Keeping a Journal

I have been keeping a journal now on a regular basis since 2013. I tried before then to keep a journal in my Filofax, but it wasn't so successful, and I would frequently forget to write anything in each day. 

With my hopeless short term memory if a couple of days pass without writing anything down, then the details will be lost. 

I started using a Quo Vadis Daily 21 page per day planner as my journal in 2013. It is a bit of an overkill for my average level of writing each day. But it keeps things tidy and well laid out. 

Each day has the day and date in six languages the first two being English and French. The others are Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch. 

Each page has some timings against the ruled lines, but I tend to ignore the exact timings. 

It is close to A5 in size, slightly narrower and I keep it in a Van Der Spek Codex cover. I've done reviews of these here. 

• Van der Spek A5 Codex
• Guest Post - Habana Daily 21 Daily Planner/Diary - Review 

If you are just getting started with journalling or you want to improve your style of journal keeping. I recommend picking up a copy of Ray Blakes book  'Journalling School: A Short Course in Personal Journalling' It helped me a lot and I need to re-read it again. 

It was also available as a series of blog posts:

• Welcome to Journalling School
• Journalling School Session 1: Recording Your Life
• Journalling School Session 2: Sustainable Journalling
• Journalling School Session 3: Restarting a Journal
• Journalling School Session 4: Positive Journalling
• Journalling School Session 5: Role play
• Journalling School Session 6: Personal Goals
• Journalling School Session 7: Problem Solving
• Journalling School Session 8: Keeping Things Fresh
• Journalling School Session 9: Frequently asked questions
• Journalling School Session 10: Past, Present and Future
• Journalling School Session 11: Looking back
• Journalling School Session 12: End of Term Review

Or one simple link: http://www.mylifeallinoneplace.com/search/label/Journalling%20School

There are plenty of other on-line resources on Journal Writing.

This is what my stack of journals from 2013 to 2024, 2025 being in my VDS cover and still being written in each day.  

I already have my 2026 Daily 21 ready for next year. They seem to become available earlier in the year these days. 

You can of course use a separate diary insert in your Filofax as a journal it doesn't have to be the same format or size as the one you use for planning, but long term storage might be easier if it is the same size. 

You will find some suitable Philofaxy inserts here: Diaries 2025 and some undated planners are included in our Files Page here: Files

Fun Fact: When I look back at my 1987 Filofax diary insert (the first full year of using one) the entries are more like a journal than a planner! I didn't know any different at the time! It is just amusing to see them now!

Do you journal each day? 

 

Silent Sunday

 

Kid leather slim personal and Viewmaster reels album

Web Finds - Saturday 26 July 2025

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:

1. Web Finds - Saturday 19 July 2025
2. Silent Sunday
3. Filofax Word Search - Gmax
4. Free For All Tuesday - No. 755
5. Video Web Finds - Wednesday 23 July 2025
6. Word Search Answers
7. Free For All Friday No. 872

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. How to identify a vintage Malden? - Filofax
2. What Is Synergy? (pg. 308-317) - FranklinPlanner Talk
3. My first Filofax! - Filofax
4. Episode #320: GTD Live – part 1 - Getting Things Done
5. Techno fILOFAX - Filofax
6. PLOTTER 2025 Pop-up Event at Atlas Stationers Sidewalk Sale - PLOTTER USA
7. Best Weekly Inserts - Filofax
8. 10 Ways to Organize Your Life with a Functional Planner - Strange & Charmed
9. The Franklin Five: August 2025 - FranklinPlanner Talk
10. What size notebook would fit in the slip pocket of a personal Filofax? - Filofax
11. Sand & Pesto restock & release - Blog | Gillio
12. Link Love: Summer Colors - The Well-Appointed Desk
13. Web Finds – 23 July 2025 - Travellers Notebook Times
14. 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
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Enjoy

       

Free For All Friday No. 872

Creating a Morning Routine in Your Planner

Mornings set the tone for the entire day, but without structure, they can slip away in a blur of distraction and chaos. At least in my house they can!  Your planer is the perfect tool to design (and stick to) a morning routine that supports focus, calm, and productivity.

Step 1: Define Your Ideal Morning

Start by asking yourself questions like, “What time do I want to wake up?” and “What are a few things I’d like to do before starting work or my daily responsibilities?” Some common morning routine things might include hydration, morning pages or journaling, planning your day, getting some deliberate movement in before you start your day, setting intentions or reading something inspiring.

Step 2: Time Block It

Use your daily or weekly pages to time-block your morning routine. Even a simple structure like this works:

6:00–6:15am	Water + Stretching
6:15–6:45am	Tea + Morning Pages
6:45–7:00am	Quick Planner Review
7:00-7:30am	Healthy Breakfast

Writing it down and seeing it on the page helps you stay accountable (and helps you notice what’s realistic and what isn’t!). I like to put my morning routine on a Compass Card from Franklin Planner in my Pouch Page Marker because the daily pages I use don’t start early enough, plus this way it’s always on my current day’s page and I don’t have to re-write it every day.

Step 3: Use Your Planner Daily

Every morning, open your planner and:

• Review your morning routine periodically to make sure it is still working for you
• Jot down any thoughts or intentions
• Highlight your top priorities for the day
  
  

This creates a sense of control before the day even begins, and with just 15–20 minutes and your trusty planner, mornings can become a calm, productive foundation for everything that follows for the day.

As always on Fridays, feel free to discuss whatever you’d like related to ring planners.

Word Search Answers

 Here are the answers to the Word Search Quiz 

Thank you to Gmax for sending this in.