31 January 2016

Reader Under The Spotlight - Beris

Hi I’m Beris and I’m a 40 something administrator who has planner, journal, organisational envy.  I have two cats, two dogs, two daughters (grown up and left home) and a husband.

I’m like a lot of people and use an organiser then dumped it for the HP iPAQ, after some disasters of backups being lost or data being wiped I realised that paper was far easier and more trusted.  So back I went to paper organisers.

Three years ago there was a brief flirt with an iPad and notes plus with handwriting recognition before returning to Filofax.  At the start of the year I decided one day to search Facebook to see if anyone else was as old fashioned as me and still used a paper planner instead of their phones.  Wow, what a lovely surprise.  I am an avid lurker in many groups.

1. When did you buy your first organiser and what was it?

In 1982 for my birthday.  It was not a Filofax but it was a close facsimilie from Debenhams that was in my price range.  It was a black pocket plastic made to look like leather organiser.  It only had calendar, address, notes and budget section.  I used it for about 12 years so it must have been right for me at the time, although at the end it was split and battered and the foam from inside the front was perishing.

2. What other brands have you used or considered using?

I’ve used Filofax and FranklinCovey and one day would like a personalised Van der Spek

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

Current favourite is my Personal Malden, so soft, smells beautiful, great to hold and looks better for being thrown into a handbag (hence personal and not A5) not worse.

4. How many Filofax or other brands of organisers do you own?

6.  Classic Cross mini (latest purchase and now my wallet), Personal Classic Cross which was my daily planner up until 7 months ago when I replaced it with my Personal Malden, Petal Pocket, Patent Compact and Franklin Covey

5. What is the oldest organiser in your collection?

My Franklin Covey, bought it in 2005 after doing a 7 habits course and used the 7 habits inserts A5 size for over 2 years.

6. What do you use your organisers for?

Just had a big sort out of this to try and get me focused.
  • Franklin Covey is just a container for paper now, currently under my desk
  • Classic cross mini is my wallet with a page of emergency numbers and a month to view that I mark off days I’m not available, always with me.  
  • Personal Malden my day to day planner, nearly always with me.
  • Classic cross personal is personal stuff, budget planning, password keeper, christmas and birthday present ideas.  
  • Patient compact is used for lists of things, books, films, web pages to browse, things I want to find out about and spare paper.
  • Petal pocket is my fitness journal

7. How many sections do you have in your organiser and what is each section used for?

I have 5 sections.  Diary with Wo2p horizontal, notes section, Projects, To Do and finally Contacts

8. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

It helped you to be organised in a way that suited you.

9. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

Bigger rings in the personal but less weight, not sure it could ever be done.

10. How do you carry your Filofax?

Throw it in my handbag.

11. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

Malden, if I can find a reason I would have one in every size.

12. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax or other brand of organiser? Which model?

That was my Franklin Covey

13. What's your favourite Filofax tip or hack?

Find what is right for you, not what you think you should have.  Just because it came with the filofax doesn’t mean you have to use it or it is in the right format.  Experiment.

14. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

Who doesn’t love a Saturday morning with web finds and a cup of coffee.

15. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

The links on the web finds don’t open up a new window.  So many times I get lost down the rabbit hole of links and forget which was the original I was looking at.  But that is not the fault of Philofaxy but of my distracted mind.

16. What was the last music track you downloaded or bought?

Shine my shoes by Robbie Williams

17. Have you ever attended a Philofaxy meet-up? if not do you intend to one day?

No.  It would be good to meet up one day.

18. What was the last movie you watched?

Minions

19. What was the last book you read?

Make Me (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child

Thank you Beris.

As you know we are always looking for new people to appear in our 'Reader Under Spotlight feature, you don't have to be 'well known' or a long term user to be considered to appear in this 'spot'.

So please contact Steve philofaxy at gmail dot com today. Thank you.

30 January 2016

Web Finds 30 January 2015

So I hope you have had a good week.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts from around the internet, so grab a drink and make yourself for our weekly round-up.

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Readers Favourite Organiser - Jane
  2. Enhanced Time Management Week View in Personal Size
  3. Free For All Tuesday No. 260
  4. Web Finds - 26 January 2016
  5. Do you Instagram?
  6. Cambridgeshire Mini Planner Con - Guest Post.
  7. Free For All Friday No 376 by Laurie
So 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. Organizing vs. Doing - Well Planned Life
  2. Flipper รจ disponible in lingua italiana - My Last Eureka
  3. More comparative photos of VDS undyed binder – 2014, and 2016 - This Bug's Life
  4. We’re snowed in here in NY, with a weather projection of... - Olga Plans
  5. Why I Write Things in My Planner - Giftie Etcetera
  6. 2016 Set Up - for the fourth time! - It's Bluetiger
  7. Week on 2 Pages PLUS [printable] - Planner Fun
  8. I suffered major planner failure yesterday  - This Bug's Life
  9. Kikki K Large Cute Time Planner - Stationery Starlet
  10. Binder Indecision - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  11. February Fold Out Calendar [printable] - Planner Fun
  12. Congratulations Mr Philofaxy! - This Bug's Life
  13. Is Your Time Management Garbage In, Garbage Out? - Time Management Ninja
  14. Planner Tip: Storing your dashboards & inserts - Heidi's Little Planner
  15. GTD nelle lie Filofax - A little trip in Flavia's world
  16. Planner Setups for the New Year – Part 4 - Lil Divette
  17. FAQ about Rings Rings Rings! - This Bug's Life
  18. 5 Minute Planner Hack: Turning a Mistake into a Useful Tip - Planner Fun
  19. Six months in my Van der Spek organiser - the love story continues - She's Eclectic
  20. Decisions, hopes and finding your Identity - Dreams, Adventures and Planners
  21. Moved into the first ever Janet Leather binder - This Bug's Life
  22. Planning the little things - Life with my Planner
  23. Kikki K Ice Blue Review - Heidi's Little Planner
  24. Custom Made – Standard – 30mm Rings - Van der Spek Blog
  25. Comparison of Janet Leather and Undyed Binders - This Bug's Life
  26. How I'm Failing at GTD - Planning with Patty
  27. Using My Planner to Survive the House Hunt  - Stationery Starlet
  28. How to plan your week: The Basics - The Fabulous Planner
  29. Three Ways to Use Icon Stickers in your Planner - Five Sixteenths blog
  30. Setup of personal size VDS Janet Leather Binder - This Bug's Life
  31. Dashboard di febbraio - Lucy Wonderland
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

The videos and 'My week' posts will appear in their own post on Tuesday.

Enjoy.

29 January 2016

Free For All Friday No 376 by Laurie

I realized recently that I have multiple versions of the same binder. For example I have:

Finsbury binders in Personal size in purple, pink and aqua, and in A5 size in purple and emerald.

Domino binders in Personal and A5 size.

Kendal in Personal and A5. I love the feel of the oiled leather, and the rugged good looks just get better with wear!

I have A5 Boston binders in black (for when I need to look really professional) and purple (for daily use).

I have Holborn binders in A5 (brown) and Personal zipped (wine).

Chameleon binders in Personal (aqua) and Compact (raspberry).

Wow! I didn't even realize how many multiples I had until I really thought about it.

Do you have multiples of the same binder?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss anything ring-binder related!

28 January 2016

Cambridgeshire Mini Planner Con - Guest Post.

Introducing the Cambridgeshire Mini Planner Con… a chance for planner addicts of all genres, ring bound, spirals and ‘dori’s to come together to chat and have fun with all things planner.

The event is being run on Saturday 23rd April 2016 from 12-3pm in the Cambridgeshire town of St Neots. St Neots is in a fab location for driving as it sits on the A1 / A428 (A14) trunk roads and if you are coming in from London it is just a 45 minute train ride from Kings Cross. So pretty accessible to most people in the Eastern region.

The event is ticketed just to control numbers and the ticket price covers the cost of the venue hire, lunch, goodie bag and speaker. So if you would like to come please book in ASAP to avoid disappointment as places are limited.

If you are interested in finding out more or to book your spot please visit: http://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/product/cambridgeshire-mini-planner-con-event/ or contact Anna Brim (aka Mrs Brimbles) who is organizing the event by email: mail@mrsbrimbles.co.uk

Having met Anna at one of my own meet ups in London last year I know you will have a fun time. So if you are free on that date and you aren't too far from St Neots, I'm sure it will be worth a visit.  

27 January 2016

Do you Instagram?

'To Instagram' : To take random photographs of your organisers and anything else you enjoy and then share them with the world.

Well may be not! At first I didn't see the attraction of Instagram, firstly the picture format was square and unless you hadn't noticed, most of the things we use are not square but rectangular! So I signed up for an account and then didn't really use it for some time.

That changed about 12 months ago, I cleared out the random photos I had on my account and decided to give it another try. I tend to think of the photos as random 'snaps' of things I'm currently using or writing about. I've been trying to get more creative, rather than trying to take that 'perfect' photograph each and every time.

I've never used any of the filters in the application, I prefer my photos to be as they are, not distorted in some way.

Quite often I will post a teaser photo about forthcoming blog posts on Instagram to build up the anticipation.

Are you on Instagram? Leave the details in the comments.




26 January 2016

Web Finds - 26 January 2016

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Filofax Saffiano A5 Aquamarine Organiser - Agenda - Sylia
  2. Filofax Personal Malden January 2016 Set Up - Busy Wife and Working Mom
  3. Filofax butterfly - LadyD Ivette
  4. My 2016 Filofax Setup - (My Planner Series) - mju97531
  5. Personal Filofax Original Planner Setup (In the process) - Storm Diane
  6. Mein Filofax - Mika's Style 
  7. Filofax transparentes Dashboard | 3D Einleger | Divider - Maybees
  8. Happy Planner Inside Filofax - SuperMomTastic
  9. Filofax A5 Setup - Gennaio 2016 - Francesca Piombino
  10. Unboxing Filofax Malden Ochre in the Pocket Size - Frugal_Me
  11. Filofax Temperley - Monika Korjat
  12. How I Bullet Journal in my Filofax for Work - Lisa Rides Again
  13. Filofax Personal Setup 2016 - Chotski Belle
  14. 2016 Filofax A5 Original Patent Purple Setup - Robin Sparkles
  15. Home Management Binder 2016 in an A5 Patent Pink Domino Filofax - Horizon1322
  16. Gillio Amica 2016 Setup - ZeitgeistofZoe
  17. DIY Filofax/KikkiK/Franklin Covey/Ring Bound Planner Page Marker - Poppington Place
  18. Filofax Malden Personal Size Planner Set Up! l January 2016 - Saraplans
  19. Plan With Me (Personal Size Filofax Malden) l January 2016 - Saraplans
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
My Week Posts
  1. My week #2 - She's Eclectic
  2. Week planner 113 - Lucy Wonderland
  3. My week #2 - Polkadotparadiso
  4. Instagram Week 2 - Heidi's Little Planner
  5. Week 3 - Stationery Starlet
  6. My week #197 - Paper Lovestory
  7. January #week 4 - Planner Obsession
  8. My Week #3 - Polkadotparadiso 
  9. Week #3 In Review (2016) - Joanny White
  10. My week #3 - She's Eclectic
  11. My week 4/52 - Twenty5Seven
  12. January Planner Set up with Zinia - Mrs Brimbles
  13. Weekly layout in my Filofax Original in Navy - The Fabulous Planner
  14. Week planner 114 - Lucy Wonderland
And if you didn't manage to complete all of the crossword from last week, here is the answer sheet.

Enjoy.

Free For All Tuesday No. 260

25 January 2016

Enhanced Time Management Week View in Personal Size

After publishing this layout last week in A6 format I received several requests asking if I could come up with an Personal size version.

So I got out my trusty ruler and pencil and here it is. There are a few minor changes to the layout in the header mainly to be able to get it all to fit the narrower page of Personal size. But I don't think this will compromise the functionality of the layout.

We are making the design available today as ready to download and print sets for 2016. These come as Word documents or PDFs. This set of files are set to be printed on personal size paper, details on how to print on personal size paper can be found here.

But if you want to use this layout as a starting point for your own personalised creation, then you'll need to download the base Word file and the Excel data source. When you've made all the changes you like to the template, you can perform a mail merge to create your own insert for any period you like. Check out our Free Diary Inserts link if you want more information on how to do this, including videos.

Personal Enhanced TM Week View. 



You can download and print finished versions for this year from our diary inserts page.

Download source files: Word and Excel files (you'll need both)

Once again a big thank you to Ray at 'My Life All In One Place' for his hard work and co-operation with helping to create and support us with all these inserts.

Creative Commons License
This work by Philofaxy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Please download, adapt, use, share, but don't charge or use commercially.

24 January 2016

Readers Favourite Organiser - Jane

Thank you to Jane  for sharing with us her favourite organiser. 


I'm Jane a working mom, I've been using a planner  since I was in college, I always see my friends who have their envy worth filo.. Since it was kinda pricey in my days I settled for a generic planner.

Planners help me a lot in my daily task both as a mom and a entrepreneur, I need to balance work and family time and still have my own "me time"..

1. What is your favorite planner?

Any ringed planner, but honestly I'm loving my Personal Filofax Original Burnt Orange.

2. How long have you owned it? 

For about 4 months now.

3. What is it that you like about it so much?

It's sturdy and lays flat, it's the right size to carry all day everyday in my tote.. And it's leather!!!

4. Do you use it all the time?

Yes, all the time..

5. Do you think the design could be improved in any way? How?

A slightly large rings perhaps..  Although I managed to squeeze in all my important stuff.. A few mm wouldn't hurt.

And here are some photographs of my favourite organiser.










Thank you Jane

If you would like to share with us the details of your favourite organiser, please contact steve @ philofaxy dot com 

23 January 2016

Web Finds - 23 January 2016

So I hope you have had a good week.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts from around the internet, so grab a drink and make yourself for our weekly round-up.

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Readers Favourite Organiser - Cyn
  2. A6 Enhanced Time Management Week View
  3. Free For All Tuesday No. 259
  4. Web Finds - 19 January 2016
  5. Is this real?
  6. Reader Under The Spotlight - Diane
  7. Free For All Friday No. 375 by Anita 
So 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. How Janet Leather ages and patinas - This Bug's Life
  2. Kate Spade Planner Setup - Heidi's Little Planner
  3. Reader Request: Portrait - Checkbook Register - Planner Fun
  4. How to Use Your Planner - Giftie Etcetera
  5. Handling the “not so important” things - Getting Things Done
  6. To Decorate or Not To Decorate (a planner, filofax, Midori TN, ECLP, ect.)? That is the question! - My Summer Touch
  7. Csalรกdi mindentudรณ beillesztรฉse filofaxba - FilofaxNi!
  8. Figuring Out Your Ideal Planner - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  9. Alan Rickman and Filofaxes - This Bug's Life
  10. Creating Planner Layouts That Reflect Your Goals - Giftie Etcetera
  11. Haven’t done one of these in a long time. Let’s nerd... - A random English Life
  12. Just Lined Columns [printable] - Planner Fun
  13. DIY Planner Dividers - A Day in the life of a Country Mouse
  14. Harry Potter Dividers and Dashboard - Stationery Starlet
  15. Planner Setups for the New Year – Part 3 - Lil Divette
  16. Undated Daily Page [printable] - Planner Fun
  17. All that glitters is gold - Stationery Starlet
  18. Planner Addict is back! - A Bowl Full of Lemons
  19. Gillio Planners Ever had sellers Remorse? - My Life Reorganised
  20. Planner update- what’s working right now - Looking through a frosty window
  21. Reader Request: A5 Dated Week on 1 Page [printable] - Planner Fun
  22. One Year in the Planner Addict World - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  23. Side by side comparison of VDS undyed binder after 14 months - This Bug's Life
  24. Weekly Blog Action Plan [printable] - Planner Fun
  25. Swapping, forgetting and disappointment - Dreams, Adventures and Planners
  26. Lists and where they are in my planner (Filofax)? - My Summer Touch
  27. Converting currencies and who pays VAT where - This Bug's Life
  28. Planner Friday - January - She's Eclectic
  29. Harry Potter Dividers: How to - Stationery Starlet
  30. Combining the Bullet Journal with Filofax - Life of Kitty
  31. Setting up my Mulberry Planner - House of Lotte
  32. Creating a Page Marker for Your Planner - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  33. Come stampare gli inserti My Last Eureka - My Last Eureka
  34. Why Tracking Pages Didn't Work For Me - Planning with Patty
  35. Make it Monday // Easy on-the-go Washi Storage - Five Sixteenths Blog
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

The videos and 'My week' posts will appear in their own post on Tuesday.

Enjoy.

22 January 2016

Free For All Friday No. 375 by Anita

I admit that I'm in a bit of a mess in my main Filofax at the moment.
After having had the flu in December, I still feel like I'm catching up with everything, including notes to process in my main binder. I wouldn't call it planner fail, more lack of user input. I realised that things were not in their normal state when I couldn't remember where my Dundee was the other week! This was a proper blank moment as it had been so long since I last used it. I had planned to try out a different system from the new year, but I think it makes sense to stick with what's familiar to me whilst I'm catching up on my backlogs.

How have you been getting on with your set up this year so far?

It's Friday, so feel free to discuss anything Filofax or ring bound planner related. Have a great weekend.

21 January 2016

Reader Under The Spotlight - Diane

Today I would like to introduce you to Diane


Hello, My name is Diane.  I am originally from Canada,  and now living in Ireland.

I am knit obsessed so I love exploring ways to intertwine it with "Filofaxing" and "knitworking" for the Dublin Knit Collective.

I embrace technology and have a love for my gadgets however, I reacquainted myself with the Filofax two years ago after I overlooked a few dates  that I stored on my smartphone and subsequently had a domino effect on other appointments in my life.  It has been pen to paper ever since.

1. When did you buy your first organiser and what was it?

My first organizer was a pocket Filofax IDENTITY  which was purchased in 1990.

2. What other brands have you used or considered using?

I have used Filofax, Quo Vadis, and other generic spiral bound notebook type planners.  Recently I purchased a ZLCK Traveler Notebook and I have fallen down the rabbit hole looking at unboxing and set up videos on You Tube.

3. Out of the organisers you own which is your current favourite (Style and Size)?

I LOVE my personal patent Purple Original which I use as my main planner.  This was a milestone  birthday gift from my parents.

4. How many Filofax or other brands of organisers do you own?
  • Mini Pimlico
  • Pocket Identity
  • Pocket Classic
  • Pocket Indie
  • Pocket Pak
  • Personal Domino
  • Personal Original
  • A5 leather ringed binder, brand unknown.
  • MCM A5 4-ring binder
5. What is the oldest organiser in your collection?

My oldest organiser is an A5 MCM 4-ring binder pocket. I'm not sure of the year, but it is stamped "Made in W Germany" on the inside of the binder.

6. What do you use your organisers for?

I currently use  personal as my main planner and to organise the various aspects of my personal and "knitworking" projects for the Dublin Knit Collective.

Prior to April of this year, I used a pocket Filofax on and off since 1989, but mainly as a calendar/notebook.

I only moved into a personal Filofax when I discovered Philofaxy and the wonderful world of this online community in early 2015.

As an avid and somewhat obsessed knitter, I use the  pocket PAK as a knitting organiser. I love the casual and urban look of this ringed binder, with its front-flap pocket, two back pockets and card slots which is ideal for storing my KnitPro interchangeable knitting needle system.

I use the other organisers to store inserts and dividers.

7. How many sections do you have in your organiser and what is each section used for?

My main planner ( personal Original) has 5 sections: project planning subdivided into teaching plans and event planning for the Dublin Knit Collective,  tasks/to do, calender, which houses a year at a glance, monthly calender, horizontal week on two pages, a modified Bullet Journal, and the A to Z is a filing system of all sorts of information at my finger tips.

8. What was the feature about Filofax you like most?

I love how I can personalise my Filofax to suit my own needs. No two Filofaxes are alike.

9. If you could design your own Filofax what would it feature?

I love the simplicity of the Original.  I would re-invent this design for the knit enthusiast.  How about  a textured pattern like knit stitches, lace or cabled patterns embossed on the leather?

10. How do you carry your Filofax?

I slip my patent Original Filofax in a hand knit sleeve to protect it from the elements of my chaotic handbag.

11. Which Filofax in the current range do you like the most? Are you going to buy it?

I love  the Original... an A5 is on my wishlist.

12. What is the most you have ever spent on a Filofax or other brand of organiser? Which model?

The most I've ever spent on a Filofax was £10 for a pocket Identity. I've been very lucky at  finding three Filofax planners in charity shops for less than €3. The classic and Original were gifted to me by my family.

13. What's your favourite Filofax tip or hack?

My creative/workspace is so chaotic and I love that my Filofax creates the illusion of being organised with dividers, tabs, post it notes and colour - coding.

I now have a laminator so I've made a few dividers and bookmarkers.

14. Turning to Philofaxy, what do you like the most?

Webfinds!  I look forward to Saturday mornings so I can read the weekly roundup with a cup of tea.

15. And what do you not like about Philofaxy?

There is nothing I do not like.

16. What was the last music track you downloaded or bought?

I just discovered signed up for a Spotify account.  So I've been creating playlists for my listening pleasure. I just downloaded the album,  Always - The Very Best of Erasure.

17. Have you ever attended a Philofaxy meet-up? if not do you intend to one day?

I have never been to an official Philofaxy meet up.  However, I hosted a Dublin meet up last April and a creative Filofaxing meetup last November.

18. What was the last movie you watched?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

19. What was the last book you read?

Brooklyn by Colm Tรณibรญn after seeing the film of the same name.

Thank you Diane.

As you know we are always looking for new people to appear in our 'Reader Under Spotlight feature, you don't have to be 'well known' or a long term user to be considered to appear in this 'spot'. We also now have a new set of questions.

So please contact Steve philofaxy at gmail dot com today. Thank you.

20 January 2016

Is this real?

I quite often get messaged with links asking me 'Is this real?' the link will take me to an Ebay sale or similar and the photos will often be enough for me to determine if a particular organiser is what it is described as. 

As I've said in the past Ebay sellers quite often mis-describe things as A6, A5 and they are describing the size of the organiser not the page size. I think it is due to the sellers lack of knowledge not a genuine deception. Quite often you can message them and point out the error and they will correct it.

This week though I was sent one that looked like a Gillio organiser. Now in fairness to the seller, there was no mention of Gillio in their advert, but the photos prompted me to point out the obvious tell tail signs of how to spot the real deal rather than a cheap copy.

The item was described as follows:
Filofax style Planner  £90
BRAND NEW!!
Genuine leather personal size no named planner
GOLD RINGS!
Features zipper pocket plus two pockets.
Front and back secretarial pockets.
5 credit card slots.
Full length back pocket
Leather flyleaf.
Comes with dust bag, note paper and page marker.
So as you can see it only refers to a 'Filofax style planner' and it does indicate further as being a 'no name planner' i.e. no makers name on it. So a very honest and accurate description.

So what did it look like?





Now to look at a real Gillio. 



So what are the obvious differences to look for? 

The first obvious difference is the missing logo on the business card pocket on the front inside cover. 


So what else?
  • The rings are either bolt in or riveted in, notice the difference in the cover to the ring mechanism, which you can see in the third picture. Gillio ones are not of this type at all they lock on to lugs underneath so there is no visible fixings on the cover plate.  
  • The stitching around the credit card slots are not as tight to the edge of the slots themselves. The picture below is what you would expect to see. 

  • The quality of the stitching as well, as can be seen in the photo above the evenness and the tightness of the stitching on the real product is very fine. 
  • The zipper tag these are now generally a normal metal tag, but when in the past they have been leather the shape tends to be rectangular, but the method of stitching can vary. But generally they don't have the leather tab any more. 

  • The lining inside the pockets of a true Gillio organiser would also be a good indicator. Whilst we can't see them on the example from Ebay I suspect they wouldn't be of the same sort of material as used in at Gillio organiser which is a thin synthetic but realistic leather like material. 
So these are the obvious visible things to look for. Clearly if you held it in your hand you might notice the difference in the thickness of the leather and the feel of the leather in terms of quality and touch. 

If in doubt do not buy the item, or ask an expert if you are unsure. Contact Gillio themselves, they are always happy to help. They will know of other pointers too things hidden from normal view to look for as well. 

Whilst this post has concentrated on Gillio because of the example on sale, the same can be said for other makes of organisers too. 

Compare the item for sale to known genuine items, get a second or third opinion if in doubt. Ask the seller for more details, more photographs as well. An honest seller will not have any issues with this.  

Happy hunting...






19 January 2016

Web Finds - 19 January 2016

So I hope you have had a good weekend.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts and videos from around the internet.

So here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Fun Fax & Spy File Kids' Filofax Inspections - Nostalgia Nerd
  2. Filofax 2016 what's working + update, changes, habits, routines and new stuff - Tracy Reinhardt
  3. Decorate with Me: Repurposing Filofax inserts - Catherine
  4. 2016 A5 Filofax Finsbury Planner Setup - Ingencutie
  5. MY 2016 PLANNER SETUP | Filofax Domino | Erin Condren - AtHomeWithNikki
  6. Filofax Planner Setup - Latina Mormon
  7. Filofax Friday | My Filofax Journey {20 years of Planners!} - Part 1 - ArtJourneyUK
  8. Filofax Friday | My Filofax Journey {20 years of Planners!} - Part 2 - ArtJourneyUK
  9. Filofax Pocket Setup (Deutsch) - Mrs.diy.jujo 
  10. DIY dividers Filofax - Fairy Make Up
  11. Filofax Setup | Original Dark Aqua - Stin
  12. A5 Saffiano Filofax Setup | 2016 - TheNotSoOrdinaryWife
  13. setup 2016 im filofax original brown / about merle - Aboutmerie
  14. VLOG my Filofax saffiano gold - Liliya Osadchaya
  15. Filofax Set- Up update /FiloLotti german - FiloLotti 
  16. Updated Filofax Walk Through! | Sew Much Crafting Inserts - Katie Anne, Etcetera
  17. Updated Filofax Walk Through FULL Video! :) - Katie Anne, Etcetera
  18. A5 filofax setup 2016 | Filofax Original - Hannah Lelitte
  19. Flipper: un inserto un po’ pazzo per la mia agenda - My Last Eureka
  20. Laminating dividers Filofax - Fairy make up
  21. Gillio Pocket Compagna Set Up 1-2016 - Alancynvideo
  • For tips on how to improve your videos, please see this post.  Also this video too Webfinds 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser Videos could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
My Week Posts
  1. My week #1 - She's Eclectic
  2. January #week 3 - My Planner Obsession
  3. My week #196 (plus a little about the junior doctor contracts) - Paper Lovestory
  4. My week on my Franklin Covey Flourish, January 18th to January 24th - The Fabulous Planner
  5. Week three! - The CC collection
  6. My Week #2 In Review (2016) - Joanny White
  7. Week Two - Stationery Starlet
And if you didn't manage to complete all of the crossword from last week, here is the answer sheet.

Enjoy.

Free For All Tuesday No. 259

18 January 2016

A6 Enhanced Time Management Week View

This is the layout that I've been using for quite a few years now in A5 format. One of our readers asked if it was possible to make it available in A6 format.

After a bit of thought I was able to adapt it to work in the smaller size. You will notice that in this size it only features 3 lines per day compared to 4 or 5 in A5 size. But I think for most people this reduction will be ok, you can use it for morning, afternoon and evening. Similarly the facing page has a reduced number of lines to match. But in my own case I know I rarely fill in all the spaces anyway.

We are making the design available today as ready to download and print sets for 2016. These come as Word documents or PDFs. If using the PDF files be sure to set it to print at full size as explained here for A6 size paper.

But if you want to use this layout as a starting point for your own personalised creation, then you'll need to download the base Word file and the Excel data source. When you've made all the changes you like to the template, you can perform a mail merge to create your own insert for any period you like. Check out our Free Diary Inserts link if you want more information on how to do this, including videos.

A6 Enhanced TM Week View. 


You can download and print finished versions for this year from our diary inserts page.

Download source files: Word and Excel files (you'll need both)

Once again a big thank you to Ray at 'My Life All In One Place' for his hard work and co-operation with helping to create and support us with all these inserts.

Creative Commons License
This work by Philofaxy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Please download, adapt, use, share, but don't charge or use commercially.

17 January 2016

Readers Favourite Organiser - Cyn

Thank you to Cyn for sharing with us her favourite organiser. 

1. What is your favourite organiser (Make/model/size)?

At the moment A6 Gillio Compagna

2. How long have you owned it?

Owned for a month and just started using it on 11/27 (red) and used rust from 10/8 to 11/27

3. What is it that you like about it so much?

The size is perfect for everyday use. The leather is very lush.

4. Do you use it all the time?

I use it as an everyday carry and it's my wallet and planner all in one. Goes with me everywhere and in my purse.

5. Do you think the design could be improved in any way? How?

I would like a secretarial flap in the back but otherwise it's perfect.

And here are some photographs of my favourite organiser.






Thank you Cyn. 

If you would like to share with us the details of your favourite organiser, please contact steve @ philofaxy dot com 

16 January 2016

Web Finds - 16 January 2016

So I hope you have had a good week.

So now it is time to enjoy a great collection of blog posts from around the internet, so grab a drink and make yourself for our weekly round-up.

Here are some Philofaxy posts you might have missed this week:
  1. Readers Favourite Organiser - Maria
  2. Paper for my A6 organiser
  3. Free For All Tuesday No. 258
  4. Web Finds - 12 January 2016
  5. Design Your Own Organiser.... How difficult can it...
  6. Filofax Bromley Travel Wallet
  7. Free For All Friday No. 374 - By Steve
So 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. Een kijkje in mijn Mulberry planner - Styleguide
  2. Filofax Original in Pillarbox Red! - My Life Re-Organised
  3. Reader Request: Dated Week on 1 Page [printable] - Planner Fun
  4. Planner Setups for the New Year – Part 1 - Lil Divette
  5. Special Order: Custom Made Organizer – Manager A5 – 35mm Rings - Van der Spek
  6. Burde A5 WOTP vertical inserts and 22 year old VDS Cognac Italian leather A5 - This Bug's Life
  7. January has been too good to me. Found planner-peace,... - Olga Plans
  8. Definition of Agenda - My Last Eureka
  9. The mighty Filofax year at a glance insert - The Fabulous Planner
  10. My 2016 Filofax Set-up - Life of Kitty
  11. Learn New Ways to Use a Free Planner Printable Schedule - Giftie Etcetera
  12. Thrift Store Find: 7 Ring Desk Size Binder - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  13. Time Management is Tough - Planning With Patty 
  14. Kate Spade Agenda Setup Video - My Life Re-Organised
  15. FiloFax Identity - Dreams, Adventures and Planners
  16. Giftie Etc. - Planner Fun January Team Up [printable] - Planner Fun
  17. 5 Reasons You Aren’t Using Your Productivity Tools and Gadgets - Time Management Ninja
  18. Weekly spread for loose leaf binder and TN. - My Last Eureka
  19. The "Next Week" flyleaf - From Chaos to Order
  20. Using a Planner to Make Filing Easier - Giftie Etcetera
  21. Guide for new users: How to set up a new planner - Quo Vadis Blog
  22. My Filofax diary set up - Orange Coffee 69
  23. Reader Request: Reading List [printable] - Planner Fun
  24. Planner Setups for the New Year – Part 2 - Lil Divette
  25. Special Order: Custom Made Organizer – Standard – 30mm rings - Van der Spek
  26. Ways to use the Two-Minute Rule - Getting Things Done
  27. 5 Posts to Inspire Your Filofax Setup Organization... - Goldspot Pens
  28. Homeschool Schedule [printable] - Planner Fun
  29. My January Planner Set Up by Charlie - Mrs Brimbles
  30. How my Planner (Filofax) Helps me to Keep my Anxieties Down - My Summer Touch
  31. 2016 Planner set up – Personal Fuchsia Original Filofax - Polkadot Paradiso
  32. Dated Daily Tracker [printable] - Planner Fun
  33. A Simple Strategy for Being Productive - Planning with Patty
  34. Surprising Day Planner Secrets - Giftie Etcetera
  35. A5 or personal size planner, that's the question - The Fabulous Planner
  36. Fossil Personal Agenda - It's Bluetiger 
  37. Something Different Undated Week on 2 Pages [printable] - Planner Fun
  38. Mennyibe kerรผl filofaxot hasznรกlni? - FilofaxNi!
  39. Planner Friday: Free Printable Stickers! - Dianne Sylan
  40. 5 Ways a Positive Attitude Makes You More Productive - Time Management Ninja
  41. My Patronus is a filofax - Lost in Fiction
  • We monitor over 400 blogs and sites, your Filofax/Organiser blog posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • We can not guarantee people will read your posts, but we know there is a higher chance of people reading your posts and returning to read other posts if you make them interesting with pictures and good hints and tips. Do not forget to give your posts a title... 
  • Your Filofax/Organiser posts could appear in this list, just contact philofaxy at gmail dot com to be added to our monitoring list. 
  • For some general tips on Filofax Blogging, please see this post
We are on the look out for more people to take part in Reader Under the Spotlight. If you would like to appear in this feature then please contact Steve : philofaxy at gmail dot com  Thank you.

The videos and 'My week' posts will appear in their own post on Tuesday.

Enjoy.

15 January 2016

Free For All Friday No. 374 - By Steve

The paper diary and calendar is very much alive and well here in France. In the last couple of weeks we have been literally showered with free diaries and calendars!

It started with a wall planner/calendar from a local taxi company they also included a couple of small pocket calendars. Then just before Christmas we had the annual visit by the local fireman to let us have a full colour wall calendar with many pages of information for a small donation. I laid claim to this one!

Just before New Year our local council issued us with an A5 wall calendar with the details of our recycling collections, this went up on our notice board in the kitchen.

On visiting the shops we have been offered a variety of free calendars and pocket diaries by the hairdresser, insurance company, pharmacy......

It was the same last year and I gave most of them away!  Does this happen in your country?

It's Friday so feel free to discuss anything Filofax or ring bound related. Have a great weekend.


14 January 2016

Filofax Bromley Travel Wallet

I do quite a bit of long distance travelling these days and not always by road, in fact I prefer to go by public transport were possible, it tends to be less tiring than driving. So for these trips I have a need for some form of wallet to carry my travel documents and tickets and cards etc.

I have been using a variety of wallets but none of them seemed to be 'the one' if you know what I mean, OK but not quite what I need.

Quite often I have used a Smith and Canova travel wallet which I reviewed a few months ago on Travellers Notebook Times. As you will see I even made a notebook to fit it, although the size was not strictly a standard size!

I was aware of the existence of Filofax Travel Wallets having seen them in the shop in Conduit Street when it was still open and in the catalogues too. But for what ever reason I didn't buy one at the time, and I should have, hindsight being a marvellous thing.

Fast forward to just before Christmas and one of our readers shared a photo of a Bromley Travel Wallet on the Facebook Group, naturally I asked him where he had got it from and 'do they have any more'... They were for sale in TK Maxx (TJ Maxx in the USA) and his local store didn't have any more. So I placed a Wanted advert on our own Adspot page, just on the off chance that someone might have one they were no longer using.

I was extremely surprised and excited when another reader in UK emailed me and asked me if I was still looking for one... YES!!!!  Oh good because I bought one for you just in case you still wanted one... This was a dream almost, but a pleasant one! We have some wonderful people in our community.

Anyway we sorted out payment and delivery address and the cost of postage etc and I patiently waited for the parcel to arrive.


Closed like this the wallet measures approximately 225mm x 115 mm


The bar code on the box shows the price in US Dollars, and the bar code is for the US as well. So I'm wondering if some of these were returned from the USA when they moved their warehouse a year or so ago.


Undoing the clasp and opening it up reveals the detailed internal design. On the left hand side we have a pen loop, two coin pockets and various different height pockets, one the correct height for your passport.

On the right hand side there is a folding section in this there are 8 credit card slots and at the top a full height slot which could be used for a boarding pass or similar.


Opening the flap section reveals two further full height vertical slot pockets. and a plain section in the middle with a tab.


If you lift the tab it has two press studs holding it down.. they are spaced 51 mm (2 inches apart)


And a few sheets of Filofax Personal size paper fits perfectly in to this section. The middle section has some form of stiffener under the leather so it is a very good writing surface.


Close the tab and the pages are neatly held in place. You could have your travel schedule in here, notes, phone number of the taxi firm or your contact people or anything, all to hand in your jacket pocket. There is yet another slot pocket behind the middle Filofax page section in which you could store spare pages or similar.


On the back of the wallet there are three more differing height pockets so you could have tickets to hand without opening the wallet.


It is quite large in size, larger than I would use on a regular daily basis, but perfect for travelling.


And here it is with my Filofax Personal size Eton (the linked post is about the pocket size, the photo is of my personal size), I think they go very well together and the leather quality and design is very similar too.


I booked my train tickets for the Gillio meet up in March yesterday, so I will be using this for sure then.

Finally a big thank you to Fiona for spotting this treasure.