New pocket Baroque

It’s been a bit of a binder-buying week I have to confess. I’m sure you all understand.

First of all I caved in and bought a pocket Baroque from Italy.

Then last night I bought a Mulberry agenda…

I will blog about why I bought the Mulberry when it arrives, so first things first: Why did I buy a pocket Baroque?

Well, because I love my personal sized Baroques and I also have a mini (which I no longer use but am keeping ‘in case’) and I wanted to complete the set whilst I could (sad but true).

I also did enjoy using the pocket Aston – having found it hard to move from A5 to personal, I found the jump from personal to pocket easier than expected, but I think a pocket only works well for me during the academic year time (and not the summer). My summer is always busy with home stuff as I usually claim back my accrued TOIL from work then, so a pocket is too small. But once teaching starts again, I may be able to move back into a pocket (as I did in Spring).

So, the tour:

It arrived in a HUGE box. I mean, seriously, about 45cm x 45cm x 45cm! For a pocket-sized filofax. No wonder the shipping costs are so high! (€15 on a €30 filofax…)

I also bought a frosted divider (personal size) and a pad of lined paper for the pocket.

The haul: frosted today marker, extra diary I wasn't expecting, the Baroque, some extra paper

The Baroque came in a slip-case. Surprisingly, they included a 2013 diary with the Baroque, as well as the 2012 inside the binder (which, considering it was in the sale was generous). Since the binder and the diary were jammed into the slip-case together, it took a bit of effort to get them both out unscathed.

Flattability: it’s not quite flat as a bat yet, but I know that my other Baroques lie flat really easily (and the pocket is very nearly there!).

Almost flat as a bat

Front cover

Back cover

The inside front cover has four vertical card slots, a pocket behind them, a zipped pocket behind that and a full-height pocket behind that. I know from experience with the mini Baroque that the zipped pocket will be useless for coins once my cards are in the slots, but I will probably use it for stamps or other things I don’t need quick access to and use the coin-purse hack I made for the mini. Other cards will go in the notepad slot in the back cover. Paper money will go behind the cards. I have never seen the point of carrying a filofax and a separate wallet.

Opened, as it arrived

Inside cover (front)

Back cover, with notepad slot

The pocket Baroque was supplied with the two diaries (2012 and 2013) – week to view, in five languages. I am not sure if I will use the 2013 one or not… the system that works for me so well in the personal size doesn’t use them. Earlier this year I switched to week on one page with notes (a Ray and Steve special) which when I have few appointments and lots of to-do, works well in personal size. It sort of worked okay in pocket size, but sometimes my to-do filled the space. Consequently, I have been trying to keep the task list space solely for tasks that relate to projects (next actions) and keep non-project based to-do (call X about dinner; send faulty charger back; do housework etc.) on daily lists so that I can see how my projects are progressing. If I can stick to that principle, the week plus notes should work okay.

Sadly, the only ‘colour’ I could get was black (I know… other countries did the other colours ages ago and I missed the boat), but I am hoping to brighten the inside with home-made dividers.

Paper I might use for dividers

Of course, once the Mulberry arrives, it could be all change again!