A5 Access

In a comment on a recent guest post, a reader asked about the availability of A5 binders to store archived Filofax pages. The Filofax post storage binders make it hard to read or photocopy completed pages.

In Europe, there's not much of a problem. A5 2-ring binders and hole punches are everywhere. (You need a separate hole punch, because none of the 6 holes in Filo paper line up with the 2 holes in an A5 binder. Funny, that.)

But in the U.S., A5 paper and accessories are very hard to find. You can possibly find items in the Japantowns of major cities, as I did in New York last year.

Recently, I found another source, located in Massachusetts, that will ship anywhere in the U.S. It's Empire Imports. The #1075 binder on this page is A5 size. There's only one color (dark), and only one spine size (3"), but it's available in the U.S., it holds tons of paper, and Empire Imports is increasing its selection all the time. For example, the company recently added reams of A5 paper, so you can print your own Filo forms. You can also get hole punches from them.

(By the way, if you need A4 or A3 paper and accessories in the U.S., Empire Imports has an even bigger selection.)

Thanks for the comments!

I just wanted to thank everyone who's been commenting on new (and not-so-new) entries. I don't always respond, but I do read them, and so do our regular readers and those who come to this blog via search engines.

Thanks for contributing to the discussion! It feels good that this blog gets so many visitors, and I'll try to come up with more posts to gratify all of you!

Guest Blog: Laurie Huff

Today's guest blog touches on points that are near and dear to all of our hearts. I know they are to mine. Especially since I've solved my own constant "should I switch" dilemma by making a simple rule: Only switch at the change of a calendar year. (OK, at the change of an academic year if I'm really desperate.) Well, the change of a calendar year is coming. What's in store for us Philofaxers?

The 2008 Itch

As 2007 starts to wind down, my thoughts turn to 2008. Specifically, what calendar will I use next year? My lust for the new and exciting has me reeling with the possibilities. Will I stick with the Filofax week on 2 pages? Should I go for that nifty week plus notes? This of course runs into my classic problem: My Personal size Filofax just doesn't give me enough room to write each day with a week at a view. So now I wonder, should I branch out? Should I switch to a page per day? I tried this one year and, though I had more space to expand my thoughts and plans on a daily basis, I tended to do a poor job of planning ahead without the whole week spread in front of me and the next whole week just a page-turn away. I was lost in a sea of individual days.

So then this begs the question: Should I upgrade my Filofax? Is it time to move up to the A5 size? Will sacrificing portability be worth the gains of writing space and future planning?

Which begs another question: Why do I think about it so much? Is my life really so complicated that I need to find a system that works absolutely flawlessly for me? What about the fact that my needs change every few months and suddenly what worked before is now woefully inadequate?

Questions, questions. Maybe I feel this way because of testimonials from people about how the "perfect" planner system changed their life. Covey, GTD, Uncalendar—the list of systems is endless. People seem to find their perfect system, and suddenly their life is easier, more efficient, and they accomplish their goals! Why can't I do that??

Every year I continue my quest for the Filofax Holy Grail. Would I accomplish just as much with a spiral bound notebook and some Post-Its?


(By the way, Laurie, here's how I settle the A5/Personal conundrum: I use an A5 for business and a Personal for personal. In both cases, I use a week-per-2-pages...vertical for the A5 and horizontal for Personal. I used a day-per-page A5 for work for quite a while, though. In that case, I need to supplement it with a month-per-2-pages or a fold-out year. Since my daily activities are ratcheting up these days...more appointments, workouts, events, and errands to record, I'm seriously considering a day-per-page Personal for 2008. Just thinking about it is delicious. -- Inky)

Guest Blog: Jeff Abbott

Okay, it's official. Philofaxy has gone--temporarily--fallow again. But like the proverbial Little Engine, I think I can, I think I can, I know I can bring it back again. Actually, that should be WE can, because the comeback post this time is from a special guest blogger, Jeff Abbott. The following passage was inspired by, and originally published on, a discussion forum on 43 Folders.

I hope you all find it as inspiring as I do:

I’ve had nine suspense novels published; my most recent, FEAR, was a top 5 bestseller in the UK. I’ve also done some rewriting work for a major film studio. I use a simple GTD set up, paper-based, to both clear the decks so I can deal with the administrative side of being a full-time novelist and get my creative writing done.

I use an @Studio context for all my creative writing work. If I need to write five pages each day in completing a draft, then “write the next five pages” is a next action and it repeats until the draft is done. Not glamorous but it keeps nose to grindstone. If I need to devote an afternoon to brainstorming, I will block out that time on my calendar, to be as sancrosanct as a business appointment would be. If I have more than one project—say a rewrite on a novel and writing a film treatment—I may divide the day between the projects, just as if I had two appointments that split my day. So some example Next Actions for @Studio context might be: —write the next five pages —rewrite character bio for Lucy —brainstorm on how James can steal a gun in Chapter 13 —rewrite murder scene from new notes on blood splatter or in the case of film work: —reread Act One to find a more dramatic way to introduce the character of Fred.

This sounds uncreative, I guess, but this keeps my focus on what I need to accomplish to move the book/film forward. If I have a brainstorm I capture it and deal with it later if it’s not relevant to what I’m writing at the moment. If I feel like surrending to distraction (say I’m writing and I suddenly feel I must get on the internet to research some obscure data, a common way for writers to avoid working), I add that as an action for @Online so I remember it, but I don’t let it derail me from what I’m doing at the moment.) If I’m not worrying about what to do next, my brain is free to concentrate on the art. So my writing next actions tend to be different depending whether I’m writing first drafts or rewriting.

For research, I will use a mix of contexts—@Online for web-based work, @Errands for when I need to go to the library or the bookstore. If I’m interviewing someone, the context depends on if it’s face-to-face or more likely, through email or phone. I don’t have a lot of phone calls to make in a normal day, but I do use an @Office context for calls and administrative stuff—filing and research I’m doing via phone. I use an @Home context for normal family life.

When I’m on book tour, I create an @Tour context just for that period of time, although since my publisher handles the details of touring for me most items land on the calendar (radio interview or book signing or print interview), but I feel better having the context when I’m out of the office—although it could be argued it’s a project not a context, but I don’t want to think that much.

I now have a part-time assistant and quite a bit of those next actions that used to crowd @Office and @Errands are now delegated. I use Someday/Maybe lists for things I’d like to do in the future, but NOT for forthcoming book ideas—those get captured and then processed into a notebook where I keep such musings.

I used to try to do all my simple GTD via my Mac and my Palm, but I found it distracted me from writing (mostly when I’m at the computer, I just want to write). I also never found an electronic way to manage projects that I liked. So I now use a Filofax Classic A5 to hold all my project notes, my To Do lists, and my calendar. It lays open on the desk all day. I keep a lot of blank pages in there for idea capture and I find the paper approach is easier to review than on the computer. Again, not at all sophisticated but simple and it gets the job done. The tabs on my Filofax read: PROJ—for all project notes, and also includes a vertical year planner with due dates for projects so I can see my year at a glance DO—my next action lists IDEAS—whatever I need to capture LISTS—books to read or buy, movies to see, music to buy MAYBE—a Someday/Maybe section REF—reference that’s useful to have always—phone numbers, sources, the last time I had my oil changed, etc.

I do think GTD is very useful for ensuring forward movement on creative projects, but I think there is a big danger in fiddling overmuch with the system instead of doing actual work. I keep thinking an electronic way might be better but I haven’t found one yet, so I’ve happily stuck with paper. Hope this is helpful.

American Eagle Day

Don't bother checking your Filofaxes, gentle readers. I guarantee you won't find this one. In fact, I spent an embarassing portion of my July 4th holiday searching the Internet to find out whether American Eagle Day is for real.

It all started with the June 19 episode of the Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert featured a bald eagle on his show, and invited everyone over to his house for an American Eagle Day celebration. I wasn't sure whether to believe it. (When faced with a sexy guy in a well-tailored suit and silk tie, my powers of reasoning somewhat fail me.)

Here are the facts, as I've been able to ascertain them:

May 1, 2007: According to the American Eagle Foundation, the U. S. Senate unanimously passed a special resolution naming June 20 “American Eagle Day." The House of Representatives is expected to pass a similar resolution.

June 20, 2007: The International Fraternal Order of Eagles celebrates American Eagle Day. (According to legend, the Eagles were always a little ahead of their time; they were early proponents of legislation that created Social Security and Mother's Day.)

June 28, 2007: U. S. Dept of Interior removes bald eagle from endangered species list.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to watch a cute guy in a well-tailored suit conduct a 4th of July concert.