I know... it's barely October! And I don't normally have things planned hugely in advance, but we have just booked our summer holidays for 2019 and I'm feeling a bit twitchy that other than scribbling them down on the 'forward planner' bit I've created on the inside cover of my current diary, I have nowhere to put them down! I don't even have a wall calendar for 2019 and I'm sure magazines (like Country Living etc) have included them with the magazines by now.
Anyway, it's got me thinking about what to use for 2019. I currently have three options, though I may throw in a fourth just for shits and giggles.
1. Keep going with my standard-size Traveller's Notebook
2. Move to my B6 Traveller's Notebook
3. Move to a Field Notes size TN
4. Go back to using a Filofax
Showing posts with label filofax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label filofax. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
Saturday, 5 May 2018
Battered Deskfax to B5 Travelers Notebook
I love the B paper sizes - from B6 which is just a brilliant TN size (bigger than A6, but not quite so big as A5) and B5 which is the perfect size for notebooks (again, bigger than A5, but not so big as A4).
I have a number of B5 books that I use for writing notebooks. I usually have smallish (60-80 page) ones as general ideas/initial notes on stories with one for each idea, and wanted to have a way of keeping them together. To buy a B5 Travellers Notebook would be expensive, but...
... an old Filofax Deskfax is exactly the right size! I spotted a pretty battered Richmond Deskfax on eBay, put in the minimum bid and waited to see... and I won it!
I actually have a Richmond Deskfax, given to me by my wonderful friend Gerard, which does indeed make a great notebook size. But I wanted one to remove the rings from and then punch holes in it, so the lovely, perfect condition one from Gerard was altogether far too nice to be treated like this!
This is what the one from eBay looked like, before I started on it...
[click on any picture to enlarge]
I got my hubby to drill out the rivets holding in the ring mechanism (as he isn't likely to drill through an artery in the process, whereas I am), then he carefully cut the lining, removed the backing plate and glued the edge of the leather back down over the slit with superglue. You can barely see the cuts!
So this is what the inside looked like after the removal of the rings...
The rings removed, the cover still looked battered and pretty horrible. But black shoe polish works wonders! I know some purists out there will be grinding their teeth at the thought, but I wanted a nice looking notebook and don't care.
So, here we go, rings removed and the leather cleaned up with a leather wipe and then covered in black shoe polish...
Rings removed and cleaned up, all that was left was to punch the holes in it and thread the elastics.
Three tips for you:
1. Use a leather punch. You need to get through the leather cover, a card inner and the lining fabric. I used a 1.5mm punch, bought pretty cheaply from eBay. Remember to protect the surface you have the Filofax on before walloping the punch with a hammer. I had a chopping board underneath.
2. Use a bit of masking tape/washi tape to mark up where the holes need to go as it's easier to write on that than on the leather.
3. Use a wool needle to help thread the elastics through the holes - it's a lot easier than trying to poke the elastic through the holes, especially from the inside.
The Richmond is a great layout for a TN - there's a set of 8 card slots on the left, with what was a floppy disk holder (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!) at the bottom, but which could be used for stickers/Post-Its etc. Behind that is a full-height slip pocket. Behind that is a zipped pocket and behind that is another full height slip pocket.
The right hand side (inside back cover) has a full height slip pocket and a slot so you could put a notebook in it if it had the backing attached along the top edge, rather than the side.
There are two pen loops and it fastens with a clasp (so no need for an elastic round the middle).
Perfect B5 TN ! Here it is, loaded up with some notebooks, ready to go. I do admit, you might need a large handbag/briefcase to carry it around, but I want it mostly for train journeys (and have a huge bag...). All in all, I'm really pleased. For less than £14, I have a B5 TN that has all the features I want.
What do people think?
I have a number of B5 books that I use for writing notebooks. I usually have smallish (60-80 page) ones as general ideas/initial notes on stories with one for each idea, and wanted to have a way of keeping them together. To buy a B5 Travellers Notebook would be expensive, but...
... an old Filofax Deskfax is exactly the right size! I spotted a pretty battered Richmond Deskfax on eBay, put in the minimum bid and waited to see... and I won it!
I actually have a Richmond Deskfax, given to me by my wonderful friend Gerard, which does indeed make a great notebook size. But I wanted one to remove the rings from and then punch holes in it, so the lovely, perfect condition one from Gerard was altogether far too nice to be treated like this!
This is what the one from eBay looked like, before I started on it...
[click on any picture to enlarge]
 |
| Front cover |
 |
| Back cover (apologies it's a bit blurred) |
I got my hubby to drill out the rivets holding in the ring mechanism (as he isn't likely to drill through an artery in the process, whereas I am), then he carefully cut the lining, removed the backing plate and glued the edge of the leather back down over the slit with superglue. You can barely see the cuts!
So this is what the inside looked like after the removal of the rings...
 |
| Interior, no rings! |
The rings removed, the cover still looked battered and pretty horrible. But black shoe polish works wonders! I know some purists out there will be grinding their teeth at the thought, but I wanted a nice looking notebook and don't care.
So, here we go, rings removed and the leather cleaned up with a leather wipe and then covered in black shoe polish...
Rings removed and cleaned up, all that was left was to punch the holes in it and thread the elastics.
Three tips for you:
1. Use a leather punch. You need to get through the leather cover, a card inner and the lining fabric. I used a 1.5mm punch, bought pretty cheaply from eBay. Remember to protect the surface you have the Filofax on before walloping the punch with a hammer. I had a chopping board underneath.
2. Use a bit of masking tape/washi tape to mark up where the holes need to go as it's easier to write on that than on the leather.
 |
| Washi tape on the leather ready to mark up where the holes need to be punched |
3. Use a wool needle to help thread the elastics through the holes - it's a lot easier than trying to poke the elastic through the holes, especially from the inside.
The Richmond is a great layout for a TN - there's a set of 8 card slots on the left, with what was a floppy disk holder (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!) at the bottom, but which could be used for stickers/Post-Its etc. Behind that is a full-height slip pocket. Behind that is a zipped pocket and behind that is another full height slip pocket.
The right hand side (inside back cover) has a full height slip pocket and a slot so you could put a notebook in it if it had the backing attached along the top edge, rather than the side.
There are two pen loops and it fastens with a clasp (so no need for an elastic round the middle).
Perfect B5 TN ! Here it is, loaded up with some notebooks, ready to go. I do admit, you might need a large handbag/briefcase to carry it around, but I want it mostly for train journeys (and have a huge bag...). All in all, I'm really pleased. For less than £14, I have a B5 TN that has all the features I want.
 |
| A Penco book on the left and a Stalogy 016 on the right |
 |
| Not perfect, but less 'lived in' looking that at the start! |
What do people think?
Wednesday, 20 July 2016
Guest post from Stuart Lennon
Today's post is by my good friend and writing buddy Stuart Lennon, who blogs over at http://stuartlennon.com/
Since we met, I've been dragging him over to the dark side of stationery, Filofaxes and fountain pens and he has kindly agreed to do a guest post about how he uses his Filofax for keeping his life in order. Over to you, Stuart!
[click on any picture to enlarge]
Late in 2014, I sold my business and set up a website, www.stuartlennon.com boldly declaring myself a writer.
Waking up without a business to run was liberating. My time was my own. Soon, I discovered that without focus, my time was simply evaporating.
In an online writer’s community, I met a certain Amanda and somehow or other, we got to talking about fountain pens and paper.
Within days, I was an inveterate stationery addict and began considering whether Amanda’s excellent ‘Planning System’ (which you can read about here) might help me get a grip on my productivity.
My wife has pointed out to me that I am therefore not able to commit to further appointments if I don’t have my diary with me. She is right (always!), but I see this as a benefit. It allows me to return home and reflect on whether I need or want to attend another meeting rather than be pressganged into an unnecessary one.
There is something reassuringly snobby about the Smythson information pages. A chap needs to have a wine vintage chart, the telephone numbers of the principal London Clubs and of course the the British Field Sport Season dates to hand at all times. Obviously.
Next come my Key Result Areas, and adaptation of Amanda’s planning system. These nestle behind the numbered cream dividers supplied by Filofax.
Then come the gilded royal blue diary pages from Smythson and the addresses section. I keep postal addresses here – for people with whom I correspond in the old-fashioned way. Electronic data and telephone numbers live with their devices. Finally comes a notes section and the utilities, such as the Post-Its.
My intention is to carry Rhodia shopping lists in the pocket on the inside of the rear cover of the Malden. These will serve as my task lists. Keeping them as pads will allow me to use them independently of the binder – perhaps open beside me as I tear through my admin chores for the day (Please God!)
Many thanks to Stuart for letting us peek into his Filofax!
Since we met, I've been dragging him over to the dark side of stationery, Filofaxes and fountain pens and he has kindly agreed to do a guest post about how he uses his Filofax for keeping his life in order. Over to you, Stuart!
[click on any picture to enlarge]
 |
| Stuart's trusty Malden A5 |
Late in 2014, I sold my business and set up a website, www.stuartlennon.com boldly declaring myself a writer.
Waking up without a business to run was liberating. My time was my own. Soon, I discovered that without focus, my time was simply evaporating.
In an online writer’s community, I met a certain Amanda and somehow or other, we got to talking about fountain pens and paper.
Within days, I was an inveterate stationery addict and began considering whether Amanda’s excellent ‘Planning System’ (which you can read about here) might help me get a grip on my productivity.
Size / System
I had used DayTimer in the past, and researched other US systems, such as Franklin Covey. I saw no compelling reason to go for US binding over UK/EU. On size, I knew that A5 was my favourite. If I need to have a planner with me – then it is not too cumbersome, but it is big enough to be easy to write in at my desk; where it spends most of its time. I carry an A6 notebook as my ‘portable’.My wife has pointed out to me that I am therefore not able to commit to further appointments if I don’t have my diary with me. She is right (always!), but I see this as a benefit. It allows me to return home and reflect on whether I need or want to attend another meeting rather than be pressganged into an unnecessary one.
Planner Layout
I have traditionally used two page per day, with every moment of every day accounted for (and often billed for). I no longer need this. Amanda put forward a persuasive argument about the benefit of seeing an entire week at one glance. My intention was to use the planner pages for fixed appointments and time blocking. Notes and task lists were going to be somewhere else. Week to view looked good. |
| Week to view diary (by Smythson) |
Planner Paper
I now use and enjoy a fountain pen. Modern Filofax paper is not well thought of by fountain pen users. Despite this, there seems to be very little provision in the market place for ‘ink friendly’ Filofax inserts. One possible solution is to print my own. Some clever and generous people at www.philofaxy.com and www.mylifeallinoneplace.com have designed bespoke layouts, which can be downloaded and printed at home. A less labour-intensive, but costlier solution is to buy Smythson refills. Being clumsy and incompetent at most craft activities, I went for Smythson.Binders
I researched at www.philofaxy.com, another excellent recommendation from Amanda. Committed as I was to Smythson diary refills, one of their binders seemed a good idea. The price gave me pause. I settled on a Filofax Malden in Ochre. I prefer a little flexibility and soft feel over rigidity. There are two pen loops. I am able to fit my fountain pen in either. Inside front cover of the binder has a variety of slip pockets and a full height zipper pocket. The Malden goes for £112 on the Filofax website, but I found it at £77 at WH Smith online. |
| A5 Malden Filofax |
 |
| Inside cover |
Setup
Inserts: Week to view diary, section dividers, address pages and lined note paper – all from Smythson. Another section divider, address index, more note paper, neon Post-it selection and plastic wallet are from Filofax. Information pages are from both suppliers.There is something reassuringly snobby about the Smythson information pages. A chap needs to have a wine vintage chart, the telephone numbers of the principal London Clubs and of course the the British Field Sport Season dates to hand at all times. Obviously.
Next come my Key Result Areas, and adaptation of Amanda’s planning system. These nestle behind the numbered cream dividers supplied by Filofax.
 |
| Key Results Area cover |
 |
| Key Results Area sheets |
Then come the gilded royal blue diary pages from Smythson and the addresses section. I keep postal addresses here – for people with whom I correspond in the old-fashioned way. Electronic data and telephone numbers live with their devices. Finally comes a notes section and the utilities, such as the Post-Its.
My intention is to carry Rhodia shopping lists in the pocket on the inside of the rear cover of the Malden. These will serve as my task lists. Keeping them as pads will allow me to use them independently of the binder – perhaps open beside me as I tear through my admin chores for the day (Please God!)
 |
| Two Rhodia shopping list pads in the back notebook slot |
Review
So far, I have found it useful to place the paper where I intend to write the most in the middle of the binder. This ensures a flatter surface than when writing on pages at the front or the back. The look, feel and smell of the Malden is gorgeous. I’m convinced that my vowels are more rounded, simply by carrying it. The Smythson paper is fantastic to write on. It is indulgent, but, for me at least, worth it. The Filofax inserts in cotton cream were not as poor to write on as I had expected, but do suffer in comparison to the higher quality paper.Many thanks to Stuart for letting us peek into his Filofax!
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Circling back almost to where I started...
Life is about to change enormously for me as I leave work
purgatory in a week. I'm wondering what system will work well for me
once I am pretty much in charge of my time. In trying to help me to
decide, I thought I would run through what I've used over the years and
what has or hasn't worked for me.
Basically, I have chopped and changed almost as many times as I've had hot dinners, and wasted huge amounts of money on trying to find the 'right binder' (when I was probably hunting for the right system), but a few things have become apparent: I like week+notes and a DPP. Pocket doesn't work for me, however cute the binders are. And I'm rubbish at turning the page so in fact, I don't need to carry both W+notes and DPP around with me; just the W+notes will do!
How did I get to this point of realisation? Read on (if you're suffering from insomnia) and I'll take you through the disasters of the years!
In the beginning (a.k.a. 2011)
January: I used an A5 at work and an A5 at home and was struggling to get my head around using a personal for my day to day carry around. I was also debating whether or not to buy a personal size filofax! Scoot forward to April 2011 and I was faffing over A5 or Personal and wrote this post about what I needed in a carry-around. It's really interesting (at least to me) that what I needed then is exactly what I need now! Even then I found it nigh on impossible to turn a page to see what I was supposed to be doing and liked the thought of a week plus notes. Plus ça change and all that.
By the end of April 2011, I had moved wholeheartedly into the pink Baroque and was loving it. It functioned as my wallet as well as a planner and I loved it. I then bought a turquoise Baroque. And then a green Portland.
It's now beginning to get embarrassing reading over these old posts as, in August 2011 I was pondering personal or pocket and deciding to stick with personal (see the post here) but by the end of August 2011 I had bought my first (of many!) pocket filofaxes - a pocket Cavendish (see here for the post saying I'd bought it and here for more details on the binder). However, I stayed in the personal size (and the pocket went into the drawer of my desk and tried to have a party on its own) and even bought a Cavendish (see here and here for details).
2012
2012 was a year of faffing about, BIG TIME! Though I do note that I realised even then, that a month to view did not work for me!
February: I was wondering about moving into pocket size (see here); I bought the pocket Aston (see here) and moved in (see here).
April: I'd bought a personal Holborn (see here) and was wondering if I had planner fail (see here).
May: I was still in the pocket Aston and had shifted to week + notes for the diary (see here)
By June, I was in the personal Holborn; by July I had bought two A5 Mulberry binders (admittedly not as carry-arounds!); by August I'm on about the current carry about being the pink Baroque again, but had bought a Mulberry A6 and a pocket Baroque... In September, I moved into the A6 Mulberry (Indie). My old foe, the desire for colour had struck again by December and I was out of Indie and had bought a scarlet Mulberry AND a wine Holborn.
So, in 2012 I had used: personal, pocket, personal, A6. Would 2013 be any more stable?
No.
2013
I bought:
January - Green pocket Mulberry (Loki)
April - pocket Classic in red (see here)
August - pocket Portland in red (see here)
September - personal Portland in blue (see here)
December - another A5 Mulberry (see here)
System-wise, I was all over the place!
January - A6 Mulberry (Red)
April - pocket Baroque
May - personal Holborn (wine); August - personal Baroque
Most of the rest of the year I was havering over personal or A6.
2014
I think my favourite post of all time summed it up>>>> Siren songs
Despite those siren songs, I spent the whole year using personal size paper. Admittedly there was still some binder chopping and changing: turquoise Baroque to wine Holborn to navy Portland and then to slimlines - the red de Villiers (my most successful binder ever!) and then compact Cavendish.
2015
Well, we're not done with it yet, but I've changed system dramatically once already!
I started the year still in a compact. My beloved red de Villiers was beginning to get worn, so I moved into the wine Holborn (briefly), tried the compact Cavendish and then I tried a compact Belgravia (see here for a compare/contrast between Cavendish and Belgravia). Mid April saw a red Traveller's Journal by The Stamford Notebook Company arrive but although I loved it, I didn't move in. Instead I bought a compact Holborn (see here) and then a slimline Adelphi (see here). Despite that ticking ALL the boxes, I still shifted into the TJ, partly because it was new and partly because I needed the page size.
So here we are, several years down the line and more binders than I want to think about, and I find I am back with a week+notes in almost A5 size and a DPP in my reporter's notebook. I realise that I need a colour pop (so no more black binders!) and I need cards and money to be catered for. Whether that's in the scarlet Adelphi or the Stamford Traveller's Journal in 2016 is yet to be decided. Let's see how the last quarter of 2015 goes, once I have left hell.
Thank you, everyone who has been on this journey with me!
Basically, I have chopped and changed almost as many times as I've had hot dinners, and wasted huge amounts of money on trying to find the 'right binder' (when I was probably hunting for the right system), but a few things have become apparent: I like week+notes and a DPP. Pocket doesn't work for me, however cute the binders are. And I'm rubbish at turning the page so in fact, I don't need to carry both W+notes and DPP around with me; just the W+notes will do!
How did I get to this point of realisation? Read on (if you're suffering from insomnia) and I'll take you through the disasters of the years!
In the beginning (a.k.a. 2011)
January: I used an A5 at work and an A5 at home and was struggling to get my head around using a personal for my day to day carry around. I was also debating whether or not to buy a personal size filofax! Scoot forward to April 2011 and I was faffing over A5 or Personal and wrote this post about what I needed in a carry-around. It's really interesting (at least to me) that what I needed then is exactly what I need now! Even then I found it nigh on impossible to turn a page to see what I was supposed to be doing and liked the thought of a week plus notes. Plus ça change and all that.
By the end of April 2011, I had moved wholeheartedly into the pink Baroque and was loving it. It functioned as my wallet as well as a planner and I loved it. I then bought a turquoise Baroque. And then a green Portland.
It's now beginning to get embarrassing reading over these old posts as, in August 2011 I was pondering personal or pocket and deciding to stick with personal (see the post here) but by the end of August 2011 I had bought my first (of many!) pocket filofaxes - a pocket Cavendish (see here for the post saying I'd bought it and here for more details on the binder). However, I stayed in the personal size (and the pocket went into the drawer of my desk and tried to have a party on its own) and even bought a Cavendish (see here and here for details).
2012
2012 was a year of faffing about, BIG TIME! Though I do note that I realised even then, that a month to view did not work for me!
February: I was wondering about moving into pocket size (see here); I bought the pocket Aston (see here) and moved in (see here).
April: I'd bought a personal Holborn (see here) and was wondering if I had planner fail (see here).
May: I was still in the pocket Aston and had shifted to week + notes for the diary (see here)
By June, I was in the personal Holborn; by July I had bought two A5 Mulberry binders (admittedly not as carry-arounds!); by August I'm on about the current carry about being the pink Baroque again, but had bought a Mulberry A6 and a pocket Baroque... In September, I moved into the A6 Mulberry (Indie). My old foe, the desire for colour had struck again by December and I was out of Indie and had bought a scarlet Mulberry AND a wine Holborn.
So, in 2012 I had used: personal, pocket, personal, A6. Would 2013 be any more stable?
No.
2013
I bought:
January - Green pocket Mulberry (Loki)
April - pocket Classic in red (see here)
August - pocket Portland in red (see here)
September - personal Portland in blue (see here)
December - another A5 Mulberry (see here)
System-wise, I was all over the place!
January - A6 Mulberry (Red)
April - pocket Baroque
May - personal Holborn (wine); August - personal Baroque
Most of the rest of the year I was havering over personal or A6.
2014
I think my favourite post of all time summed it up>>>> Siren songs
Despite those siren songs, I spent the whole year using personal size paper. Admittedly there was still some binder chopping and changing: turquoise Baroque to wine Holborn to navy Portland and then to slimlines - the red de Villiers (my most successful binder ever!) and then compact Cavendish.
2015
Well, we're not done with it yet, but I've changed system dramatically once already!
I started the year still in a compact. My beloved red de Villiers was beginning to get worn, so I moved into the wine Holborn (briefly), tried the compact Cavendish and then I tried a compact Belgravia (see here for a compare/contrast between Cavendish and Belgravia). Mid April saw a red Traveller's Journal by The Stamford Notebook Company arrive but although I loved it, I didn't move in. Instead I bought a compact Holborn (see here) and then a slimline Adelphi (see here). Despite that ticking ALL the boxes, I still shifted into the TJ, partly because it was new and partly because I needed the page size.
So here we are, several years down the line and more binders than I want to think about, and I find I am back with a week+notes in almost A5 size and a DPP in my reporter's notebook. I realise that I need a colour pop (so no more black binders!) and I need cards and money to be catered for. Whether that's in the scarlet Adelphi or the Stamford Traveller's Journal in 2016 is yet to be decided. Let's see how the last quarter of 2015 goes, once I have left hell.
Thank you, everyone who has been on this journey with me!
Saturday, 1 August 2015
I STILL do not get monthly pages...
This week, over on Philofaxy, there were several posts in the list of Web Finds for August 1st that featured how to use the monthly spread. I read them keenly - the monthly pages are something I can NEVER get to work for me. Maybe seeing how others use them would help?
I still don't get them.
Absolutely NO disrespect to all of you who use the monthly pages and who make them work well for you, but I really cannot seem to make them work for me. I either want to put too much stuff in the boxes and then can't see the wood for the trees, or I put too little stuff in and miss it. Or I don't transfer information to my weekly pages. Since I have the rest of the year in my week to view (or week + notes) to hand, I would never put an appointment in the monthly pages - I would put it straight into the weekly ones. If it's for a date after the end of the year, I write it on the last page/in the notes pages and transfer it to the new diary when I have it.
If I need an overview of the month, I flip through the weekly pages. Each month, when I'm working out what I want to get done in the next month, I look at my next tasks/project lists and the pages of my weekly diary and allocate tasks based on how much is already in that week. I don't have many externally imposed deadlines, but I impose deadlines on myself and allocate accordingly. Birthdays get written into the weekly diary when I buy it and reminders to send cards/presents/arrange something are put in the weekly diary, the appropriate number of days before the birthday.
When I plan out my week, I use a combination of the weekly pages and a daily scratch pad to sketch out my days. I allocate tasks to each day when I do my weekly review (usually on a Sunday) and then at the start of each day I draft out, using time-boxes, when those tasks will get done.
I have tried and tried monthly pages! I've tried them in my Filofax to be able to reduce the number of weekly pages that I need to carry, but I just hated it - the boxes were too small. I've tried sketching out a month on A4 squared paper so that I can have it on my desk to make me see what I have on for the month, but I then pile books on top of it/don't fill it in/feel as if the whole month is empty because not enough detail of my day to day schedule is on there...
I've come to the conclusion that if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it and despite admiring those who can really work the monthly pages, I have had to accept that I will just not be one of them!
Anyone else find the monthly sheets difficult to work out? Or am I alone on this??
I still don't get them.
Absolutely NO disrespect to all of you who use the monthly pages and who make them work well for you, but I really cannot seem to make them work for me. I either want to put too much stuff in the boxes and then can't see the wood for the trees, or I put too little stuff in and miss it. Or I don't transfer information to my weekly pages. Since I have the rest of the year in my week to view (or week + notes) to hand, I would never put an appointment in the monthly pages - I would put it straight into the weekly ones. If it's for a date after the end of the year, I write it on the last page/in the notes pages and transfer it to the new diary when I have it.
If I need an overview of the month, I flip through the weekly pages. Each month, when I'm working out what I want to get done in the next month, I look at my next tasks/project lists and the pages of my weekly diary and allocate tasks based on how much is already in that week. I don't have many externally imposed deadlines, but I impose deadlines on myself and allocate accordingly. Birthdays get written into the weekly diary when I buy it and reminders to send cards/presents/arrange something are put in the weekly diary, the appropriate number of days before the birthday.
When I plan out my week, I use a combination of the weekly pages and a daily scratch pad to sketch out my days. I allocate tasks to each day when I do my weekly review (usually on a Sunday) and then at the start of each day I draft out, using time-boxes, when those tasks will get done.
I have tried and tried monthly pages! I've tried them in my Filofax to be able to reduce the number of weekly pages that I need to carry, but I just hated it - the boxes were too small. I've tried sketching out a month on A4 squared paper so that I can have it on my desk to make me see what I have on for the month, but I then pile books on top of it/don't fill it in/feel as if the whole month is empty because not enough detail of my day to day schedule is on there...
I've come to the conclusion that if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it and despite admiring those who can really work the monthly pages, I have had to accept that I will just not be one of them!
Anyone else find the monthly sheets difficult to work out? Or am I alone on this??
Saturday, 25 July 2015
I should just bite the bullet, right?
I've been running two systems alongside each other for a few weeks - my Adelphi slimline which is acting as wallet, diary and address book alongside my Traveller's Journal which has my home-made week + notes in it.
The Adelphi is great as a wallet and carry-around diary (and addresses though I don't use them much) but what I am looking at to see what I'm meant to be doing each day is the Traveller's Journal week + notes. The TJ isn't coming out and about with me, but it could. I have the card-holder insert and the zipped pocket insert from Midori and it would be a piece of cake to move money and cards over. The inserts are in fact IN the TJ already, just empty.
So why am I persisting in running the two alongside each other?
Because I have my Filofax already set up for the year with all the dates written into the diary? True - but I have the diary in the TJ too and seriously - it would be a half hour job to check that the same info is in the TJ as I have in the Filofax diary.
Because it's too easy to leave it all as it is and have the TJ open on my desk and the Adelphi as a carry around? Hm. It is, but I've already spotted that I've written something in the Adelphi that I didn't transfer across to the TJ and running two diaries? That way madness lies! And missed appointments.
The fact is, I am not looking at the diary in the Adelphi and I've begun to not actually like it either. I am basically using the Adelphi as a wallet and no kind of planning tool. I've noted some appointments in it when I've been out at Rotary and things have been arranged, but for actually working out what I'm doing with my day/week, I am only looking at the week + notes I made myself. And yes, it's in the hateful Moleskine (still!) but no, I can't be bothered to make another one for what's left of 2015. The Moleskine is working okay (as long as I don't want to write in ink!). If it all goes well, I can change to the Rhodia version in 2016.
I should just bite the bullet and move the money across and see how it goes, right? The fact I've written out the dates on the Tomoe River diary in the Filofax shouldn't be the reason I'm not moving into the TJ. Right? Right??
What do people think?
The Adelphi is great as a wallet and carry-around diary (and addresses though I don't use them much) but what I am looking at to see what I'm meant to be doing each day is the Traveller's Journal week + notes. The TJ isn't coming out and about with me, but it could. I have the card-holder insert and the zipped pocket insert from Midori and it would be a piece of cake to move money and cards over. The inserts are in fact IN the TJ already, just empty.
So why am I persisting in running the two alongside each other?
Because I have my Filofax already set up for the year with all the dates written into the diary? True - but I have the diary in the TJ too and seriously - it would be a half hour job to check that the same info is in the TJ as I have in the Filofax diary.
Because it's too easy to leave it all as it is and have the TJ open on my desk and the Adelphi as a carry around? Hm. It is, but I've already spotted that I've written something in the Adelphi that I didn't transfer across to the TJ and running two diaries? That way madness lies! And missed appointments.
The fact is, I am not looking at the diary in the Adelphi and I've begun to not actually like it either. I am basically using the Adelphi as a wallet and no kind of planning tool. I've noted some appointments in it when I've been out at Rotary and things have been arranged, but for actually working out what I'm doing with my day/week, I am only looking at the week + notes I made myself. And yes, it's in the hateful Moleskine (still!) but no, I can't be bothered to make another one for what's left of 2015. The Moleskine is working okay (as long as I don't want to write in ink!). If it all goes well, I can change to the Rhodia version in 2016.
I should just bite the bullet and move the money across and see how it goes, right? The fact I've written out the dates on the Tomoe River diary in the Filofax shouldn't be the reason I'm not moving into the TJ. Right? Right??
What do people think?
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Slimline scarlet Adelphi
I saw a scarlet slimline Adelphi on eBay and had a ponder. Would it work for me?
Colour pop? Check.
Personal-size paper? Check.
Small rings? Check.
Card-slots? Check.
Other pockets? Check.
And so I bought it...
I've been trialling it for a few days and am happy so far. Let me walk you through it.
Cover:
The outer has a quilted effect embossed into the leather. I didn't like this when it came out (and was never interested in owning an Adelphi, partly because of the quilted effect) but I actually really like it now. I think it looks more interesting than the plain covers - more classy maybe? Anyway, there is a smooth edge (front only) and then the quilted-effect area. It's more scarlet than my picture shows.
Inside left:
On the inside left, there is a covered pocket with 6 credit-card slots with a full-height pocket behind. I had intended to keep coins in the pocket as well as cash plus a few other bits and pieces, but I prefer to see my coins so I know if I have enough or if I need to break a note, so they have stayed in the zipped pencil case that is punched and on the rings at the back of the binder. It takes up a bit of real estate on the rings, but I prefer it. The popper on the pocket holds everything securely contained.
The next two pictures show the colour much better.
The card slots are the simple cut type, rather than ones with a turned edge. I prefer the turned-edge versions and these were a bit of a wriggle to get the cards in but they might not have been used much by the previous owner.
Rings:
There are oval rings with a 13mm diameter in the widest plane (left to right). I couldn't cope with 11mm rings and 15mm are easier, but the 13mm are okay.
Inside right:
There is a full height slip pocket in the back cover.
The pen loop:
Well. It has a diameter of about 3mm! I think (think...) it is designed so that just a pen clip fits in it - the loop is 1/4 down the cover rather than mid-way. And tiny. I can just get the clip of my Zebra Sharbo diary pen/pencil duo in there.
What I have got in it:
Sometimes it's hard to judge how much stuff you can fit on rings so let me try and give you an idea of what fits easily in there for me. At the moment I have:
[p.s. thank you for all the kind thoughts and good wishes after my surgery. All went well and I might even manage to get back to running soon!]
Colour pop? Check.
Personal-size paper? Check.
Small rings? Check.
Card-slots? Check.
Other pockets? Check.
And so I bought it...
I've been trialling it for a few days and am happy so far. Let me walk you through it.
Cover:
The outer has a quilted effect embossed into the leather. I didn't like this when it came out (and was never interested in owning an Adelphi, partly because of the quilted effect) but I actually really like it now. I think it looks more interesting than the plain covers - more classy maybe? Anyway, there is a smooth edge (front only) and then the quilted-effect area. It's more scarlet than my picture shows.
 |
| Front cover |
Inside left:
On the inside left, there is a covered pocket with 6 credit-card slots with a full-height pocket behind. I had intended to keep coins in the pocket as well as cash plus a few other bits and pieces, but I prefer to see my coins so I know if I have enough or if I need to break a note, so they have stayed in the zipped pencil case that is punched and on the rings at the back of the binder. It takes up a bit of real estate on the rings, but I prefer it. The popper on the pocket holds everything securely contained.
The next two pictures show the colour much better.
 |
| Inside: Covered pocket. You can see the zipped pencil case peeping out at the back |
 |
| Pocket opened. 6 credit card slots plus a full height pocket behind |
Rings:
There are oval rings with a 13mm diameter in the widest plane (left to right). I couldn't cope with 11mm rings and 15mm are easier, but the 13mm are okay.
Inside right:
There is a full height slip pocket in the back cover.
The pen loop:
Well. It has a diameter of about 3mm! I think (think...) it is designed so that just a pen clip fits in it - the loop is 1/4 down the cover rather than mid-way. And tiny. I can just get the clip of my Zebra Sharbo diary pen/pencil duo in there.
What I have got in it:
Sometimes it's hard to judge how much stuff you can fit on rings so let me try and give you an idea of what fits easily in there for me. At the moment I have:
- paper money plus air mail labels, 3 books of stamps and 3 small cards in the front pocket
- 6 cards in the card slots
- card divider labelled 'notes' (acting as a sheet protector and hiding the sheets behind)
- 4 sheets of standard Filofax (FF) paper for notes
- 1 sheet of pink FF paper with monthly goals on
- 6 months (Jul-Dec 2015) Tomoe River WO2P diary (27 sheets)
- 3 sheets of quadrille paper tracking various things
- 8 sheets of (random) information
- 15 sheets of addresses
- A FF card holder with 6 cards in it
- The zipped pencil case for coins
- [nothing in the back cover as yet]
[p.s. thank you for all the kind thoughts and good wishes after my surgery. All went well and I might even manage to get back to running soon!]
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Review of the compact Holborn Filofax
With all these posts about the Traveller's Journal, you may have been thinking I had lost my love for Filofax. Not quite, though I really am itching to use the TJ sooner than 2016!
I'm still in my wine Holborn Filofax, having moved up a size after the compact de Villiers started to show signs of wear and tear (see here for details). At the start of April I was humming and hawwing about the wine Holborn and was still looking for a compact. I tried a compact Cavendish and although it was good, it wasn't quite right because it wouldn't lie flat. I tried a compact Belgravia and it wasn't really right at all. In this post, Steve (from Philofaxy) suggested a compact Holborn. At the time, I had just bought the Belgravia but now I've got a black compact Holborn and he may well have been right.
I bought the compact Holborn from Nigel O'Hara. I knew nothing about the company, but having waited so long from ordering to delivery, I cannot recommend this seller at all. From ordering to arrival was about 5 weeks and had I not been on to their customer services, I would have had no information about the order at all. Even them giving me a £5 voucher will not make me use them again. Anyway, it finally arrived at the end of last week.
First impressions
It's not really black. It's more matte dark charcoal grey and with the graining of the leather this is quite noticeable. It may respond well to a good dose of black leather polish but I've not done that yet. The contrast stitching is in grey and the leather polish might sort that out too. If you've followed my story with the Holborns, you'll know how much I dislike contrast stitching! That said, the wine Holborn is growing on me even with the contrast stitching.
Ithas had a flattability of about 0/10 i.e. it would not lie flat at all. Even with weights I was struggling to keep it open. I know how much that annoys me. I need my binder to lie open at my side without assistance or I won't use it. Feeling the cover, I can feel a thick card between the covers which seems to extend all the way around the binder. I've had the same feel of my wine Holborn (which lies absolutely flat as a bat but didn't quite when I got it) and although it feels the same, it will lie flat, even with all the contents on one side or the other.
Knowing that there is no way I will use the compact Holborn if it won't lie flat, I bent the covers back on themselves as much as I could. Repeatedly. It now (mostly) lies flat, though needs a few 'reminders' if it's been closed for a while. I know that sounds brutal, but I really can't be doing with a binder that won't lie flat! Tough love here!
Internal layout
This is similar to the wine Holborn but with a few important differences.
While the wine Holborn has six credit card slots and one big pocket, with the cards sitting horizontally, the compact has six vertical card slots and no bigger pocket. Behind the card slots there are both inward and outward facing pockets in both the compact and the regular sized versions.
In the back cover, there are inward and outward facing pockets in the compact, but no zipped pocket inside the outward facing one. The pen-loop in the compact is tucked into the outward facing pocket, but that might just have been how it ended up before being packed. The loop is about the same size as in the wine Holborn - i.e. it will take my Zebra diary pen (diameter 8mm) no problem but would struggle with anything bigger. The pen loop is also higher up - just above the closure strap in the compact, whereas in the regular sized version it is exactly where the closure strap is.
Contents
It came supplied with a regular, multi-language WO2P 2015 diary. Give me a shout if you want it! It looks like the cotton cream layout but on their normal, shoddy paper (actually, the cotton cream paper is just as shite) - 4 spaces per side, one for 'this week' and equal sizes for the days of the week. The irritating mini month diary (what is that for???) is in the 'this week' rather than in Sunday's slot, making Sunday's slot far more usable than normal.
After the diary came A-Z dividers. Again, free to a good home - just let me know if you want them. Then 4 sheets of to-do and 3 sheets each of lined paper (white), lined paper (blue), lined paper (lilac).
Rings
Like all my Filofax compacts, the rings are oval; 15mm x 11mm. Naturally, as it is a Filofax, one of the rings doesn't close perfectly, but none of them catch the paper in any way so perhaps I'm just being picky.
In use
I've transferred things across and will use it until the end of May. After that, I'll see! The card slots were very tight but they'll hopefully ease up a bit with use. I tried transferring everything from the rings of the personal Holborn, but unsurprisingly, the rings were a bit too full, so I've taken a few months of diary out and the dividers. I have paper money in the outward facing pocket at the front, stamps in the inward-facing pocket at the front and a couple of loyalty cards tucked into the inward facing pocket at the back. I have my Zebra diary pen in the pen loop (which has effectively stopped me using the outward-facing pocket at the back). It might be easier to close once I get rid of all the change I have in the zipped pencil case I have on the back rings - it is currently full of pound coins which are pretty bulky!
Overall
At the moment I'm a bit 'meh' about it but then, I was about the wine Holborn when I first moved into that. I would have liked it to be less matte and have better flattability but I may have sorted one with the bending of the covers and could probably sort the other with some black leather polish! It's lying flat at the moment (though is reluctant to close) - repeated use should make it easier, hopefully.
Keep you posted!
I'm still in my wine Holborn Filofax, having moved up a size after the compact de Villiers started to show signs of wear and tear (see here for details). At the start of April I was humming and hawwing about the wine Holborn and was still looking for a compact. I tried a compact Cavendish and although it was good, it wasn't quite right because it wouldn't lie flat. I tried a compact Belgravia and it wasn't really right at all. In this post, Steve (from Philofaxy) suggested a compact Holborn. At the time, I had just bought the Belgravia but now I've got a black compact Holborn and he may well have been right.
I bought the compact Holborn from Nigel O'Hara. I knew nothing about the company, but having waited so long from ordering to delivery, I cannot recommend this seller at all. From ordering to arrival was about 5 weeks and had I not been on to their customer services, I would have had no information about the order at all. Even them giving me a £5 voucher will not make me use them again. Anyway, it finally arrived at the end of last week.
First impressions
- it's not really black and the matte finish is nowhere near as nice as the shinier wine leather
- it has (had!) a flattability of 0/10
It's not really black. It's more matte dark charcoal grey and with the graining of the leather this is quite noticeable. It may respond well to a good dose of black leather polish but I've not done that yet. The contrast stitching is in grey and the leather polish might sort that out too. If you've followed my story with the Holborns, you'll know how much I dislike contrast stitching! That said, the wine Holborn is growing on me even with the contrast stitching.
 |
| Front |
 |
| Back |
It
Knowing that there is no way I will use the compact Holborn if it won't lie flat, I bent the covers back on themselves as much as I could. Repeatedly. It now (mostly) lies flat, though needs a few 'reminders' if it's been closed for a while. I know that sounds brutal, but I really can't be doing with a binder that won't lie flat! Tough love here!
Internal layout
This is similar to the wine Holborn but with a few important differences.
While the wine Holborn has six credit card slots and one big pocket, with the cards sitting horizontally, the compact has six vertical card slots and no bigger pocket. Behind the card slots there are both inward and outward facing pockets in both the compact and the regular sized versions.
In the back cover, there are inward and outward facing pockets in the compact, but no zipped pocket inside the outward facing one. The pen-loop in the compact is tucked into the outward facing pocket, but that might just have been how it ended up before being packed. The loop is about the same size as in the wine Holborn - i.e. it will take my Zebra diary pen (diameter 8mm) no problem but would struggle with anything bigger. The pen loop is also higher up - just above the closure strap in the compact, whereas in the regular sized version it is exactly where the closure strap is.
 |
| Slips of paper to indicate the pockets |
 |
| Interior of wine Holborn for comparison |
Contents
It came supplied with a regular, multi-language WO2P 2015 diary. Give me a shout if you want it! It looks like the cotton cream layout but on their normal, shoddy paper (actually, the cotton cream paper is just as shite) - 4 spaces per side, one for 'this week' and equal sizes for the days of the week. The irritating mini month diary (what is that for???) is in the 'this week' rather than in Sunday's slot, making Sunday's slot far more usable than normal.
 |
| Diary layout |
After the diary came A-Z dividers. Again, free to a good home - just let me know if you want them. Then 4 sheets of to-do and 3 sheets each of lined paper (white), lined paper (blue), lined paper (lilac).
Rings
Like all my Filofax compacts, the rings are oval; 15mm x 11mm. Naturally, as it is a Filofax, one of the rings doesn't close perfectly, but none of them catch the paper in any way so perhaps I'm just being picky.
In use
I've transferred things across and will use it until the end of May. After that, I'll see! The card slots were very tight but they'll hopefully ease up a bit with use. I tried transferring everything from the rings of the personal Holborn, but unsurprisingly, the rings were a bit too full, so I've taken a few months of diary out and the dividers. I have paper money in the outward facing pocket at the front, stamps in the inward-facing pocket at the front and a couple of loyalty cards tucked into the inward facing pocket at the back. I have my Zebra diary pen in the pen loop (which has effectively stopped me using the outward-facing pocket at the back). It might be easier to close once I get rid of all the change I have in the zipped pencil case I have on the back rings - it is currently full of pound coins which are pretty bulky!
Overall
At the moment I'm a bit 'meh' about it but then, I was about the wine Holborn when I first moved into that. I would have liked it to be less matte and have better flattability but I may have sorted one with the bending of the covers and could probably sort the other with some black leather polish! It's lying flat at the moment (though is reluctant to close) - repeated use should make it easier, hopefully.
Keep you posted!
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Compact Cavendish versus compact Belgravia
[I realise this might be a less than useful comparison as neither of these binders are freely available, even on eBay but maybe if people see them somewhere and want to know a bit more about them, it will be helpful]
Last week, I said that I had bought another binder from eBay - it was a black compact Belgravia.
I knew nothing about the binder beyond the pictures that were on the advert but I could see that there were eight card slots on the LHS and a zipped pocket on the RHS. It had a strap closure and as it was a compact, I assumed it had 15mm rings.
Hang, on. Don't I have a black compact binder with eight card slots on the LHS and a zipped pocket on the back? In a compact Cavendish? Um... yes.
So, here we go - compare and contrast between the two:
Card slots:
Both binders have 8 card slots on the LHS but the Belgravia has slanted slots whereas the Cavendish has the more conventional straight slots. In both models, there is a vertical pocket behind the card slots.
Right hand side:
In the Cavendish, there are two pocket on the RHS - a vertical one that is about half the width of the binder and a second 7/8 slip pocket.
In the Belgravia, there is a zipped pocket with an elastic gusset. I've not seen that before. I have a couple of binders that have a leather gusset -allowing more to go into the pocket and easier access in general, but I have never seen one with an elastic gusset. It may just be that it is unused, but the elastic was very stiff!
Back cover:
In the Cavendish, there is a zipped pocket on the back cover. The Belgravia just has Filofax embossed into the leather.
Pen loop:
Both binders have a single all-leather pen loop that is about right for holding a very slim pen (like my Zebra diary pen/pencil (8mm diameter)) but would struggle with much more. Again, perhaps because it was newer/less used, the loop in the Belgravia was very tight. Both pen loops measured 5.5cm from the edge of the back cover to the centre of the press-stud fastener.
The Cavendish has a leather-covered stud; the Belgravia has a metal stud-cover with Filofax on it.
Flattability:
The Cavendish is a little less happy about opening flat and I would rate it as about 6/10. The Belgravia lies pretty flat and I would give it 9/10.
Cover:
In the Belgravia there is a definite feeling of a piece of stiff card or similar in the front and back covers (with either nothing behind the ring mechanism, or three separate pieces. It feels more flexible between the cover and the spine).
The Cavendish also feels as if there is card behind the front and back covers but it is a lot less flexible at the cover-spine junction (which is presumably why it is less resistant to lying flat).
Rings:
Both binders have oval rings that are 15mm wide and 11mm deep. There are no gaps and they snap closed very smartly.
Having looked at the specs, I then decided to put the same 'fill' into each of them to see how they worked.
Cavendish:
I have actually used the Cavendish as my carry-around so I knew that it could work in this way. I put cards in the slots, my weekly plans for April in the front, 6-months of Da Vinci Tomoe River WO2P dairy behind, about a dozen information pages and then my address section. Right at the back I put the zipped pencil case that I keep coins in. In the back cover, I put paper money in the full-height vertical pocket and in the zipped pocket in the back cover, I put the cards I carry but don't need to access easily.
As I say, I have used the Cavendish like this as my wallet-binder carry-around. The only thing that really bugged me was the fact it didn't really lie flat.
Belgravia:
I put the same fill in to the Belgravia. The commonly used cards went in the front, the other cards went in the zipped pocket, I put the same pages in the rings and paper money behind the cards.
The first thing I noticed was that although the card slots would appear to have easier access with the slant to them, it was hard to get cards in and out. That said, I don't think they had ever really been used so it could just be that they are stiff.
The second thing I noticed was that although there IS a pocket behind the cards, it was hard to get the paper money in/out of it.
The third thing I noticed was that although I measured the straps to be exactly the same length, the strap of the Belgravia was hard to close (as if it was shorter) than the one on the Cavendish (which closed very happily).
In general:
If you didn't want the binder to function as both a wallet and an organiser, then the Belgravia would be better, because it lies flatter and the lack of a pocket that works well for paper money wouldn't matter.
If you want to combine wallet and organiser, I would say that the Cavendish has it by a tiny margin. It doesn't lie quite so flat, but the zipped pocket on the outside is useful and the internal layout of the back cover is better than the zipped pocket of the Belgravia (to my mind).
Last week, I said that I had bought another binder from eBay - it was a black compact Belgravia.
I knew nothing about the binder beyond the pictures that were on the advert but I could see that there were eight card slots on the LHS and a zipped pocket on the RHS. It had a strap closure and as it was a compact, I assumed it had 15mm rings.
Hang, on. Don't I have a black compact binder with eight card slots on the LHS and a zipped pocket on the back? In a compact Cavendish? Um... yes.
So, here we go - compare and contrast between the two:
Card slots:
Both binders have 8 card slots on the LHS but the Belgravia has slanted slots whereas the Cavendish has the more conventional straight slots. In both models, there is a vertical pocket behind the card slots.
 |
| Belgravia with curved card slots |
 |
| Cavendish with straight slots |
Right hand side:
In the Cavendish, there are two pocket on the RHS - a vertical one that is about half the width of the binder and a second 7/8 slip pocket.
 |
| Cavendish showing it unfilled |
In the Belgravia, there is a zipped pocket with an elastic gusset. I've not seen that before. I have a couple of binders that have a leather gusset -allowing more to go into the pocket and easier access in general, but I have never seen one with an elastic gusset. It may just be that it is unused, but the elastic was very stiff!
 |
| Belgravia showing it unfilled |
 |
| Paperweight jamming the pocket open so you can see the elastic |
Back cover:
In the Cavendish, there is a zipped pocket on the back cover. The Belgravia just has Filofax embossed into the leather.
 |
| Cavendish with zipped pocket |
 |
| Belgravia with embossed logo |
Pen loop:
Both binders have a single all-leather pen loop that is about right for holding a very slim pen (like my Zebra diary pen/pencil (8mm diameter)) but would struggle with much more. Again, perhaps because it was newer/less used, the loop in the Belgravia was very tight. Both pen loops measured 5.5cm from the edge of the back cover to the centre of the press-stud fastener.
The Cavendish has a leather-covered stud; the Belgravia has a metal stud-cover with Filofax on it.
Flattability:
The Cavendish is a little less happy about opening flat and I would rate it as about 6/10. The Belgravia lies pretty flat and I would give it 9/10.
Cover:
In the Belgravia there is a definite feeling of a piece of stiff card or similar in the front and back covers (with either nothing behind the ring mechanism, or three separate pieces. It feels more flexible between the cover and the spine).
The Cavendish also feels as if there is card behind the front and back covers but it is a lot less flexible at the cover-spine junction (which is presumably why it is less resistant to lying flat).
Rings:
Both binders have oval rings that are 15mm wide and 11mm deep. There are no gaps and they snap closed very smartly.
Having looked at the specs, I then decided to put the same 'fill' into each of them to see how they worked.
Cavendish:
I have actually used the Cavendish as my carry-around so I knew that it could work in this way. I put cards in the slots, my weekly plans for April in the front, 6-months of Da Vinci Tomoe River WO2P dairy behind, about a dozen information pages and then my address section. Right at the back I put the zipped pencil case that I keep coins in. In the back cover, I put paper money in the full-height vertical pocket and in the zipped pocket in the back cover, I put the cards I carry but don't need to access easily.
 |
| Cavendish, filled |
As I say, I have used the Cavendish like this as my wallet-binder carry-around. The only thing that really bugged me was the fact it didn't really lie flat.
Belgravia:
I put the same fill in to the Belgravia. The commonly used cards went in the front, the other cards went in the zipped pocket, I put the same pages in the rings and paper money behind the cards.
 |
| Belgravia, filled |
The second thing I noticed was that although there IS a pocket behind the cards, it was hard to get the paper money in/out of it.
The third thing I noticed was that although I measured the straps to be exactly the same length, the strap of the Belgravia was hard to close (as if it was shorter) than the one on the Cavendish (which closed very happily).
In general:
If you didn't want the binder to function as both a wallet and an organiser, then the Belgravia would be better, because it lies flatter and the lack of a pocket that works well for paper money wouldn't matter.
If you want to combine wallet and organiser, I would say that the Cavendish has it by a tiny margin. It doesn't lie quite so flat, but the zipped pocket on the outside is useful and the internal layout of the back cover is better than the zipped pocket of the Belgravia (to my mind).
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
Poorly... therefore I've been buying stationery!
I do it every time! I see that I'm doing it. I know that I am reaching for the washi and the rubber stamps and another Filofax and all that simply because I am feeling dreadful, but I just can't stop!
So, after a(nother) health shocker at the end of last week, I have felt pretty rubbish and so bought:
a new (to me) compact Filofax
a set of 25 small rubber stamps
some coloured ink pads
Why??
I mean, why other than because I felt shite?
Well, as I said in my last post, I like my compact de Villiers but it's getting worn and I like the compact Cavendish but it doesn't lie flat enough for me and so I thought I'd give another compact a whirl. I know a willing recipient in Dublin who will no doubt take it off my hands if it doesn't work out (hey, G! *wave*).
As for the stamps and ink pads - I realised that my diary can sometimes look dull on the days when I do manage to get a good writing day in, because all that is written on the left-hand side of the page is "writing day". The right-hand side of the day gets filled up with the day's to-do, but the left-hand side is kept for appointments and I only tend to get good writing days when I don't have my days broken up by appointments. So I bought the rubber stamps and inks so that at the end of the day, when I am reviewing and ticking off things, I can stamp the page. If I stamp the pages before the end of the day, my diary will look too cluttered!
[by the way, at the moment, a 'good writing day' is one in which I write anything]
When the stamps and ink arrive I will see how the day looks with a giant book stamped in gold across it! Something's got to cheer me up!
So, after a(nother) health shocker at the end of last week, I have felt pretty rubbish and so bought:
a new (to me) compact Filofax
a set of 25 small rubber stamps
some coloured ink pads
Why??
I mean, why other than because I felt shite?
Well, as I said in my last post, I like my compact de Villiers but it's getting worn and I like the compact Cavendish but it doesn't lie flat enough for me and so I thought I'd give another compact a whirl. I know a willing recipient in Dublin who will no doubt take it off my hands if it doesn't work out (hey, G! *wave*).
As for the stamps and ink pads - I realised that my diary can sometimes look dull on the days when I do manage to get a good writing day in, because all that is written on the left-hand side of the page is "writing day". The right-hand side of the day gets filled up with the day's to-do, but the left-hand side is kept for appointments and I only tend to get good writing days when I don't have my days broken up by appointments. So I bought the rubber stamps and inks so that at the end of the day, when I am reviewing and ticking off things, I can stamp the page. If I stamp the pages before the end of the day, my diary will look too cluttered!
[by the way, at the moment, a 'good writing day' is one in which I write anything]
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| This week - dull 'writing day' on the left (busy on the RHS!) |
When the stamps and ink arrive I will see how the day looks with a giant book stamped in gold across it! Something's got to cheer me up!
Monday, 6 April 2015
Still in the Holborn...
...but I suspect it won't be for long. I may try and use it for the whole of April but I'm already contemplating moving into the turquoise Baroque, or possibly try out the binder I have just bought off eBay (ahem).
Okay, one by one...
Why am I not loving the wine Holborn? It has all those pockets, it's red (ish) and with the full-size rings it has space for the whole year of diary (and therefore I have removed the month to view pages as I genuinely never look at them and can never work out what is supposed to go in them other than birthdays which are in the WO2P anyway).
I think it's all the pockets that's the problem as the covers feel bulky. The pen-loop always makes the back pocket be slightly sticky-outy and that's making the rest of the pages stick up too. The inward-facing pockets are difficult to access and so I hardly use them and the zipped pocket is also a bit tricky so just holds the cards I don't need easy access to and I keep coins in a zipped plastic pencil-case. [So basically the only pockets I am using are the ones I would have available in a Baroque: one for paper money and a zipped one to hold infrequently used cards. Which makes me think, "Oh, just move into the Baroque!"]
And what's all this about buying another binder on eBay??
Well, I like my compact de Villiers but it's getting damaged (see my last post); I like my compact Cavendish but it doesn't quite lie flat enough (and it's probably going to a friend). Basically, I like a compact that has a lot of card slots on the inside cover and preferably has a pen loop and another pocket for keeping non-essential but useful cards in. I saw such a binder on eBay, made an offer and it is now on its way to me. More details once it is here.
Okay, one by one...
Why am I not loving the wine Holborn? It has all those pockets, it's red (ish) and with the full-size rings it has space for the whole year of diary (and therefore I have removed the month to view pages as I genuinely never look at them and can never work out what is supposed to go in them other than birthdays which are in the WO2P anyway).
I think it's all the pockets that's the problem as the covers feel bulky. The pen-loop always makes the back pocket be slightly sticky-outy and that's making the rest of the pages stick up too. The inward-facing pockets are difficult to access and so I hardly use them and the zipped pocket is also a bit tricky so just holds the cards I don't need easy access to and I keep coins in a zipped plastic pencil-case. [So basically the only pockets I am using are the ones I would have available in a Baroque: one for paper money and a zipped one to hold infrequently used cards. Which makes me think, "Oh, just move into the Baroque!"]
And what's all this about buying another binder on eBay??
Well, I like my compact de Villiers but it's getting damaged (see my last post); I like my compact Cavendish but it doesn't quite lie flat enough (and it's probably going to a friend). Basically, I like a compact that has a lot of card slots on the inside cover and preferably has a pen loop and another pocket for keeping non-essential but useful cards in. I saw such a binder on eBay, made an offer and it is now on its way to me. More details once it is here.
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Clocks change; filofax change
Actually, the change is much less to do with the move to BST than the fact that the de Villiers is getting damaged, but I did make the change at the same time as we 'lost' an hour!
The de Villiers is still glorious and still in many ways the perfect size for me, but I noticed last week that the spine of the binder has been cut by the ring mechanism...
and that the stitching on the back inside cover is coming undone...
So, I decided that it should have a rest. I've swapped into the wine Holborn (the brown one has gone to a new home) but I can imagine that I will be in a Baroque again soonish. The set-up is exactly the same as it was a couple of weeks ago (see 'How have I ended up using four things for planning?') except since I have the space I have put all of the WO2P diary for 2015 in.
I don't really know what to do about the de Villiers. The rest of the binder is great (well used by a previous owner but still great) but I don't want its injuries to get any worse. Any suggestions?
Anyone else changing set-up with the move to 'summer-time'?
The de Villiers is still glorious and still in many ways the perfect size for me, but I noticed last week that the spine of the binder has been cut by the ring mechanism...
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| It looks worse in this zoom-in! |
and that the stitching on the back inside cover is coming undone...
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| Stitching coming undone |
So, I decided that it should have a rest. I've swapped into the wine Holborn (the brown one has gone to a new home) but I can imagine that I will be in a Baroque again soonish. The set-up is exactly the same as it was a couple of weeks ago (see 'How have I ended up using four things for planning?') except since I have the space I have put all of the WO2P diary for 2015 in.
I don't really know what to do about the de Villiers. The rest of the binder is great (well used by a previous owner but still great) but I don't want its injuries to get any worse. Any suggestions?
Anyone else changing set-up with the move to 'summer-time'?
Saturday, 14 March 2015
My Morning Routine
I used to have a well-oiled morning routine that got me out of bed, into the shower, some breakfast inside me, onto my bike and into work ready to start the day. I used the cycle to plan the day ahead so that when I hit my desk, I could empty my head onto paper and then make a cuppa and plan my day, often before most colleagues were in the door.
Then I hit burn-out and was off work. I gained a stress-induced arrhythmia which has stopped me cycling and running. I lost my sense of purpose and any semblance of focus and concentration. Mornings became something that was in that space between getting up and lunch and most days that I tried to plan anything, I was left staring at a piece of paper, with my brain a horrendous combination of spaghetti and echoing emptiness.
However, I've finally managed to climb out of the murk enough to regain a routine. It's not one that will necessarily survive the return to work (whenever that might happen) but it works for me at the moment. It's (mostly) soothing and settling but not always hugely productive...
Once I am up and breakfasted, I try to do the following routine (assuming I don't need to be somewhere before about 10.30 am!):
Depending on how box-of-frogs-like my head is, the routine can take from 30-60 minutes (or more) but it is a slow, steady rhythm and start to the day.
The Morning Pages
I am still doing these in the Paper Thinks book but have shifted to only writing on the right-hand pages as then I can use something nicer to write with than a biro (the pages have far too much bleed-through to contemplate being able to write on the reverse if I use a proper pen!).
I found I could spend half the morning faffing about writing the morning-pages, so now I set a time-limit for them of 15 minutes. I still write almost three pages in that time, but the time-limit helps me to stay focussed.
The Reporters' Notebook for a brain dump
Once I have done my morning pages, I then clear my head into a new side in a scrappy reporters' notebook. This is literally a brain-dump and also acts as a scratch-pad over the day. It gets dumped each night, so the fact it is scrappy is fine. I list everything I could do that day. That doesn't mean I will do it, and I feel less guilty than I used to about transferring things to the next day's list of they don't get done.
The A5 diary
Once I have my daily list, I then plan my day. I usually look at my daily list in conjunction with my weekly list and then allocate things from them onto the day. Because Filofax seem to think that people are less busy/less planned on a weekend, they combine the two days into one column and so I have to resort to a personal-size page with the corner cut off so it will go on the A5 rings. On a weekday, this kind of plan goes into the A5 diary.
That's my morning routine and it is working reasonably well for me (as long as I don't over-allocate!).
Do others have a morning routine that keeps them on track?
Then I hit burn-out and was off work. I gained a stress-induced arrhythmia which has stopped me cycling and running. I lost my sense of purpose and any semblance of focus and concentration. Mornings became something that was in that space between getting up and lunch and most days that I tried to plan anything, I was left staring at a piece of paper, with my brain a horrendous combination of spaghetti and echoing emptiness.
However, I've finally managed to climb out of the murk enough to regain a routine. It's not one that will necessarily survive the return to work (whenever that might happen) but it works for me at the moment. It's (mostly) soothing and settling but not always hugely productive...
Once I am up and breakfasted, I try to do the following routine (assuming I don't need to be somewhere before about 10.30 am!):
- Write my morning pages
- Empty my head into the 'brain-dump' reporters' notepad
- Meditate/do some mindful practice
- Make a cup of tea
- Sit at my desk with my brain dump/daily list and my weekly list and my A5 filofax
- Time-box activities into time-slots (and try to remember to double the amount of time I think it will take me to do anything)
- Turn over a 30-minute sand-timer and start the day
Depending on how box-of-frogs-like my head is, the routine can take from 30-60 minutes (or more) but it is a slow, steady rhythm and start to the day.
The Morning Pages
I am still doing these in the Paper Thinks book but have shifted to only writing on the right-hand pages as then I can use something nicer to write with than a biro (the pages have far too much bleed-through to contemplate being able to write on the reverse if I use a proper pen!).
 |
| The Paper Thinks book. I added the ribbon to fasten it closed |
I found I could spend half the morning faffing about writing the morning-pages, so now I set a time-limit for them of 15 minutes. I still write almost three pages in that time, but the time-limit helps me to stay focussed.
The Reporters' Notebook for a brain dump
Once I have done my morning pages, I then clear my head into a new side in a scrappy reporters' notebook. This is literally a brain-dump and also acts as a scratch-pad over the day. It gets dumped each night, so the fact it is scrappy is fine. I list everything I could do that day. That doesn't mean I will do it, and I feel less guilty than I used to about transferring things to the next day's list of they don't get done.
 |
| Not normally this neat - I was playing with a new pen! |
The A5 diary
Once I have my daily list, I then plan my day. I usually look at my daily list in conjunction with my weekly list and then allocate things from them onto the day. Because Filofax seem to think that people are less busy/less planned on a weekend, they combine the two days into one column and so I have to resort to a personal-size page with the corner cut off so it will go on the A5 rings. On a weekday, this kind of plan goes into the A5 diary.
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| Day plan on lined paper |
That's my morning routine and it is working reasonably well for me (as long as I don't over-allocate!).
Do others have a morning routine that keeps them on track?
Monday, 9 March 2015
How have I ended up using four things for planning??
It struck me the other day that I seem to have migrated to using four things for daily planning:
Well, it's actually not as bad as it sounds. Honest! I realise that what I have done is just reproduce the system I always used to have, but distributed it over several things in order to use a slimline as a carry-around.
My system has almost always (well, since I have had a 'system') included:
I had been doing that on the WO2P in the de Villiers, with the daily-list on the right of each day-box and the plan on the left, but it was starting to get too crowded when I had lots of 'mosquito tasks' to clear and so I started scrawling things in the notebook. I could just move back to using a DPP, the way I always used to and keep everything in one place, but at the moment I am still off work and so still based at home on a daily basis and I have a big desk and an A5 diary to use up and a stack of reporters' notebooks to use up, so why either buy or print up DPP?
No doubt I will go back to the 'all in one' binder at some point, but this is working okay for me at the moment (and handily using up the A5 diary and rubbish notebooks!).
Anyone else find that they think they've started using a new system, only to realise it's the old system in different clothes?
- the planning filofax
- the daily carry-around
- a vertical WO2P in an A5 filofax
- a reporters' notebook
Well, it's actually not as bad as it sounds. Honest! I realise that what I have done is just reproduce the system I always used to have, but distributed it over several things in order to use a slimline as a carry-around.
My system has almost always (well, since I have had a 'system') included:
- a goals to projects to next actions section (which is now in the planning filofax along with spare diary pages - see here for how I get that to work)
- a week to view for an overview (which is still in the carry-around)
- a daily list + a daily plan (which I used to have on DPP in the carry-around when I had the ring-space, with appointments/time-sensitive tasks down the left and the rest of the daily list on the right)
I had been doing that on the WO2P in the de Villiers, with the daily-list on the right of each day-box and the plan on the left, but it was starting to get too crowded when I had lots of 'mosquito tasks' to clear and so I started scrawling things in the notebook. I could just move back to using a DPP, the way I always used to and keep everything in one place, but at the moment I am still off work and so still based at home on a daily basis and I have a big desk and an A5 diary to use up and a stack of reporters' notebooks to use up, so why either buy or print up DPP?
No doubt I will go back to the 'all in one' binder at some point, but this is working okay for me at the moment (and handily using up the A5 diary and rubbish notebooks!).
Anyone else find that they think they've started using a new system, only to realise it's the old system in different clothes?
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Lovely things from The Lovely Desk
[no affiliation - just wanting to share a great company and their lovely products!]
Last week I posted about getting some gorgeous washi tape from The Lovely Desk and said that I may (i.e. HAD) put in another order from them.
Well, it arrived yesterday morning, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper and with a little note saying thank you. It couldn't have arrived on a better day as I had a bit of a shocker of a day on Monday, so some new stationery was definitely what the doctor ordered!
So, what did I order?
Some small diary stickers, with largely a food/tea/cakes theme; some decoration tape (again with a cake and tea and biscuits theme); some wide washi (28mm) with a variety of things on it, but again a bit of a tea theme and some washi tape with some cute cartoon animals on.
[pictures from The Lovely Desk website are all reproduced with permission; click on any image to enlarge]
So, here they are in detail:
1. The diary stickers
I have difficulty over decorating my diary in that I love to see decorated pages but when I do them myself they look too cluttered/messy and I can't see the wood for the trees. However, these little stickers are lovely and very small (most of them are less than 1cm in even the longest dimension). There are several of each design and quite a few different designs. I'm not sure how I will use 5 frying pan stickers (or 6 sauce bottles for that matter) but most of them will be useful and small enough to add a little bit of decoration to the diary without being bigger than the writing for the event.
2.The decoration tape
As you'll see in the post on washi tape, I have used narrow washi tape to separate off the memo space on my diary pages from the days. The decoration tape will do something very similar (as depicted below) or could be used to note meeting a friend for a tea/coffee in the diary (instead of using a sticker). The tape comes on a roller, like the roll-on correction tape (Tippex on a tape). There is a covering cap and it takes a bit of bravery to bend it back on itself to reveal the tape and pop the cover into the space in the casing for the cover but it does fold back okay (without snapping off) and does slot into the space!
3. Tea time washi tape
This washi tape is absolutely delightful! I will use it to decorate letters to friends (it's a bit big for my filofax pages...). The designs are fabulous!
4. The cartoon animals washi tape
Again, these designs are just gorgeous and again, they will probably get used in letters to friends (we all know that I am in that rare breed of people who send hand-written letters!). Here is a picture of all of the designs on the tape:
I'm not sure if my favourite is the giraffe or the cat. They are all wonderful! The donkey reminds me a bit of a tiny embroidery of a donkey on the Bayeaux Tapestry!
Anyway, that was my haul from The Lovely Desk. Jessica also popped a couple of other things in the parcel (as you can see in the picture at the top) - a couple of post-it note samples and some other washi tape samples on small labels.
As I say, no affiliation - I bought all of these for myself and have not been asked to do this blog post - but I always like to share new finds and excellent companies! If you have not yet checked them out, go and have a look now. You can find them at: The Lovely Desk.
Anyone else got some good finds to share?
 |
| Lovely haul from The Lovely Desk |
Last week I posted about getting some gorgeous washi tape from The Lovely Desk and said that I may (i.e. HAD) put in another order from them.
Well, it arrived yesterday morning, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper and with a little note saying thank you. It couldn't have arrived on a better day as I had a bit of a shocker of a day on Monday, so some new stationery was definitely what the doctor ordered!
So, what did I order?
Some small diary stickers, with largely a food/tea/cakes theme; some decoration tape (again with a cake and tea and biscuits theme); some wide washi (28mm) with a variety of things on it, but again a bit of a tea theme and some washi tape with some cute cartoon animals on.
[pictures from The Lovely Desk website are all reproduced with permission; click on any image to enlarge]
So, here they are in detail:
1. The diary stickers
 |
| Image from The Lovely Desk, with permission |
2.The decoration tape
 |
| Image from The Lovely Desk, with permission |
 |
| Image from The Lovely Desk, with permission |
As you'll see in the post on washi tape, I have used narrow washi tape to separate off the memo space on my diary pages from the days. The decoration tape will do something very similar (as depicted below) or could be used to note meeting a friend for a tea/coffee in the diary (instead of using a sticker). The tape comes on a roller, like the roll-on correction tape (Tippex on a tape). There is a covering cap and it takes a bit of bravery to bend it back on itself to reveal the tape and pop the cover into the space in the casing for the cover but it does fold back okay (without snapping off) and does slot into the space!
 |
| Decoration tape used to separate off a section in my filofax |
 |
| Plastic cover protecting the tape |
 |
| Plastic cover folded back into its space |
3. Tea time washi tape
 |
| Image from The Lovely Desk, with permission |
This washi tape is absolutely delightful! I will use it to decorate letters to friends (it's a bit big for my filofax pages...). The designs are fabulous!
 |
| All of the designs on the tape |
4. The cartoon animals washi tape
 | ||
| Image from The Lovely Desk, with permission |
Again, these designs are just gorgeous and again, they will probably get used in letters to friends (we all know that I am in that rare breed of people who send hand-written letters!). Here is a picture of all of the designs on the tape:
 |
| Fantastic little animals on the tape |
I'm not sure if my favourite is the giraffe or the cat. They are all wonderful! The donkey reminds me a bit of a tiny embroidery of a donkey on the Bayeaux Tapestry!
Anyway, that was my haul from The Lovely Desk. Jessica also popped a couple of other things in the parcel (as you can see in the picture at the top) - a couple of post-it note samples and some other washi tape samples on small labels.
As I say, no affiliation - I bought all of these for myself and have not been asked to do this blog post - but I always like to share new finds and excellent companies! If you have not yet checked them out, go and have a look now. You can find them at: The Lovely Desk.
Anyone else got some good finds to share?
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