Sex and the City Planner

That's not me in the video. It's a review from another user published on a YouTube channel that Filofax Ltd has opened. —Inky

My City Dweller Lifestyle Pack arrived from Filofax UK about a month after I ordered it. What made it worth the wait -- it's different from any Filofax product I've ever seen! Like all Filofax products, it's thorough, high-quality, and well-thought-out, but that's where the similarities end. I'll go through what's in the pack one at a time.

* 6 blank tabs (white)
* 1 clear plastic pocket, top opening
* 1 Personal Information page (double-sided), and 2 more for family information.

Here's where the departure begins. These pages are English-only, and instead of black text and lines on white, these have light gray blocks to write in, labeled with tiny type in slightly darker gray. I like the idea of writing on blocks rather than between lines. I don't have to stay between the lines! On the downside, you need young eyes to read the tiny gray-on-gray type.

Which brings me to the next departure: This pack is targeted to a very specific customer, as you'll see as I go through the rest of the pages -- one who's female, young, looking for Mr. Right, and in possession of ample amounts of spending money and free time. I'm reminded of Carrie on the TV show Sex and the City. In London, they used to be called Sloane Rangers.

Here are the rest of the pages, all of which are double-sided unless specified otherwise.

* Party Time (3). Room for guest list, budget, menu, drinks, and so on.
* Home Sweet Home (1). Gas, Electric, Window Cleaner information, and so on.
* Pet Information (1).
* Sports and Clubs (2). Because we all have a personal trainer or two and belong to sports teams, don't we?
* Budget Sheet (4). Here's where you can compare what you planned to spend on each category with what you actually spent.
* SOS (1). Medical and other emergency info. It's printed with England's emergency number, 999. In the U.S., it's 911.
* Travel Itinerary (4). Flight, Visa, Hotel, and Travel Agent info.
* Dilemmas (4). A 2-column worksheet for comparing the pros and cons of situations. Let's see, would that be whether to go to an art gallery opening or get a mani-pedi?
* Birthdays and Anniversaries (2 sets). I love this one! Each month gets a half-page to help you remember all the important dates in the lives of the people in your life.
* Expenses (4). With this kind of lifestyle, you'll probably have more expenses than this.
* www (3). When you hear about a website that you want to visit the next time you're at a computer, now you have a place to write it down.
* It's a chore (4). A chart for dividing tasks among roommates or family members. We used to call these "caper charts" in the Girl Scouts.
* Shopping list (8). Like the classic Filofax shopping lists, these are divided into Meat/fish, Canned, Fruit/veg, Clothes, and so on.
* Addresses (10). Mobile and email in addition to the basics. Reserve a tab for these, because the Lifestyle Pack contains no A-Z tabs.
* To Do (5).
* Blank and ruled notepaper (5 of each). Nice blocks for a subject and page number at the top.
* Commuter games (5 assorted). In case your BlackBerry or iPod breaks down on the train, you won't die of boredom. Variations on "Battleship," Naughts and Crosses (Tic Tac Toe), Squares (which I forget how to play), and Tea Time (a word game which I believe to be what we Yanks call Hangman -- you have to guess the opponent's word letter-by-letter before a drawing of a tea kettle is completed).
* Top Takeaways (2). Who has time to cook when you're playing Naughts and Crosses?
* Outfit Planner (3). These pages have a drawing of a mannequin to draw clothes upon. I used to do this all the time...when I was 9. These pages also have a place to record the dates of your beauty treatments.
* Personal M.O.T. (2). Not sure what the letters stand for, except that the first one is probably "Medical." It's a medical appointment and medication record, with places to record weight and body measurements, and sleep patterns on the flip side.
[Edit: Steve tells me that M.O.T. is an annual automobile inspection in England. So these pages are like an M.O.T. for the body!]
* Fitness Plan (2). Exercise, location, time, and calories burned. Very useful, except you get enough for 4 workouts!

Here's the piece de resistance: the Little Black Book. Ingeniously, this is enclosed in a piece of heavier paper, twice as wide as the Personal paper, folded back on itself, so that the organizer's rings keep it closed and private! It even has "Shhhh" printed on the front. Inside, you get to record a prospect's name and age and whether he's "Friend," "Fling," or "Marriage Material," as well as rate him on a scale of 1-10 stars. (No wonder you have to keep it hidden.)

From here on, the traditional Filofax begins. There's an 18-month calendar (July 2009 - Dec 2010), Notable Dates, Religious Festivals, International Information, World and Time, and so on.

Then there's the 18-month diary: week on 2 pages, with the week on one page and spaces for tasks and notes on the other. Some of the blocks are labeled live, play, and work. I'm interested in seeing what it's like to use this format.

I've added some scans to the Philofaxy set, but they're not very clear. You can tell from the scans how faint the type is.