Hello and Filofax/Diary Questions
Hi I am new here, pleased to meet you all.
I have used a Filofax on and off since the early 1990s when nearly everyone at work had one, usually the larger the better and the more papers for it the better. I used to order stationery for the office and everyone went mad with Filofaxes and inserts, all different sizes. At that time I had been using a slimline diary but then treated myself to a personal size Filofax and loved it for a couple of years. Then I decided it was getting a bit big and bulky so I went onto the pocket size. Then I decided that was getting bulky so I gave up on the Filofax altogether for a couple of years and used a slimline diary again, keeping a separate address book at home. However, this got a bind as I found I was forgetting addresses when I needed them and I wasn't at home at the time and I'd got no room to write all my addresses in the slimline diary, I also missed the convenience of my Filofax and being able to just use the address tabs and get to a number or address quickly without having to scan down a random list written at the front of a diary. So last Christmas I put a Filofax on my wish list but this time went for the mini size which is much more portable. Anyway for part of this year I switched back to the slimline diary, I don't know why, I suppose I just wondered why I was carrying around every address and detail with me when I don't always need it but again I missed my Filofax and have gone back to it yet again. But with swapping from one thing to the other recently I have missed some appointments.
Generally, do you prefer a Filofax or a separate diary and address book? I am just interested to get everyone's views.
I used my Treo 700P as my
I used my Treo 700P as my calendar, but it got smashed before I could HotSync it again and I freaked out about not being able to access my info, so I went back to my Filofax (personal size). I use my iPhone as my address book, and they have a good program called MobileMe where you can sync your contacts and calendar, etc. My idea would be to use MobileMe in conjunction with the new Filofax printing software, so I can print anything on my computer screen to my Filofax paper and still have the information electronically on my phone & internet whenever I can't carry my Filofax.
I am sure a similar system can be set up with other types of mobile [smart]phones as well such as the Blackberry.
I was recently given a slim diary as a gift, which I love, and I plan to use it to jot things down (either as a calendar or daily notebook) also when I cannot have my Filofax with me and don't feel like entering things into my phone.
Good luck!
Phone numbers in cell phone,
Phone numbers in cell phone, separate appointment book. Once or twice a year I manually update a paper telephone list with any new numbers in my cell phone. My address file for Christmas cards is set up in MS Word as sheets of labels in my computer.
--GG
Download them
I use software to connect my mobile phone to my laptop. Whenever I've updated the address book on the phone I back it up on my laptop. The only problem is that the phone manufacturer doesn't support Macs so the software is third-party; still it works.
Data from the software can be exported in vCard format for updates to things like Apple's Address Book.
Hi and thanks for your
Hi and thanks for your replies, so you don't use a Filofax at all then? What do you use for addresses and finance stuff, I keep all that lot together in my Filofax.
... you don't use a Filofax
For addresses the address book of my mailer. On the few occasions that I use snail mail then it'll be a pre-paid envelope from the person I'm replying to. On the rare occasion that I have to initiate written correspondence I recall them from my memory; birthday cards to family members are the only things I send.
For finances the receipts go in my wallet and then into the appropriate file ready for completing end of tax year accounts.
So no need for filoFax pages to deal with those.
I use DayTimer, but face similiar issue....
I used to use Filofax, then had difficulty finding them and shifted to DayTimer (2 pages per day) in a 3-3/4 x 6-3/4 size (same as the Filofax I had been using). I believe the paper is a little thicker -- at least I have less bleed through when I use a fountain pen (just recently started using a Cross gel pen that I like very much, it has no bleed through unless I doddle too much and saturate the page....)
To your question --> In my binder I have simple lined pages and have about three/four letters per side. I only have the persons name and phone number(s)(sometimes desk/home/cell) in my binder. These are the folks I need to contact be it a source from work, home, or church. At home I have a separate book that includes far more information -- address, email, birthdates, anniversary + short notes to some. At work I mainly keep the more detailed stuff in Outlook -- unless I have a business card in which case I will only have email in Outlook and refer to the card for everything else. The numbers in my binder may be from either the work or the home set, usually not both (the exception being close friends to whom I may call/email from work or home). Thus far it seems to be a pretty good solution for me. Seldom do I run out of room on my four letters per side sheet. When I do I tend to evaluate who is there that doesn't need to be and run some correction tape over them so I can add the new person. Usually my new year's day project is to create new fresh sheets for the next year.
My biggest lapse is capturing new phone numbers from my cell phone to my notebook....
Hope this helps,
The Passionate Pilgrim
-- Excellence through Simplicity
I have a slimline personal
I have a slimline personal Filofax (sitting on a shelf for now) and a pocket Filofax (in my purse, for notes and lists). Plus an appointment book. And several classic/A5 binders, too. I was about to go through the whole litany of why I've tried them and moved on, but then re-read your post and it was almost the same as my experience. It seems to be a problem for so many of us. Apparently we find a solution that works for us but we rarely find the perfect solution. Or if so only after quite a bit of expensive trial and error.
It seems to be a trade-off between weight and information. The more information you carry around on paper, the more it weighs, and therefore it becomes a balancing act between information vs ease --being able to put it into a purse, having information with you when and where you need it.
A large binder is more than I want to carry around, and have over the years reduced what I carry to the minimum.
Sounds like you're already considering how you might manage with a subset of your address book in your Filofax. Perhaps you could carry with you twenty or so addresses you might need during the day and leave the rest at home. I guess the possibility of missing appointments is why I like to have a separate appointment book, which I will not change during the year, whereas I do change around the other parts of my system.
--GG