31 October 2017

Web Finds 31 October 2017

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.

Meanwhile here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. The PlannerCon Europe Song - Rehearsal - Philofaxy
  2. The PlannerCon Europe Song - The Full Version - Philofaxy
  3. Pocket Holborn Filofax! - Mady L
  4. Functional Planning: My Work Planner Setup Using Cocoa Daisy Inserts - Kendra Bork - YouTube
  5. Personal VDS (Van Der Spek) Flip Through! - itslaurennotloren
  6. I HACKED MY RECOLLECTIONS PLANNER - BROOKLYN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT GROUP
  7. Packing for Planner Con Europe! - Chloe's Thoughts
  8. Planner con Europe zaterdag vlog - MissLizzyNL
  9. PlannerCon Europe 2017 | Swag Bag - LoveForPaper85
  10. Pocket Planner Setup & My Top 5 Planning Tips - the planner spot
  11. Big REVEAL 2017 @ PlannerCon Europe - Gillio Firenze
  12. PlannerCon Europe 2017 | Swag Bag - LoveForPaper85
  13. Turquoise Filofax Domino Personal Size Writing Notebook - StickleChickleStudio
  14. How I design Filofax Inserts - MsHydrolove
  15. Filofax Wochendeko KW 42 - Timelapse - starflower_plans
  16. FILOFAX DEKO KW 42 | floral fall | timelapse - dekoRIAt
  17. Unboxing of my 1st Filofax (Raspberry Pocket Finsbury) Organizer - Jen - Jenovia Designs
  18. Wochendeko KW 45 - Filofax Malden Ochre - Timelapse - Nixxes
  • 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. Plan With Me || Halloween - Karen's Obsessions
Enjoy.



Free For All Tuesday No. 352

So what questions or discussion points have you got for us today?

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a more experienced user of organisers, we want to hear your thoughts, questions, opinions etc.

Make today the one day you post a comment or a question.

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

30 October 2017

The Perfect Organiser?

Here are some notes I jotted down for my talk about the 'Perfect Planner' at PlannerCon Europe. I've adapted them slightly for your consumption.

If the 'Perfect Organiser' exists what benefits would it give you the owner?
  • You might achieve 'Planner Peace' 
  • It will be an organiser you want to use, all the time
  • Reduce your desire to buy more organisers.
  • An organiser that will help you meet your goals each day/week/month
  • An organiser that will reduce your stress and anxiety, because you will have written it in your organiser and you will not have to worry about remembering something important
  • The organiser you don't want to swap out of, no reason to want to swap
I believe that the perfect organiser does exist for us all. However, it will be different for each of us, one solution doesn't fit all. 

The 'Perfect Organiser' might be something you have Custom Made, which might cost more than you have ever spent on any one or several organisers in the past, but in the long term this one purchase might save you money.


29 October 2017

Buying and Selling on Philofaxy


From time to time I'm sure you all look at your little collection and think... I should really sell that organiser...it is only gathering dust on the shelf and I really fancy that new colour/model that Steve has been 'enabling' about...

Well Philofaxy is here to help sell your Filofax and other brands of organisers and accessories... is this negative enabling?

There are a lot of hints and tips as well as other information in this post, I apologise if some of it is common sense... but well you know.....

We have our Ad-spot page for readers adverts, firstly here are the rules for placing ads on the page:
  • Preferably Filofax and other ring bound planner items only please... obvious really!
  • No parallel Ebay adverts, if you have put it on Ebay, then please don't ask us to advertise your items as well. 
  • We are serious when we request that you donate to our chosen charity, so please consider giving some form of donation if you are placing an item on the Ad-spot page.
    Consider what it would have cost to sell on Ebay, Philofaxy is visited by more than 1400 people every day... and they are an informed and targeted audience.
  • Adverts will be on the page for no more than a calendar month, if it hasn't sold in that time it will be removed. 
  • Please tell us when your item has sold so it can be removed from the page. 
  • Once you have received the funds please despatch the item within 5 days. Don't accept the funds and leave it for 3 weeks, people tend to think they have been scammed when people do that. Inform the buyer when you have despatched the item include the tracking number if there is one. 
  • If we get reports that you haven't responded to enquiries we will remove your advert immediately.
  • Please put the text of your advert in the email exactly as you want it to appear, keep it concise and to the point, Steve will possibly reformat it, but he baulks at rewriting adverts from sketchy details. 
  • The seller is responsible for paying Pay Pal fees, prices should include fees and buyers should pay via the Goods and Services option not Friends and Family option. This is to protect the buyer in case of any loss. 
  • Remember you are entering in to a private sale between the buyer and seller, Philofaxy can not take any responsibility for the transaction going wrong in anyway. 
So those are the rules, nothing complicated and all very fair.

So what to include in your advert. Please make your advert as clear as possible, it should include:
  • Details of the Model, size, colour, age if you know when it was originally bought
  • Your location so an estimate on the cost of shipping can be estimated. You only need to go to country level.
  • Condition, is it new, never been used, been in daily use, well used, broken in etc. 
  • What is included in terms of inserts, diary inserts etc. 
  • Where you are willing to ship the item to.
  • Your contact details, an email address. 
  • Smoking household or not. There is nothing worse as a non-smoker about receiving an article that stinks of tobacco smoke, this is nearly impossible to get rid of. 
  • Some photographs, but please limit it to two photos per item. Please email these with your advert, or alternatively send us the links to your pictures. For better pictures please read this post on how to improve your pictures of Filofax Organisers.
  • If you are taking your photos with your iPhone or other smart phone or tablet device, be aware that all the file names will be the same... and Steve will not be exactly pleased trying to sort out the pictures against the different items when he receives your request... transfer them to your PC and resize the pictures and rename them before emailing them as attachments with the text of your advert. Pictures don't need to be bigger than 1600 pixels on the longest side. 
  • And price.... we can not handle auctions so the price has to be a fixed price. 
The price... I'm often asked 'how much should I ask for an xyz in Personal size'... I'm not the Quentin Wilson of the Filofax world, but here is some suggestions/tips on pricing...
  • You can set the price to what ever you want it to be, I'm not going to stop you.....but......
  • If the item is new but you have never used it, then I would suggest 15% -20% under what you paid for it. Remember the buyer might be able to buy one for same or less than the price you paid. If you have to add the price of shipping on top of the cost and remember some retailers offer free shipping. Look around at the prices that that item is available for, not just what the price is on the Filofax UK or USA site. We have all seen grossly inflated prices on Ebay for items... that didn't sell!
  • If the item is used or may be not on current sale, then take a look at Ebay and look at completed sales to see what the average price has been on that particular model/size in the past.
  • If you want the item to sell quickly be prepared to allow for some bargaining on your price. 
  • Sellers must quote on the basis that they will be paying the Paypal fees and that buyers using Paypal will be specifying that they are purchasing goods.
When you have agreed a price for your item and you start to receive enquiries via Email, please try to answer them promptly. We suggest that you do any money transactions via a secure method, PayPal generally seems to work very well these days, it's very quick and secure.

Only use the paying for goods and services method of sending the funds, the receiver will be paying a small fee, but the consumer rights of the sender of the money are far more secure in case there are problems with the transaction.  To send funds you don't need to have a Paypal account yourself, you can pay with a credit or debit card

When you come to despatch the item to your lucky buyer, do be careful and pack your Filofax organiser well. Plenty of padding inside and outside of the organiser, I've repaired one or two and advised on others where they have become damaged in transit. Straightening out the ring mechanism after it's been trodden on is not easy! Read this post for details of how to pack your organiser. But still consider getting insurance on the parcel.
  • Shipments made with standard postage, without tracking or insurance are “seller’s risk” – if the item does not arrive, sellers are expected to refund all money.
  • If the seller wants to use insured or tracked postage that the buyer is unwilling to pay for, then the risk of lost items shifts to the buyer.
  • Sellers must respect requests to use a premium shipping option (tracked, expedited, insured, etc.) that the buyer is paying for.
And once your sale is complete.... don't forget to tell Philofaxy of the completed sale so the advert can be withdrawn, we will acknowledge your instructions. Make your donation to Chimwemwe at this point as well.

For Wanted adverts things are a little bit simpler, you just need to specify the model, size, colour  and your contact email address. May be include your country location. Again format the text of your advert as you would like it to appear. Wanted adverts are currently shown on the page for 2 months.

All that is then left to do is to sit back and decide..... now what Filofax can I buy to replace the one I've just sold..... Enable Enable.... well there is a space on that shelf isn't there....

Contact Steve philofaxy at gmail dot com if you have any questions or you have an advert to post

28 October 2017

Web Finds - 28 October 2017

So I hope you have had a good week

So now it is time to enjoy a few 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. Web Finds - 21 October 2017
  2. Functional Planning at PlannerCon Europe
  3. Which Paper?
  4. Free For All Tuesday No. 351
  5. Web Finds - 24 October 2017
  6. PlannerCon Europe 2017 - Schedule of Talks and Workshops
  7. PlannerCon Europe - Packing
  8. Free For All Friday No. 467 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. Book Tracking Inserts in A5 - MyPrettyPaperDesigns
  2. The Manchester Stationery show is nearly upon us! Who's e... - The Filofaxist 
  3. Filofax Karung organiser - This Bug's Life
  4. Address books are a lot like diaries - vanilla folders
  5. Book Tracking Insert in Personal - MyPrettyPaperDesigns
  6. 2018 Year At A Glance Calendar for Planners - Wendaful
  7. PlannerCon Europe is almost here! - Blog | Gillio
  8. Time management Monday: “Should” vs action - Quo Vadis Blog
  9. Fall 2017 Planner Setup - Blog - Kimberly Hysler Blog
  10. What's in my Bag? Planner Pouches & Planning Storage - Kerrymay._.Makes
  11. ​ I’ve spent the last few months trawling... - The Filofaxist
  12. How To Meal Plan When You Absolutely Hate Cooking - Wendaful
  13. The Franklin Five: October 2017 Checklist - FranklinPlannerTalk
  14. How to Better Manage Your Time at Work to Add Time Back to Your Life - Day Designer
  15. Gillio's BIG REVEAL - Saturday at 1 PM! - Blog | Gillio
  16. Using a Planner Successfully Every Single Day - Giftie Etcetera
  • 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. 

27 October 2017

Free For All Friday No. 467 by Anita

I have had lots going on recently, and in the past this has often meant that my Filofax has become just messy and out of date. However, this time I am definitely in Planner Win and everything is just working! So, what have I been doing differently this time?
  • When I realised that I was starting to feel overwhelmed, I did a thorough review and simplified my set up. I've been mostly using my Getting Things Done based system since 2009, but felt that it was time for a change. I will write another post soon to share my simplified set up
  • I have been using separate agenda lists for tasks relating to the different people in my life. The tasks involved haven't felt complicated enough to create a proper project, but having a list called 'Mum' or 'cat' has been sufficient to collate related items to keep on top of it all
  • As I've needed to be super focused, I have taken a break from social media and haven't even been reading much of Philofaxy. Reducing the amount of time I spend looking at a screen has meant that I've had more time to exercise, get outside or read a book. Therefore I've been feeling more relaxed, so have been writing more in my wonderful Winchester and getting more done. 
Do you find that your set up can cope with busier than normal times, or have you recently made a change that has been of great help with this?

And of course, as it's Friday please feel free to discuss anything ring bound planner related.
I hope you have a great weekend.

26 October 2017

PlannerCon Europe - Packing

So it is the usual dilemma I'm facing today... which organisers to take with me to PlannerCon!! I would love to take quite a few, but the main issue is carrying them all!

So I have to make up my mind today.

So far the pile is looking like this:


And in-case you don't recognise them they are top left my Van der Spek Custom A5 which is the equivalent of my 'daily-driver' these days, next to it another Van der Spek Custom A5 which partners with the other one to hold the other half of my pages, information pages, reference information etc.

Then in the bottom row we have a new purchase a Filofax Fusion A5 organiser/iPad case and next to that my Gillio/Van der Spek hybrid, with a Gillio A5 Mia Cara outer-jacket and a Van der Spek Custom A5 organiser section!

The Fusion might look out of its league in such expensive company, but I actually quite like the practical design a lot and it lets me mix analogue and digital quite well. It has a 20mm organiser section which can be removed and the iPad holder I adapted to take my iPad Pro and Bluetooth keyboard so I can remain productive and keep things organised in one neat rugged package.

The Fusion ready for action!

25 October 2017

PlannerCon Europe 2017 - Schedule of Talks and Workshops

Well the days or even hours are now counting down to PlannerCon Europe this coming weekend. As you read this I will be in full packing mode!

Here is the final programme for the two days, naturally there might be some last minute changes.



If you are attending the event then come and find me and say hello, I will be there all weekend!

Wish me luck for Saturday's talk!

24 October 2017

Web Finds - 24 October 2017

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.

Meanwhile here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Planner Set Up in VDS T M Planner (Functional Planning) - Katherine Shu
  2. Franklin Covey Planner Dividers ShelbieLeeCo - Erin Kane
  3. GILLIO COMPAGNA UPDATED SETUP! - Plan with Ana
  4. Fall Planner Set Up in Kate Spade Personal Rings ft. Flip through of 2018 Inserts and New Gillio! - The Personified Pen
  5. My Planner Collection!!! TN's, Erin Condren and FiloFax OH MY!!! - Ariana Davis
  6. Wochendeko KW 43 - Filofax Malden Ochre - Timelapse - Nixxes
  7. DIY Filofax Einlagen, To Do Liste NUR mit Word;) - Lalalunia
  8. Plan With Me | Filofax Malden - mommymilitia
  9. Filofax: Unboxing, What's Inside, and Setup - Namaste Chick
  10. Filofax Malden Planner Update - Irene_PlansMe
  11. SET UP filofax // Cómo planifico con dos a5 - Dos Cafés & un Plan
  12. Pocket Filofax Planner Setup | Ft. Felicity Jane "Kate" Kit | - moreofmydaisybones
  13. Filofax Butterfly - Setup novembro 2017 - Amanda Castelo
  14. Filofax pennybridge, here's mine! New Filofax from TK Maxx - SoontobeMrs Craftlover
  • 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. Gemma's Autumn Planner & Journal Pages - Mrs Brimbles
Enjoy.



Free For All Tuesday No. 351

So what questions or discussion points have you got for us today?

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a more experienced user of organisers, we want to hear your thoughts, questions, opinions etc.

Make today the one day you post a comment or a question.

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

23 October 2017

Which Paper?

We all use a variety of paper in our planners and notebooks, no matter if they are bound or ring bound organisers.

The quality of the paper is important to us, this might be because you want to archive your notes, or if you are fountain pen user you want to ensure that what you write in your preferred brand and colour of ink looks sharp and not blurred, that the paper isn't like blotting paper and the ink soaks through the pages to the other side.

The choice of paper and ink is sometimes a difficult one, if the paper doesn't absorb the ink another problem can occur, the ink can be smudged if it doesn't dry quickly enough and it just sits on the surface of the paper rather than adhering to the paper.

However, let us think for a moment that you have found the perfect paper, the perfect ink in a colour of your choice, a pen that is a delight to use, it is. The perfect weight in your fingers and it is a delight to use. It allows you to transfer those thoughts and ideas to paper and after a writing session you can sit back and relax as you review you page of writing.

Going back to your choice of paper, one thing I want to discuss is do you choose plain paper, lined paper, quadrille (squared), or dot grid paper?

Each one has its merits, it's good and bad points. Some types seem to be more popular than others. For instance here in France or at least in my local stores most notepads are nearly always quadrille format, it is quite difficult to buy lined or plain paper pads or notebooks, they do exist, but not available in the same sort of quantities as the quadrille ones! I will be adding lined and plain paper varieties to my 'Bring back from UK' list!!

I was quite pleased when Helen Fennel one of our readers sent me the Writing Guide page to try out. I printed it out and put it behind my Filofax plain page and instantly I have visible lines to guide me across the page. I remember these sort of lined sheets from old letter writing pads, I am not sure if they still sell these or not, but they are very useful.



So me being me, I have adapted the idea and produced some similar writing guide pages in A4, A5 as well as the Personal size.
Filofax of course sell plain paper and lined paper in all sizes. But if you want some dot grid pages you can print your own fairly easily.

Dot-grid format is very useful for doing drawings and sketches, but. You can easily use the dots to help you keep your writing from deviating from a straight line. Another advantage I have found, if you need to scan or copy your pages the dots are often ignored by the scanner, so the copy appears with just your writing and drawing and no dots.

Ray has come to our assistance with some dot-grid formatted files which we can use. Look here for Personal size and here for A4/A5 size

So what is your preferred format?

22 October 2017

Functional Planning at PlannerCon Europe

Sophia Pan contacted me this last week as she is organising a small side event at PlannerCon Europe  next weekend about 'Functional Planning' I've christened it FunCon! I will be attending!


Functional Planning Informal Meet-Up at PannerCon Europe

This is for anyone who is into functional planning – using (not decorating) a planning to assist you to manage your life (short and long term) and achieve your goals.

Date: Sunday, October 29
Time: 8:30 – 9:50 am

Location: Le Pain Quotidien (Galerie de la Reine 11, 1000 Bruxelles

Everyone will purchase whatever he or she would like at Le Pain Quotidien. There is no fee for attending this meet-up. If there is a change in meeting location, it will be announced here in the comments.

Since we don’t have a lot of time, we will only do a brief intro (name, country/countries).

After that, we will share
  1. Functional planning system that currently works for folks (8:30 – 9:20 am) and 
  2. One questions or tip for folks who are looking for strategies or suggestions to run their life more effectively and/or achieve a certain goal (9:21 – 9:40 am). 
We will take group photos (of us and our planners), exchange contact info, and wrap up from 9:41 – 9:50 am.  Folks who plan to be at the raffles should be able to make it back to the conference at 10 am.

Please bring one or more functional planner you are currently using to share with the group. We especially welcome stories/experiences of using a planner to achieve certain life goals (pass a professional exam, lose weight, manage a household, manage health challenges, financial management, etc.)

Feel free to message Sophia with questions!

21 October 2017

Web Finds - 21 October 2017

So I hope you have had a good week

So now it is time to enjoy a few 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. Web Finds - 14 October 2017
  2. What types of planners belong on Philofaxy?
  3. Guest Post - Homemade Leather A5 Organiser - Paul
  4. Free For All Tuesday No. 350
  5. Web Finds - 17 October 2017
  6. Win A Rapesco Diary Punch and Support the Fight Against Breast Cancer
  7. Do you have to pay a lot of money to get a good designed organiser?
  8. Free For All Friday No. 466
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. Getting Started with 2018 Inserts - Kat's Life In Cali
  2. Black Congo Mulberry Double Binder on eBay - This Bug's Life
  3. Blog Post Tracker Personal Size Insert - MyPrettyPaperDesigns
  4. Are You Micromanaging Your Mind? - Getting Things Done
  5. Reasons for Changing Planner Systems - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  6. Free (2017+) 2018 refills with your planner! - Blog | Gillio
  7. B-day Planner Sale 50% OFF is ON + *very* important announcement about LTF printables - Lime Tree Fruits
  8. Time management Monday: Different ways to use the Space 24 week + notes planner - Quo Vadis Blog
  9. Comparing Organization Set Ups - Tales From A Polk County Girl
  10. Blog Post Tracker A5 Planner Inserts - MyPrettyPaperDesigns
  11. The Hidden Secret to an Effective Work Planner -  Giftie Etcetera
  12. Rescheduled Functional Planner Stickers - MyPrettyPaperDesigns
  13. 2018 GTD Organizer and GTD Organizer are now available! - Getting Things Done
  14. The FeelGood ToolBox - Lime Tree Fruits
  15. Fairy tale forest planner - Mrs Brimbles
  16. 5 Ways To Be Productive When You’re Sick - Time Management Ninja
  17. 5 Simple Ways to Better Prepare for Your Day with a Paper Planner - Day Designer
  • 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. 


20 October 2017

Free For All Friday No. 466

The 31st of October 2005 was the start of something that has had a very significant impact on my life in recent times. I didn't know about it then, in fact not for a couple of years after Philofaxy started with the post 'In the beginning'

Back then I had only just started a new job after nearly a year off. I was using a Filofax again for the first time in many years.

It wasn't until I bought an A5 Filofax I started to look around for other websites and came across Philofaxy almost by accident and started to read through the posts with interest.

Even today I know there are people finding us for the 'first time' How did you discover Philofaxy?

Of course it is Friday so please feel free to discuss anything Filofax or ring bound planner related. Have a great weekend.

19 October 2017

Do you have to pay a lot of money to get a good designed organiser?

I have had a particular interest now for a few years in the design of organisers.

My talk at Plannercon Europe at the end of October will be 'How to choose or design the perfect planner'.  Elements of this post are likely to appear in that talk, which is still being written at the time of the publishing of this post!

Over the years if you look through the Filofax catalogues we have in our collection, there have been numerous designs of Filofax organisers. Each design is slightly different to the others. Yes they have some common features, but in general Filofax have tried to make them as different as possible.

Occasionally I discover a design that really appeals to me because of some small detail that has been included in the design of the organiser.

So my subject for this post is the humble Filofax Fusion Personal size from 2013-2014. I've had a 'few' of these, given them away as prizes etc. I reacquired one because there was something about it that I liked.

The Personal size retailed at the time at £40, it is made in a mixture of a microfibre material with the strap closure in full grain leather. Now you might easily look past this organiser which came in Personal and A5 as just another 'non-leather' one.

It looks fairly smart, the exterior is fairly indestructible. I am sure it would survive being chucked in to a backpack, the occasional rain shower without looking any worse for wear.


Now the clever bits of the design...

Notice on the front outside cover there are two pockets that could take an i.d. pass or ticket or business card and be accessible without opening up the organiser or even undoing the strap.


On the rear cover there is a full height outside pocket, you do have to undo the strap on this one to gain access to it, but you don't have to open the organiser.


Then on the inside front cover there is a slot that can take a modern smart phone, shown here with my iPhone 6 in its cover.  The phone pocket is gusseted so it expands to easily take the phone.


And the strap closure has more then enough length it easily copes with the extra bulk of having the phone inside as well as a full set of inserts. 


Small details, but for me they make quite an inexpensive organiser a useful day to day planning/organisational tool.


18 October 2017

Win A Rapesco Diary Punch and Support the Fight Against Breast Cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Rapesco the company that make great paper punches are supporting The Pink Ribbon Foundation with a percentage of their sales on all Pink products being donated.

Philofaxy have been a long time supporter of cancer awareness charities so it is wonderful to help in what ever way we can to further that support.



You can win one of ten punches being made available by commenting on this post here on Philofaxy, please include your Twitter user name.

Please include your Twitter Username and follow: Pink Ribbon Foundation as well as Rapesco on Twitter and ten lucky winners will be selected at random by Rapesco by the end of October.

Thank you to Rapesco UK for their support.


Amazon USA
Amazon UK

17 October 2017

Web Finds - 17 October 2017

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.

Meanwhile here are a selection of the latest Filofax videos for your enjoyment.
  1. Franklin Covey Classic Flip Through- set up - The Functional Happy Planner
  2. Fall Planner Set Up Pt 2|Goals & Project Planning|Momentum Planner - Antonisha Plans
  3. Making Personal Planner Dashboards from Happy Planner Page Protectors - Kendra Bork
  4. Compact Franklin Covey Flip Through- Set Up - The Functional Happy Planner
  5. Functional Planning: Quarterly/Monthly Review and Plan With Me - Kendra Bork
  6. Using The Constraints of Your Planner To Your Benefit - Antonisha Plans
  7. Review and Setup of my new Van Der Spek Custom Planner - Kendra Bork
  8. Planner Flip Through - LOVEEXTRAATTENTION
  9. Filofax Saffiano Compact Zip Flip Through / Set Up using printables - Happy Mommy
  10. Oh! A new Filofax? Yes.... - Little angel
  11. Woche im Filofax gestalten #01 | TaNa - TaNa
  12. Filofax Pocket Planner *PWM* Pumpkin Spice Life - Robin's Nest
  13. Plan With Me | Filofax Malden - mommymilitia
  14. Filofax Wochendeko KW 40 - Timelapse - starflower_plans
  15. [Filofax-Timelapse] KW 42/17: The Secret Of The Forest - YasminLowe
  16. Filofax Wochendekoration KW 42 - ZierPapier
  17. Filofax Wochendeko KW 41 | 2017 | planningcat - planningcat_
  18. Wochendeko KW 41 - Filofax Original Navy - Nixxes
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Enjoy.



Free For All Tuesday No. 350

So what questions or discussion points have you got for us today?

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a more experienced user of organisers, we want to hear your thoughts, questions, opinions etc.

Make today the one day you post a comment or a question.

It is Tuesday after all so fire away.

16 October 2017

Guest Post - Homemade Leather A5 Organiser - Paul

Thank you Paul for this great article. I've made a travellers notebook before and some prototype organisers, but never the finished article!

Hello, my name is Paul and I’m a Filofax addict.

It all started innocently enough, back in 1987, when I found that an old Seeboard notebook was the same size and ring configuration as a ‘Personal’. This became my gateway organiser, and I moved on to a plain but sold black leather Filofax a year or so later, when starting my first business. Although I kicked the habit a bit later (going through a rebellious ‘Psion’ stage) I’ve fallen off the wagon again – big time. Even with a Mini Kendal, Holborn Pocket, Cuban Zip and Malden A5 to an A4 Lyndenhurst, there was an itch I couldn’t quite scratch.

Starting another course, I wanted something different, something really personal to plan out my thoughts and ideas for the future – my equivalent of the ‘Grail Diary’ from the Indiana Jones film ‘Last Crusade,’ except capable of coping with updates and changes. It had to be robust, versatile and A5 2x3 ring format (my favourite working size.) An ebayed Timberland was cheap and sufficiently sturdy, but somehow not personal enough. Hence my ‘hey gang, let’s do the show right here’ decision to make my own.

I had a slab of rustic-looking leather left over from when I planning to make a case to take six different flutes & whistles – until realising that the Chinese make an excellent and inexpensive padded bag to do just that. I’d been treating the leather for some time with Renapur leather balsam for some time until it had reached the stage of ‘well floppy,’ and there was just enough for a single piece for the back and sides, two pockets and a strap.

Having gone to a technical school I’m happier with metalwork rather than a haberdashery, so decided on the perhaps unsubtle construction method of slapping the different bits together using light engineering rather than needlework. That’s the ‘robust’ box ticked then.

I’ve used laminated dividers previously, even having some success with using encapsulated bits of well-loved but worn out shirts. Wanting something simpler and more rustic, I bought and cut down some A4 Extra Thick (1000mic) Greyboard Crafting Card, bound the edges with fabric tape and stuck on metal index tabs, found here.   



Measured it all up carefully, cut out the bits, tried to work out the right order for them to go together then went at it with the hole and rivet punches. Even muttered a few ‘throw the switch, Igor’ and ‘Life – I give you life’ type comments when they felt appropriate. 

How did it all work out? Well, good news is that it flops open and lays flat beautifully. The magnetic clasps hold well, everything is holding together and it functions exactly as intended.

The weight reminds me of the time I commissioned some PA speakers and specified everything in detail – except the weight. Ended up knackering the rear suspension on my Subaru (quite an achievement) and saving gym membership for many years. Again, I’d not considered how much it would work out. Somewhat on the porky side at 800gm all up, okay for something which is not EDC, but stays in the office.

The looks – can’t decide if I’ve ended up with Attila the Hun’s personal organiser, the owner’s manual for a medieval siege tower or something more appropriate in a BDSM accessories brochure. Its grown on me, I’ve come to think of it as a tome, and wonder if it would feel happier chained to something, or with a few engraved charms or glyphs as decorations. And it meets all my original criteria, particularly in the looking ‘different’ requirement.








Once again thank you Paul.