Another from the always articulate Laurie Huff...
Here I am again, rethinking my Filofax for the millionth time. Now I think I have found my solution. I think it is time to upgrade to the A5. I recently realized why my Personal sized Filo calendar just doesn't work for me. It is not set up the way that my mind works. I visualize the week with the days as columns going across the page. Once I discovered that this is the only way I can effectively remember what I have to do, or even keep track of what day it is, I felt a huge amount of relief. That calendar format does not exist in the Personal size, only in the A5. And even if it did, I would still need the extra writing room afforded by the A5. That debate is over. It's not my Filo's fault that it doesn't work for me. "Don't cry little Filo. It's not you, it's me. Really."
But the end of one debate brings on a whole new one. Specifically, which A5 binder will I get? To be honest, none of them really turn me on. I would prefer a dark brown one, but the only A5s to be found in brown are the Kendal (too masculine) and the Classic. My problems with the Classic are that puffy cover, and mostly the small ring size. It only has a 1 inch capacity, which is just too small for me. I like to put lots of things into my binder, so I need all the room I can get. The only A5 binders with a larger ring capacity (at a mere ¼ inch larger) are the Guildford (which comes only in black, again too masculine and definitely too executive-looking for me), and the Finsbury.
Okay, so the Finsbury. I like the price, by far the cheapest of the leather A5 binders. I like the larger ring size. But I just can't find a color I like. The pink is too frilly for me. I'm not sure what the green would be like, would I get tired of it? Black is okay, but again a little too masculine. Tangerine is definitely out, that color and I just do not get along. Maybe red, although I never wear anything red and as my husband says, I'm "not a red person."
This is an investment for me, and I want a binder I will be able to use and enjoy for years to come. Unfortunately for me I live nowhere near a retailer, so I can't see these in person before I buy online. I will be using this for personal, home, projects, travel etc. I prefer to have everything in one binder. Which is why I'm concerned the 1 inch rings might not work for me. I can't decide if I should get the chocolate Classic and cram it full, or if I should settle on a Finsbury color I can live with.
I want to ask all you folks with an A5: what style binder do you have? Are the 1 inch rings actually a problem? Any advice for me? Meanwhile my search continues…
15 March 2008
16 February 2008
Thanks for the input!
I just want to thank everyone who answered our recent poll on "How do you Filo?" I urge everyone with an interest in Filofaxes to read the responses.
The responses prove that there are as many unique ways to use a Philofax as there are people. At the same time, there are some things in common. Most of us have used another ring-bound system -- like Day Runner or DayTimer -- in the past. Many (myself included) have also used an electronic organizer.
But we've all come back to Filofax, and somehow it feels like coming home.
The responses prove that there are as many unique ways to use a Philofax as there are people. At the same time, there are some things in common. Most of us have used another ring-bound system -- like Day Runner or DayTimer -- in the past. Many (myself included) have also used an electronic organizer.
But we've all come back to Filofax, and somehow it feels like coming home.
06 February 2008
How do you Filo?
This week, at a reader's suggestion, I'm trying something new -- a Roll Call! In the comments for this post, tell us the following (or any that apply):
- How long have you been using Filofax?
- What size(s)/model(s) do you use?
- What calendar format works for you
- What's behind your tabs?
I'll go first:
- Have been using Filofax, or DayRunner, or FranklinCovey on and off since the mid-80's.
- A Black A5 Finsbury for work, a Red Personal Finsbury for personal, and another A5 for household.
- Mostly, the week-per-2-pages, horizontal format. My least favorite is the vertical format week-per-2-pages, although that's what I'm using in my work A5 now; it's the easiest to get for A5. In my Personal, I'm experimenting with 2-days per page, and I think my dream format would be 2-days per page in A5!
- I've talked about my tabs frequently in my posts, but I'll sum it up here. In my Personal, I have Projects, Maybe, Ideas, Lists, Life (my code for health and fitness), and Tel. In my work A5, I have a tab for each of 3 major projects, plus To Do, Projects, and Notes, plus I use the A-Z tabs for contacts and reference info.
03 February 2008
Filofax for the home
I've just been away for a week, in a place where I, surprisingly, didn't have much Internet access. That's why there were no new posts last week. But I sincerely appreciate all of the recent comments -- check out the previous post if you haven't read them!
One of our readers asked me to explain how I use my household Filofax, so I'll report on that now.
It's an A5 Filo, with a week-per-2-pages calendar. I prefer the horizontal format for this book, but all my local store had was vertical.
Basically, the book is supposed to be a Filofax version of the Flylady "Control Journal," but it's still a work-in-progress. On the calendar pages, I record each day's routine tasks (:15 paperwork, :15 decluttering, and so on), as well as both my husband's and my appointments, and the dinner menu. I update it once a week, on Sunday.
The rest of the book is supposed to hold emergency numbers and other contact info, evacuation instructions, and so on. Flylady.net has instructions for preparing all of this, but I just haven't done it yet.
And most nights, do I collapse into bed before doing all of the day's tasks?
Yes.
One of our readers asked me to explain how I use my household Filofax, so I'll report on that now.
It's an A5 Filo, with a week-per-2-pages calendar. I prefer the horizontal format for this book, but all my local store had was vertical.
Basically, the book is supposed to be a Filofax version of the Flylady "Control Journal," but it's still a work-in-progress. On the calendar pages, I record each day's routine tasks (:15 paperwork, :15 decluttering, and so on), as well as both my husband's and my appointments, and the dinner menu. I update it once a week, on Sunday.
The rest of the book is supposed to hold emergency numbers and other contact info, evacuation instructions, and so on. Flylady.net has instructions for preparing all of this, but I just haven't done it yet.
And most nights, do I collapse into bed before doing all of the day's tasks?
Yes.
20 January 2008
Well Enough Alone
It's time to come clean. A few days into 2008, just before I started posting here again, I had a Philofaxical crisis. After one-and-a-half years of all-Filo-all-the-time, I was one trip to the stationery store away from abandoning it all.
It all started one day at work, the first day after Christmas break. I was planning my work schedule for the next few months by projecting my upcoming deadlines. I used a monthly wall calendar to write down the milestone dates and hung it near my desk where I'd be sure to see it. Yes, I write the same milestones in the A5 Filofax I use for work, but then I don't see them far enough in advance. That's one weakness of the weekly Filo format, and it did affect my work performance last year.
I then flipped through my Filo, with a tab for general Admin To-Dos, and a tab for each major project containing both To Do pages and notes, and wrote down a list of things to do today on a big piece of paper. Another weakness of my system -- no instant way to ferret out what needs to be done TODAY.
You can see where this is going. The voices in my head start chattering...all I really need is a simple wall calendar and a running To Do list. I can keep my notes for each project in a file folder...wouldn't that be easier than maintaining a tab for each project and lugging a heavy book everywhere? A composition book for meeting notes...
I started making a list for everything I'd need to replace my 3 Filos (work, personal, and household). The list almost filled a large sheet of paper, and it included a small Moleskine to replace my Personal Filo. Well, those are already sold out for '08. Do I really want to change everything over, when I already have almost 2 years' worth of notes in Filo format? Do the weaknesses of my system really warrant starting over with completely different tools?
There was a time where I made lists like the above one or more times a month. But just as that kind of tweaking becomes an addiction, staying on track eventually becomes the path of least resistance. I started by promising to stick with my Filo system for just the last half of 2006. Then, the entire calendar year of 2007. Done. Now, another year -- 2008 -- is no big deal. I can just keep doing what I'm doing, with the option to change at the start of 2009.
But I'm going to add one thing to my Filo system -- one of those Vertical Year Planners. And I put that list I made away for 2009 -- in the pocket of my A5 Filo.
It all started one day at work, the first day after Christmas break. I was planning my work schedule for the next few months by projecting my upcoming deadlines. I used a monthly wall calendar to write down the milestone dates and hung it near my desk where I'd be sure to see it. Yes, I write the same milestones in the A5 Filofax I use for work, but then I don't see them far enough in advance. That's one weakness of the weekly Filo format, and it did affect my work performance last year.
I then flipped through my Filo, with a tab for general Admin To-Dos, and a tab for each major project containing both To Do pages and notes, and wrote down a list of things to do today on a big piece of paper. Another weakness of my system -- no instant way to ferret out what needs to be done TODAY.
You can see where this is going. The voices in my head start chattering...all I really need is a simple wall calendar and a running To Do list. I can keep my notes for each project in a file folder...wouldn't that be easier than maintaining a tab for each project and lugging a heavy book everywhere? A composition book for meeting notes...
I started making a list for everything I'd need to replace my 3 Filos (work, personal, and household). The list almost filled a large sheet of paper, and it included a small Moleskine to replace my Personal Filo. Well, those are already sold out for '08. Do I really want to change everything over, when I already have almost 2 years' worth of notes in Filo format? Do the weaknesses of my system really warrant starting over with completely different tools?
There was a time where I made lists like the above one or more times a month. But just as that kind of tweaking becomes an addiction, staying on track eventually becomes the path of least resistance. I started by promising to stick with my Filo system for just the last half of 2006. Then, the entire calendar year of 2007. Done. Now, another year -- 2008 -- is no big deal. I can just keep doing what I'm doing, with the option to change at the start of 2009.
But I'm going to add one thing to my Filo system -- one of those Vertical Year Planners. And I put that list I made away for 2009 -- in the pocket of my A5 Filo.
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