Free For All Tuesday - No. 737

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Filofax A5 Malden - Revisited

I have been quite a fan of the Malden, particularly in the early years of this model. I can't vouch for more recent versions as the place of manufacture has changed and some small design details have changed. 

I bought this one some years ago as pre-owned, I have used it quite a bit and as you can see it's stood up to usage very well. Marks etc give it character like an old pair of cowboy boots that I once owned! 

The A5 Malden is very 'floppy' in design, there is no stiffener between the inner and outer leather. Like most Filofax A5 organisers, it has two pen loops, but once again I found I had to use the left hand pen loop for my largish pen and the right-hand one for my mechanical pencil. 

The Malden has a decent range of pockets on the inside front cover. It has a notepad slot in the back cover, which can give the cover a bit of stability if you require it. 

The contrast stitching isn't to everyone's taste, but I quite like it. 

The A5 Malden comes with 30mm rings although some in the first batch got fitted with 25mm by mistake. I have two grey A5's one with 25mm and a replacement with 30mm rings! 

You will find our extensive range of posts about the Malden here. 

My next A5 to use has been chosen to use for the next 2-3 weeks and I've 'moved in'. 

Silent Sunday - 'Filohax' Vintage on Vintage No. 6

 

Winchester 4PLF 5/4 / 25 years old Moleskine sketch books

Web Finds - Saturday 15 March 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 8 March 2025
2. Silent Sunday
3. Dates for your diary - Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 March
4. Free For All Tuesday - No. .736
5. Video Web Finds - Wednesday 12 March 2025
6. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 136
7. Free For All Friday No 853 by Laurie

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. The Power of a Fresh Start - FranklinPlanner Talk
2. New to Filofax - Filofax
3. Peter Pauper Press Planner Stickers Review - All About Planners
4. Filofax Finchley - Filofax
5. Episode #301: David Allen talks with Steve Beimel - Getting Things Done
6. Visit PLOTTER Pop-up at Chicago Stationery Fest - PLOTTER USA
7. Productivity focused weekly spread using Happy Planner inserts and color coding - All About Planners
8. Thin A5 Filofax? - Filofax
9. Link Love: Post-Pen Show Crud - The Well-Appointed Desk
10. Web Finds – 12 March 2025 - Travellers Notebook Times
11. Your blog post could appear here. Please let us know if you have a blog that features ring bound organisers.

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Enjoy

       

Free For All Friday No 853 by Laurie

A5 Kendal Filofax, large Moleskine notebook

Over the years I have done various permutations of bullet journaling with mixed results. In December I decided to go all in and do the actual Bullet Journal Method in a bound notebook, until I fill the notebook. The notebook is now almost full, and here is what I have learned.

In all of my previous experiences with Bullet Journaling, I've been frustrated with pages mixed in together: daily logs interspersed with lists, notes, trackers, weekly and monthly reviews. Even with indexing, it's difficult for me to find things buried in the pages. That has always been my bullet journaling downfall, and it almost was this time too. 

But I pushed through, and with color coding at the tops of my pages, I managed to create ways to find what I was looking for more easily. 

But another issue remained: it's still inconvenient to sift through my notebook pages to compare my weekly and monthly reviews and see my progress over time. A notebook only lasts me 3-4 months, so to compare month to month and see my progress over the course of a year I'd be flipping through pages in multiple notebooks.

I've found writing weekly and monthly reviews to be one of the most useful aspects of bullet journaling. I like writing my weekly and monthly reviews in my notebook, because I find a two-page spread allows me to expand my thoughts better than pages on rings. So I will continue to do that in my next notebook. But my Filofax has saved the day with a long-term solution.

I photocopy my weekly and monthly review pages and put them into my Filofax in tabbed monthly sections, so I can easily compare over the months how I've progressed, if any issues are recurring, and any other developments over time. 

I also put any lists, reference information, and anything else I want to keep longer than the duration or outside the scope of my notebook into my Filofax for long-term reference. 

This is working pretty well for me: my notebook is where I work, and my Filofax is my reference.

Have you ever tried using a notebook along with a ring binder? How did you use them together?

As always on Fridays, feel free to ask and/ or discuss anything ring binder organiser related!