a test in a small area inside the Filofax first.

I used rubbing alcohol and with cotton wool I did small areas without forcing too much.

You have to be gentle and giving time for the leather to dry out and evaporate the alcohol, before you continue.

It took me over an hour to fully clear the Malden inside out, and then I cleaned the residues with a wet cloth.

I let it dry and then I saw a beautiful leather that needed it to be moister.

I didn't have any leather conditioner so I used the next best thing, that was Vaseline.

I let it soak for an hour and then I wiped out the rest of the Vaseline.

And there I was with a new beautiful distressed Malden that now has character and some extra benefits:

First, the smell of the leather is more intense.
Second, (Neil from ''Flatability'' will love this...) the flatability went from 70% to 100% effortless.
Third, now I can see the grain of the leather and most important as I use it, the natural oils of my hands are starting to make the leather darker. This is so perfect, the leather binder reacts to my touch.

I took some pictures but they don't make justice to the real thing.

I hope to inspire others to transform their Filofax.

Marios has since treated the leather with a wax leather conditioner. Here is the result.

Thank you to Marios for their post I think their Malden now has a lot more character, what do you think?

21 July 2024

Silent Sunday

Photo by Ilaria Ghidini on Unsplash

20 July 2024

Web Finds - Saturday 20 July 2024

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

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

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.

Filofax is BACK With New, QR Code-Powered Reminder App - Know Your Mobile
What size - Filofax
What does “organized” mean? - Getting Things Done
I Hear You – World Listening Day - FranklinPlanner Talk
Filofax goes digital with app option - Fashion Network
Anyone know which model/style this Pocket Filofax is? - Filofax
Information about This Bug’s Life going forward - This Bug's Life
9 Tips for Diary Management in a Busy Office - Schedule It
Episode #267: GTD Office Hour – Sub-Projects - Getting Things Done
Anyone know where I could see a side by side (in the same lighting) of a saffiano poppy vs metropol red? Thank you! - Filofax
My current rings organisers - almalauha – blog
Link Love: Laura is a Yarn Star - The Well-Appointed Desk
Web Finds – 17 July 2024 - Travellers Notebook Times
Your blog post could appear here. Please let us know if you have a blog that features ring bound organisers.

Please leave a comment on any of the blogs you enjoyed reading and mention that you saw their post mentioned on Philofaxy. Thank you
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.
Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list.
Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
Follow Philofaxy on Reddit
Follow Philofaxy on Threads

Enjoy

19 July 2024

Free For All Friday No 819 by Laurie

Do you have specific requirements for your "ideal" ring binder organiser? (Not the pages or accessories, but the binder itself.) My ideal features depend on what I'll be using the binder for.

I've been using A5 size binders for several years. My Filofax that goes out and about with me is the Heritage, which has small rings and a streamlined design for maximum portability. The leather is durable and looks even better with a few scratches and wear marks. So my musts for my out and about binder: small rings and durable leather.

My binders that stay home can have more variation in their features, but probably most important to me is that the leather feels soft and nice. This is more important to me than ring size, or pocket configuration. Colour matters as well, for example my favourite binders are purple, brown, and coral. I'm not a fan of red, black, or yellow.

Does your "ideal" Filofax have a particular pocket configuration, specific ring size, or any other "must-have" features?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss anything ring binder organiser related!

18 July 2024

Travel Journal

Keeping a travel journal is something I often do when I'm going away to visit somewhere, even if I have been to the place before.

I'm sure a lot of people will think of a travel journal as being kept in a travellers note book or some other kind of bound book.

However, I think a Compact or Slimline Filofax would serve as a great travel journal. You have more flexibility as to what pages the journal contains and you can archive the pages each year. You have the option of slotting in extra pages too. Of course you also don't end up with a half finished notebook either.

Having convinced myself that this would be a great idea, I started gathering together some templates from our existing ones and designed some new ones as well.

I put together this daily travel journal page from a few examples on-line and adapted it to Personal Size.

On the reverse side I've just left it for notes for that day. That way you can archive the individual days or keep them in reverse order.

And I thought a simple index page would be useful to go with these pages.

Looking through our own list of file templates, I was also able to pick out some suitable files to go with these new files for inclusion in a Filofax Travel Journal.

Here are the links to the documents in Word and PDF format, they have been left fairly plain, so you can adjust them to your taste easily.

All are set for printing on to Personal Size blank paper with the exception of the Time Zone map.

Clicking on the file titles below will give you a preview of the file.

Trip Log .docx .pdf
Trip Index .docx .pdf
Travel Planner for recording the times of trains/flights etc .docx .pdf
Travel Packing List - Blank for you to customise .docx .pdf
Conversion factors .docx .pdf
Undated Day Planner .docx .pdf
Photography Recording Record .docx .pdf
Time Zone Map - Print on A4 then trim to size and 'Z fold' in to Personal size. .docx .pdf

Printing Personal Size Pages

I hope you like this collection of files to enable you to put together a Filofax Travel Journal that meets your own needs perfectly.

Now to just pick a suitable organiser from my collection for a Travel Journal.

From Left to Right: DeVilliers Compact, Lefax City 10, Filofax Holborn Slimline, Filofax The Journey Travel Companion.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please download, adapt, use, share, but do not charge or use commercially.

17 July 2024

Video Web Finds - Wednesday 17 July 2024

I hope you have had a good weekend.

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.

Please leave a comment on any of the videos you enjoyed and mention you saw a link on Philofaxy.
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.
Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
Follow Philofaxy on Reddit
Follow Philofaxy on Threads

Enjoy

16 July 2024

Free For All Tuesday - No. 702

If you are commenting below, please include your first name at the end of the comment. Thank you.

15 July 2024

Dates for your diary - Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2024

We are going to run some more 'Virtual Meet Ups' everyone is welcome.

When? - Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2024 at the following time:

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.

Join in on both days if you wish.

Do not worry if you aren't available at the start of the session each one 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)

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 most of us will be on video as well.

Who - All of you... 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.

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 Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2024.

14 July 2024

Silent Sunday

Latest jigsaw and emerald personal Finsbury

13 July 2024

Web Finds - Saturday 13 July 2024

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

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

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.

Where can I purchase Filofax in Canada? - Filofax
These inserts are almost 30 years old! - This Bug's Life
Problems with US store? - Filofax
Testing different pens on different paper thickness (80, 120, 140, 160 and 180 GSM paper) - All About Planners
Episode #266: Prioritizing in GTD - Getting Things Done
Can anyone ID this filofax? - Filofax
Practice Law 7 – You Satisfy Needs When Your Beliefs Are In Line With Reality - FranklinPlanner Talk
July 2024 – Is there a plan, Pam? - Pam Alison Knits
My new filofax original a5 in red - Filofax
Grab Your Pen! How to Start Planning Your Academic Year Planning - Blog – Day Designer
netherlands: kokuyo kb paper - Filofax
Link Love: Portland Ho! - The Well-Appointed Desk
Web Finds – 10 July 2024 - Travellers Notebook Times
Your blog post could appear here. Please let us know if you have a blog that features ring bound organisers.

Please leave a comment on any of the blogs you enjoyed reading and mention that you saw their post mentioned on Philofaxy. Thank you
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.
Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list.
Consider joining our Facebook group - Filofax for Philofaxy fans
Follow Philofaxy on Reddit
Follow Philofaxy on Threads

Enjoy