30 April 2016

Web Finds - 30 April 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. Web Finds - 23 April 2016
  2. Readers Favourite Organiser - Carla
  3. Date For Your Planner - Sunday 1 May 2016
  4. Free For All Tuesday No. 273
  5. Web Finds - 26 April 2016
  6. Guest Post - Review of the Myequil Equal 2 smart pen
  7. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 10 
  8. Free for All Friday No. 389 by Nan
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. Friday Favourites #2 - Ugly Bug Does
  2. Choosing the right planner for you - Mrs Brimbles
  3. How to get “in your zone” with GTD - Getting Things Done
  4. T is for… Twitter - Planning with Printed Portal
  5. Planner Review: Personal Filofax Malden - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
  6. For the Love of Malden (all about my Filofax Pocket Malden planner) - Plan It Zoe
  7. Filofax Mini Finsbury in Raspberry - My Filofax Blog
  8. Guida veloce al BulletJournal in collaborazione con Kim di Tinyrayofsunshine - My Last Eureka
  9. NatStatWeek: Why Writing Matters - Life of Kitty
  10. U is for… Unavailable - Planning with Printed Portal
  11. Project Management in A5 Malden Filofax, and what's going on with my Filofax - My Summer Touch
  12. Planner comparison: Malden vs Aston - Random Pastimes of a Restless Mind
  13. Filofax Mini Finsbury in Raspberry - My Filofax Blog
  14. Bemutatom a naptáramat: Filofax Butterfly - Filofax Ni
  15. Free six months on two pages 2016 / Sei mesi su due pagine 2016 gratuito - My Last Eureka
  16. Why You Should Be Taking Notes in Your Planner - Giftie Etcetera 
  17. Planner mini meet - Ugly Bug Does
  18. V is for… Visits - Planning with Printed Portal
  19. Week on 2 Pages with Time Block [printable] - Planner Fun
  20. Colours of my Filofax collection - My Filofax Blog
  21. All About My Blog Planner - Zoe Plans
  22. Be happier: This is how your Filofax can help! - The Fabulous Planner
  23. 2010 - 2016: my archived planner pages - Paper Lovestory
  24. W is for… Websites - Planning with Printed Portal
  25. Attempt at a planner duo - Looking through a frosty window
  26. Love this color combination, olive and gold. - Olga Plans
  27. No Spend May [printable] - Planner Fun
  28. Cambs Planner Con - What an Event! #cambsplannercon - Mrs Brimbles
  29. Write it Down or Power it Up? When does Paper or Technology Work? - Lil Divette
  30. X is for… Xtra Inserts - Planning with Printed Portal
  31. Video: Overview of the Zeitgeber Planner - Paper Goodness
  32. Your May Free Planner Printables & Tech Wallpapers are Here! - Strange & Charmed
  33. Tags & Future Pags - a Simple Hack - Planner Fun
  34. How to use your stickers in a different way - Mrs Brimbles
  35. ONE SECRET TO ADVANCING YOUR LIFE: THE EINSENHOWER MATRIX (AND PLANNERS)  - The Fabulous Planner
  36. Y is for… Youtube - Planning with Printed Portal
  37. How to Use the Monthly Chart? - From Chaos to Order
  38. How To Create a Habit + Free Printable Tracker - Plannerholics 
  39. Review: @WilliamHannahUK Whiskey & Kingfisher Leather Notebook - Gourmet Pens
  40. TMN TIP: Some “Go” to Work, While Others Work - Time Management Ninja
  • 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. 
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 April 2016

Free for All Friday No. 389 by Nan

How do you store your Filofaxes, refills, archives, and accessories? Are you a plastic crate type or do you lovingly wrap your organizers in soft cloths for protection? Or are you, like me, reaching a crisis point where you're simply running out of space to put it all?

Of course, any other ring organizer conversation is also welcome. It is Free for All Friday, after all!

28 April 2016

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 10

Planner Hacks

Celebrating our 10 year err 10th episode we bring you Steve and Karine’s favourite planner hacks as known to us and relayed to you. What’s the best way to make the most of what you’ve got? How to maximise your planner with tricks and suggestions from the depths of the plannerverse. Planners at the ready! Get out your paper and start writing these tips down

If you have ideas for future episodes please send them to steve at philofaxy dot com

Show Notes (timings approximate)

01:35 - Today Marker for repeated tasks
02:25 - Franklin Covey Pouch Pagefinder
03:30 - Birthdays and Anniversary on Monthly pages
04:15 - Letter writing kit
04:35 - Stamped post cards and envelopes
05:20 - Phone lists, use the most recently called list on your phone
06:30 - Exporting contacts from Apple contacts using Export Address Book
07:00 - Clothing sizes
07:40 - Testing cleaning product on leather samples or on the hidden part of the planner
09:00 - Use a leather sample to see how it fairs in your bag
09:35 - Filofax registration - or put in half a £50 bill
11:20 - Has your organiser ever been returned by Filofax?
12:00 - Paper folding in to A5
13:15 - Sharpening your paper punch with aluminium foil
14:00 - Using a today marker as a guide for a single hole punch
14:40 - Using spare diary inserts as undated task lists
15:45 - Fitting other size pages in to other size planners - Mini in A5, A6
17:40 - Four ring Pockets
18:15 - Printing on to Post it notes Ray Blake, Kent from Oz
19:15 - Index for your planner
19:45 - Rationalise your pages when you swap from one organiser to another
20:30 - Archiving old pages
21:35 - Colour coding key
22:35 - Changing your rings
23:25 - Gift boxes for your organiser
24:30 - Dust bags,
25:20 - Travel pouch by Thomas S
26:20 - Travelling with your planner
26:45 - Packing a planner for posting
27:30 - Cleaning the interior of your planner
28:25 - Opening and Closing rings
28:45 - Using Washi tape to cover over the times on the days of your diary insert

Episode 10 - Planner Hacks  


A direct download is also available here: Episode10.mp3



Presenters - Steve Morton and Karine Tovmassian

Our Websites: Philofaxy  TN Times and The Streamlined Life  The Streamlined Life (FB Group)

Naturally we would love to hear your feedback on the podcast. If you use iTunes please gives us your rating or reviews of the podcast.

Previous Episodes:


Episode 9 - Planner Planning
Episode 8 - Choosing Inserts
Episode 7 - How do you carry your planner
Episode 6 - Planners on the go - Travelling with your planner
Episode 5 - Why would you pay more than double the price of a Filofax?
Episode 4 - Using Your Planner To Create Small and Permanent Habit Changes.
Episode 3 - A Multi Plannerverse: Getting on with two or more planners.
Episode 2 - Where to start your planning journey and why....
Episode 1 - What size and why....

27 April 2016

Guest Post - Review of the Myequil Equal 2 smart pen and how it can be used with a Personal Filofax. - Mark

I'm sure we all mix technology in our day to day planning with our paper organisers. Thank you to Mark for this review of the Myequil Smart Pen.

We live in interesting times, I am 53 years old, so can remember black and white TVs taking an age to warm up, then produce a grainy picture, which nose dived if it rained. Now I can get an instant crystal clear video, anywhere on a smart phone. I am probably the last generation to really appreciate this technological revolution. That is what I'm writing about, the best of the old tied to the best of the new. A smart pen that compliments a Filofax, with all its heritage.

Much loved Malden personal with equil charging unit.

Like a lot of people I own to many ways of jotting down notes, 2 personal Filofax organisers and a pocket, a mini.  I think very highly of the flex system, which seems out of favour these days, but is the only true ‘pocket note pad’. The problem with this collection is that I'm not organised enough to remember what I wrote where, although each has its own job. 

My first meeting with a smart pen, was at a meeting where someone had a ‘Livescribe’, this seems to be the market leader in the smart pen world. What impressed me was the hand written minutes were emailed to me before I got home from the meeting. I had a look at the livescribe, but it wasn't going to fit into my world, having to purchase special paper meant being economical with its use, a nice idea though. Then my interest was sparked by a company called Bamboo, that do a smart pen system that uses any A5 pad. So I started digging and found the equil 2.

The Equil 2 uses a similar technology to the Bamboo, but can be used with a Filofax and is used as my note taking partner with my personal Filofax. 

Receiver on the top of the page, pen left and charger unit to the right.

What it does is record up to a 100 sheets of paper onto a small control unit that clips onto the page you're writing on, then sends them via blue tooth to your electrical devices, smart phones tablets laptops, etc. The device is clearly aimed at Apple, but will work with anything bluetooth enabled that has the equal apps in its app store. There 2 apps, one for notes and one for sketching. I have only used the note taking app, which is more than powerful enough for me. You can cut, copy, change font colours and generally mess about with the text to your hearts content. 

It can even convert your handwriting into text, an impressive trick. You can also add media to your notes email them and save them as PDFs. So they don't just live in the app, you can print them or store the PDFs in computer files. The clever bit for me is you can organise the notes into ‘collections’. These appear in the app as notebooks. You can have as many as you like and call them what ever you like, they are effectively files. So whatever note pad or Filofax I use, the note ends up on my, phone and MacBook (I'm now hopelessly tied into the Apple eco system, mainly because of Windows 8). They all connect via my iCloud but any cloud system should work.

The result is I have taken all the dividers out of my Filofax, loaded them up with blank paper and organise my rambling thoughts in the app, which is pretty straight forward. You can also tag each note making it easier to find. 

Personal Malden A4 pad Receiver on top of the Pad and pen

The whole thing consists of a charging unit, which is 16cm long and powers both the pen and receiver. The receiver is about 8 CM long and clips onto the paper you're writing on, ideally it wants to be on A4 and in the house thats what I use, but it works fine on a Personal and I have got it to play on the Flex, but really it is not great on small paper. The equal would probably be best at home on an A4 Filofax, but I don't have one and can not justify another Filofax, I can't, I really can't.

The receiver and pen connect via infra red, so need line of sight. Once you have had a play with it it becomes second nature. The charger and receiver both have a quality feel to them, the pen maybe less so, but I'm assuming has to be plastic because of all the connectivity it has to do. Refills although small, are available from high street retailers for less than £1.00 Sterling a refill. Perhaps soon premium pen makers may join this market, much as Brietling and Tag Heuer have both made smart watches. In fact this would be an interesting direction for Filofax to move forward to. Build a receiver into a cover, make the cover the charger, so the (perhaps mock fountain pen) and receiver were charged from the cover. The app could be very Filofax based, easy to use and very organised.

Find out more at the Equil Website

26 April 2016

Web Finds - 26 April 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 Personal Domino Flip Through - Preteen Planner 
  2. Deep Purple: Filofax, Gillio, Van der Spek review - Melania Scalfaro
  3. Filofax Update-Finsbury in Raspberry Personal Size - Carmelita Lubrano
  4. How i organize my planner - Set up filofax pocket ita - Giada Giungi
  5. Filofax plan with me.. April showers and sew much crafting - Milko Plans
  6. Filofax Domino Personal Setup - Simplyloved
  7. Erin Condren Hourly & Horizontal Inside Filofax A5 - Nadia Blush
  8. Filofax Set Up deutsch - DIY Welt 
  9. #PlannerDaVez: Filofax Butterflies - Depois Cafe
  10. Planner Review: Filofax Malden in personal size - Randompastimes
  11. Filofax Setup // Personal Ochre Malden // April 2016 - Missfilofax
  12. Filofax Setup // Personal Ochre Malden // Dutch/Nederlands - Knushield van het leven
  13. Storage for Small Stickers in a Pocket Filofax - Graciouspaperplanner
  • 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 #15 - She's Eclectic 
  2. My week #210 - Paper Lovestory
  3. My Week #16 - Polkadotparadiso
  4. My Week #16 In Review (2016) - Joanny White
  5. Plan with me #week 17 - Karen's Obsessions
  6. MTN WEEKLY 2016 #7 - Letters in November 
Enjoy.


Free For All Tuesday No. 273

25 April 2016

Date For Your Planner - Sunday 1 May 2016

We are going to run another conference round-table voice/video/text chat using Skype.

When? - Sunday 1 May at the following times:
  • London 10:00 am, 
  • Paris 11:00 am, 
  • Brisbane 7:00 pm time.
Additionally we will be on line later in the day at the following times:
  • Los Angeles 8:00 am, 
  • Denver 9:00 am
  • Dallas 10:00 am, 
  • New York 11:00am, 
  • London 4:00 pm 
  • Paris 5:00 pm etc.  
See the World Clock to make sure you have the right time.

The timing of these two sessions have been chosen to hopefully allow as many people to join in compared to previous round-tables.

Do not worry if you aren't available at the start of one of our sessions each one lasts 2-3 hours so pop up when you are available and say hello.

Where? - an on-line chat using Skype. with voice and video (if you wish)

What do I need? - just a micro-phone and some head phones(in ear phones work fine) and a free Skype account. Using headphones or earphone reduces 'echo' on the call. Video is optional, but a few of us will be on video as well.

Who - All of you... connect up with Philofaxy and we will attempt to get as many of us linked in to the audio conference as possible. Come and listen if you don't want to chat.  What do we talk about? Filofax stuff... but anything else as well. It's like long lost friends meeting up for coffee and a catch up.. but don't worry if you have never joined in before... you are an old friend too!

If you have any questions you want to ask then please let us know in the group or before we start.

How -
  1. Connect to Philofaxy by firstly searching for Philofaxy in Skype, I will then add you as a contact.
  2. Then  'Send Contact Request',  I will then add you in to the chat room. 
  3. Then if you request it, I can add you to the audio conference as well. But if you just want to chat via keyboard that's fine. That way it's slightly less hectic for me!  
Come and join in the fun, even if you only pop in to say hello... but don't be afraid to join in the discussion.

As with previous round-tables there will also be a parallel text chat room going at the same time as the voice conference, so you can listen to the voice chat and type if you wish, just mute your microphone in Skype

If you need any assistance setting up Skype, please pop a comment in this post and I will try and help you get one line. Skype is free for computer to computer calls....

Here is my post on how to improve your Skype audio with headphones or a headset.

Hope to be chatting with you on Sunday 1 May 2016.

24 April 2016

Readers Favourite Organiser - Carla

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

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

No contest. My Franklin Covey Compact Boston.

2. How long have you owned it?

A little over 1 year.

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

Everything:
a. Pockets galore.
On the left hand side, there are 2 full height vertical pockets, a column of 5 card slots on a secretarial flap with the open end facing the outer edge (very handy, as when in my purse, it sits spine side down and unstrapped, so it's easy to slip things in.)
On the right hand side, a full height, full width vertical pocket and a slip pocket for a note pad. This actually has a bottom piece, so it can be used as a regular pocket.
b. The floppy strap is weighted down by a buckle so it's out of my way. Re: buckle - I've removed the prongs as they snagged on everything. They looked good though.
c. 2 huge, elasticized pen loops that are big enough to accommodate the rubber grips of a Frixion and my chubby highlighter.
d. Super stuff-able.
e. The open/close tabs. For my wonky, arthritis threatening hands, the pull apart action is easier to deal with than the push down thumb tabs of my beloved FFs.
f. Smell. Even after over a year of being in the open air, it still smells divine.
4. Do you use it all the time?

No. I switch out my binders according to my "stuff load" which tends to follow seasons. In January, it's the slim and svelte FF Original, Pilarbox Red. For Lent, the mis- named Electric Blue, it's VIOLET, Finsbury. Then the light and bright Raspberry Saffiano for the supposedly slower paced summer months. The Green Boston is my workhorse. It sees me through all the busy-ness of the holidays. By the time Christmas comes along, it is truly stuffed.

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

Functionality, No. But...should FC make these again, more colors would be nice. I'd blow my planner budget on these.

And here are some photographs of my favourite organiser




Thank you Carla

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

23 April 2016

Web Finds - 23 April 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. Web Finds - 16 April 2016
  2. Readers Favourite Organiser - Diana
  3. Long term planning
  4. Free For All Tuesday No. 272
  5. Web Finds - 19 April 2016
  6. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 9
  7. FAQ - Gillio Firenze
  8. Free For All Friday No 388 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. National Stationery Week 2016 - Desk of Adam
  2. N is for…Notes & Brainstorming - Planning with Printed Portal
  3. My version of a ringed bullet journal within a vintage Mulberry... - Olga Plans
  4. Planner Update!! - It's Bluetiger
  5. Filofax Personal Piazza - My Filofax Blog
  6. O is for… Opt-in - Planning with Printed Portal
  7. Planner kit for Van der Spek senior lovers / Kit planner per amanti di Van der Spek in versione senior. - My Last Eureka
  8. Technique and paper - hand in hand - From Chaos to Order
  9. Updated Planner Collection- April 2016 - Zoe Plans
  10. 3 Things I Use the Most in my Planner - Planner Fun
  11. 5 Tips for Capturing Your Brain’s Best Ideas - Time Management Ninja
  12. P is for… Password Tracker - Planning with Printed Portal
  13. Re-purposing old or out of date Calendar and Address Filofax pages  - My Filofax Blog
  14. Preparing my bag for the work week ahead. Using Whiskey for the... - Olga Plans
  15. The secret to Getting Things Done - Getting Things Done
  16. Q is for … Quora (and questions) - Planning with Printed Portal
  17. A5 Amazona - Roses in December
  18. Using badge holders for credit cards in a Filofax  - My Filofax Blog
  19. New Dashboard Set Up - Planner Fun
  20. R is for … Reaching out - Planning with Printed Portal
  21. Mini Planner Meet Up - Geek, Chic and Chaotically Organised
  22. Undyed Leather color change over time - Van der Spek Blog
  23. Filofax system - My Filofax Blog
  24. Agendio Planners – Customisation Nirvana - Carie Harling
  25. Plan with me #4 – How an Ugly Bug Blogs - Ugly Bug Does
  26. S is for… Statistics - Planning with Printed Portal
  27. My Blog Planner - Geek, Chic and Chaotically Organised
  28. Letting a planner plan itself - The Organizeaholic 
  29. 6 Ways to Use a Free Planner Printable - 12 Month Tracker - Giftie Etcetera
  30. D.I.Y. Card holders for a pocket Filofax - My Filofax Blog
  31. Updated Planner Collection- April 2016 - ZoePlans
  32. How I get More Done // 5 Tips for Productivity - Five Sixteenths Blog
  33. The New Day-Timer Malibu Color Is Here! - Day Timer 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 April 2016

Free For All Friday No 388 by Laurie

If you use monthly pages in your ring binder (in addition to your daily or weekly pages), do you prefer the monthly pages together in their own section, or embedded within the weeks/ days? I think the answer depends on what you started out with and what you are used to.

In my first ring binder, I used weekly pages with separate monthly pages. When I graduated to my first real Filofax, I started using Filofax inserts which print monthly and weekly pages back to back, which means the monthlies can't be spliced into the weeklies. This is fine with  me, because I use monthly pages to plan ahead, so it's more convenient for me to be able to easily flip month to month to see what's coming up.

Later I discovered Franklin Covey, which has its weekly and daily inserts designed to allow monthly pages to be embedded within the weekly or daily pages. This allows the month calendar to be at the start of the month, followed by that month's weekly or daily pages.

This doesn't work for me for a couple of reasons: 1) I don't like to flip through all those pages to see ahead to future months, and 2) I don't like the flow of my weekly pages disrupted by monthly pages. When I turn the week's page, I want to see the following week.

Recently I asked some FC-user friends why they like having the months embedded in the weeks. Most said that was just what they were used to, as long-term FC users. Josh summed it up well by saying the month allows for an easy overview of the upcoming month, and having the months embedded in the weeks presented all the pages in chronological order which works for his brain. This makes sense to me, even if I don't use them that way.

In the US, many bound-book planners have monthly pages embedded within the weeks, so apparently there are a lot of people who feel the same way Josh does.

Do you like your monthly pages embedded within the weeks/ days? Or do you prefer the month pages to be separate in their own section?

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

21 April 2016

FAQ - Gillio Firenze

I often get asked questions on a regular basis about different brands of organisers, so I am going to bring them together in to an easy to understand and a format that we can keep up to date easily. Today's post we look at Gillio Firenze.

As a way of introduction, Gillio was 'introduced' to us by Mella who discovered their products in a store in Antwerp when she was looking for a Filofax Deco. She blames me for this, but she then became a big fan of Gillio organisers and now works for them!!

Company History
Gillio Firenze is a small family business that sells high-end, top quality, handmade leather goods made out of the finest Italian leathers. The company started with a small stationery shop in Brussels in 1952 and they have since expanded their brand and collections significantly. Their products are sold worldwide (to almost 50 countries) through dealershops, They also have two stores in Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp) and through their own on-line webshop.

Company Details. 

Company: Gillio Firenze

Location:  

Gillio - IIC bvba
Rollebaan 47a
1640 Sint-Genesius-Rode
+32 (0)2 380 63 19

Email: info@gillio.be
Website: http://www.gillio.be

Facebook page: Gillio Firenze
Facebook groupGillio Firenze

Product details. 

The Gillio Firenze products stand out in quality, craftsmanship and overall look and feel. Once you have owned a Gillio product and have experienced their leather quality, it’s hard to ever go back to cheaper commercial leathers. Their well-known epoca leathers are still coloured according to the ancient Italian traditions. Not a quick colour dye, but traditional vegetable tanning. This transformation from raw hides into beautifully dyed leather is a slow and astonishing process in wooden drums, based on the use of natural tannins, on modern technologies and machineries but mainly, on the slow passage of time.

This process is the most environmental-friendly, and it allows them to keep the uniqueness and versatility in the product. The natural variations (creases, imperfections, scars, variations in the colour or the grain) in the leathers are inherent to the Gillio products: you will never find two identical products in the Gillio collection: instead of offering perfectly (artificially) smoothened, thirteen-in-a-dozen products, Gillio firmly believes in creating unique pieces of craftsmanship that will grow even more beautiful with age - true heirlooms!

Leathers. 
High quality vegetable tanning is disappearing in Europe, with an exception of Italy, where all of their leathers are produced. Gillio leathers are labeled with the 'Certificato de Garanzia - pelle conciata al vegetale in Toscana' label: guaranteed vegetable tanned Tuscan leathers. Gillio earned this label after meeting the most stringent requirements for authenticity of leather processing, imposed by the strict specifications of the Consortium, an independent organization that carries out regular (unannounced) spot checks on quality and production.

For more details about the leathers that Gillio uses in their products please visit this page on their own Website.

Rings.
The rings on Gillio Planners are removable just follow the instructions in my video.

Warranty
Gillio offer a life time warranty on all of their products even if you didn't buy it direct from them. This gives you peace of mind when buying any Gillio product. Full details can be found on the Gillio website here. 

What is the difference between the Gillio and the Gigliodoro products?

Gigliodoro is the former name of Gillio Firenze. They have re-branded in 2008, so any products labeled 'Gigliodoro' are mostly from before then.

Organiser Models and Sizes:

Gillio make three models of organiser, the Amica, the Compagna and the Mia Cara

A4 - This is available only in the Amica model, and it uses a universal 4 ring mechanism the same as Filofax A4.

A5 - This size is available in all three models. They are all fitted with 25 mm rings which are the standard ring spacing the same as Filofax A5

Medium - This size is available in all three models. They are all fitted with 25 mm rings which are the standard ring spacing the same as Filofax Personal size

Medium - Slim This size is available in only the Compagna model.  They are all fitted with 14mm rings which are the standard ring spacing, the same as Filofax Personal/Slimline

A6 - This size is available in only the Compagna model.  They are all fitted with 23 mm rings which are the standard ring spacing the same as Mulberry Agenda and Van der Spek Senior size.

Pocket - This size is available in all three models. They are all fitted with 16 mm rings which are the standard ring spacing the same as Filofax Pocket size.

Mini - This size is available in just the Amica and Compagna models. They are all fitted with 12 mm rings and the ring spacing is the same as Filofax Mini.

Other products:
In addition to ring bound organisers Gillio also have their Giramondo Travellers Notebook covers and they also recently added the Appunto A5 and A6 bound planner covers too.

There is also a huge range of other leather goods such as bags and wallets, desk sets, pen cases etc etc. See the website for full details.

Purchasing Gillio Products on-line Gillio has a very comprehensive website, which I think will answer most of your questions about purchasing from them, instead of repeating their Q&A's please follow this link to their website.

Gillio Blog - The website has a news section which regularly features stock up dates and offers.

Previous Gillio posts and reviews on Philofaxy can be found here. 

We will up date this post with new information and answer any questions in more detail. Please leave any questions in the comments. 

20 April 2016

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 9

Planner Planning

Planning purists, take note! In this episode Steve and Karine discuss the ultimate goal of planning and why the need for multiple inserts. Often planner users get lost in the vast insert shuffle (literally); it’s happened to all of us.

We will examine what needs to be contained a functional planner, after all what use is information if you can’t access it? We hope to demystify the basic use of inserts and whether decorating adds value or takes away from planning. We also take a look at the primary use of planners: goal setting and tracking!

If you have ideas for future episodes please send them to steve at philofaxy dot com

Show Notes (timings approximate)

02:00 - Inserts
02:15 - Goals
03:00 - Long term planning and goals
06:30 - Travel website - Kayak
09:00 - Philofaxy Enhanced Time Manager Insert
12:00 - Time for Planner Planning
15:30 - Planning goals
17:00 - Prioritising tasks
19:30 - The Perfect Day
20:30 - Planner Decoration - What Steve does.....
23:00 - Using Stickers
25:30 - Colour coding
26:15 - Today markers
28:30 - Tips of the week - My Week - Paper Lovestory
30:00 - Planner Decoration Videos

Episode 9 - Planner Planning


A direct download is also available here: Episode9.mp3



Presenters - Steve Morton and Karine Tovmassian

Our Websites: Philofaxy  TN Times and The Streamlined Life  The Streamlined Life (FB Group)

Naturally we would love to hear your feedback on the podcast. If you use iTunes please gives us your rating or reviews of the podcast.

Previous Episodes:


Episode 8 - Choosing Inserts
Episode 7 - How do you carry your planner
Episode 6 - Planners on the go - Travelling with your planner
Episode 5 - Why would you pay more than double the price of a Filofax?
Episode 4 - Using Your Planner To Create Small and Permanent Habit Changes.
Episode 3 - A Multi Plannerverse: Getting on with two or more planners.
Episode 2 - Where to start your planning journey and why....
Episode 1 - What size and why....

19 April 2016

Web Finds - 19 April 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. Unboxing filofax cuban personal size in black - Hanlu Zhang
  2. Filofax Update - Finsbury in Raspberry Personal Size - Carmelita Lubrano
  3. Filofax Update #2 - Renas Life
  4. PLAN WITH ME - Filofax Personal Cover Story - Mrs. Tegeman
  5. Mein FILOFAX Metropol Personal Setup - UKraina86 
  6. Quick Tip DIY Tutorial FILOFAX - Washi Tape Stickerseiten / Sticker sheets - Diamondis Creativ 
  7. [Hungarian] Filofax Zsófinak - PIF játék keretében - From Chaos to Order
  8. Le mie ultime Agende: Filofax e Dokibook - Paola Style
  9. FILOFAX Denim Dots Personal Setup / Filofax 2016  - Diamondis Creative 
  10. Filofax Domino Black [unboxing] - MelisLife
  11. How I explain Planner Love Gillio Compagna pocket Van Der Spek Touch Me Jr. - April Alderson
  12. Gillio Campagna Setup - Sarahloves2plan
  13. Gillio Personal Planner Setup - Vienna Ortiz
  14. Van Der Spek Jr. &Gillio Pocket layout comparison. - April Alderson
  • 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 #3 Yellow Kikki K - Ugly bug does
  2. Plan with Amie – Week 15&16 (2016) - Plan with Amie
  3. MTN WEEKLY 2016 #6 - Letters in November
  4. My week #209 - Paper Lovestory
  5. MTN WEEKLY 2016 #8 - Letters in November
  6. My Week #15 In Review (2016) - Joanny White
  7. Filofax Planner Pages April 2016 - Ink'd paper by mae
  8. My Week #15 - Polkadotparadiso
Enjoy.


Free For All Tuesday No. 272

18 April 2016

Long term planning

As part of our discussion on the next podcast we discussed planning in to the future.

How far ahead do you plan in your organiser? And what do you use?

Let us know in the comments.

17 April 2016

Readers Favourite Organiser - Diana

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

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

I have different model of organizer in my book shelf but at the moment I am really in love with my Piquadro organizer.

2. How long have you owned it?

I had this organizer from my parent as Christmas gift. I get the working bag from the same collection as a gift as well when I start my research career with a research fellow at Padua University. Since was really difficult find a binder system that matches with this bag my parent had thought to bought for me a medium binder from the same collection. We order the binder on-line from Piquadro website.
As you see from the pictures the organizer still new. This kind of products, as my working bag, require a lot of use before to start looking loved.

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

From this binder I like 2 features most: the front pocket that is really handy and my name embossed in the intern left side. We could choose position, the typo and the words.

4. Do you use it all the time?

I change my organizer "skin" on the basis of my mood and my bag preference. I definitively in love with my Malden as well and I regret to sold my compact Malden last year. I usually prefer clean and keep my lists really well organized to don't overload the weight on my working bag. I review my lists really often, removing what is not important, planning what has be plan and archiving important information that I need to keep as reference.

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

They should reduce the size of the organizer itself in my opinion. The binder is half inch bigger than the others binders that I have and this is something that I do not like. Some people like the extra-room that mean that is possible use FraklinCovey inserts or have the pen well protected by the cover without any interference with the lateral tabs.

And here are some photographs of my favourite organiser





Thank you Diana

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

16 April 2016

Web Finds - 16 April 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. Web Finds - 9 April 2016
  2. Readers Favourite Organiser - Cori
  3. Guest Post - Using an Organiser to Plan Your Travels - Alison
  4. Free For All Tuesday No. 271
  5. Web Finds - 12 April 2016
  6. FAQ: Van der Spek
  7. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 8
  8. Free For All Friday No. 387 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. Filofax Spotted in the Wild - This Bug's Life
  2. H is for… Holidays & Important Dates - Planning with Printed Portal
  3. HEXAdex by Mylasteureka - My Last Eureka
  4. 5 Things Your Planner Can't Do - Planner Fun
  5. I is for… Income Tracker - Planning with Printed Portal
  6. Whats’s In My Bag-Planner Eddition - Zoeplans
  7. Time Management Techniques - The Stationery Geekette
  8. Five reasons to use grid paper in your Filofax - The Fabulous Planner
  9. J is for… Journal - Planning with Printed Portal
  10. How a small change helps to stay organised - House of Lotte
  11. How I Got Out of My Planner Rut - Live Love Planners
  12. Filofax Pocket Maldens! Love them! Using them as wallets and... - Olga Plans
  13. K is for… Keywords Planner - Planning with Printed Portal
  14. Come organizzare un bullet journal nella filofax_parte 2 - Lucy Wonderland
  15. ¿Qué hace una “planner girl”? Presentación - The Fabulous Planner
  16. 13 Genius Items to Include in Your Planner - Giftie Etcetera
  17. Three Reasons Why Writing Matters - Typecast
  18. L is for… Lists - Planning with Printed Portal
  19. Websters Pages Caramel Planner Review - Zoeplans 
  20. Day planner Filofax review - The Fabulous Planner
  21. LilDivette featured on Philofaxy.com! - Lil Divette
  22. Dodo Pad – the future: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - Dodevoted 
  23. M is for… Monthly Planner  - Planning with Printed Portal
  24. Coaban bags and pouches for traveler’s notebooks, organisers, planners, and supplies - This Bug's Life
  25. Planner Friday - April - She's Eclectic
  26. Unconventional planning - Looking through a frosty window
  27. Friday Favourites #1 - Ugly bug does...
  28. Printable Meds Admin Tracker ~freebie - Angie Hales Creates 
  • 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 April 2016

Free For All Friday No. 387 by Anita

Since getting my first Filofax back in 2009, I've always copied down quotes or sayings that I like or find inspiring. At one time, I found that I had written so many that I realised that I wouldn't actually get round to looking at them again. Nowadays, I focus on a smaller number and have them in place where I will see them each time I open my binder:
  • 'Want to know the secret to getting sh*t done? Get your sh*t done. No excuses. Not tomorrow. Today. And everyday' - Leonie Dawson
  • 'Just get started' - Timothy Pychyl
  • 'One does not need the size of a dragon to have the soul of a dragon' - Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
  • 1) Clarify successful outcome 2) What's the very next action? 3) Put reminders in a system you trust - Getting Things Done
  • 'Find what feels good' - Yoga with Adriene
  • 'Don't hassle yourself' - Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei
  • 'Does this possession either add value/serve a purpose or does it bring me joy?' - the Minimalists
  • If in doubt, get outside!
  • Zero spend on planners/binders until 12th March 2017 - a reminder for myself
  • 'Should Would Could DID!'- not sure where I first saw this
  • 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird' - Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. 
What favourite quotes do you keep in your binders?

And as always as it's a Friday, please feel free to discuss anything organiser related. Have a great weekend. 

14 April 2016

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 8

Choosing inserts

Planners are great things ONCE you figure out which inserts work best for you and how to make those inserts work for you. In this episode, the gruesome twosome tackle the gruelling subject of selecting proper inserts, discussing various types, sizes, layouts, paper quality and thickness.

We also discuss whether printing your own inserts is the way to go, particularly when comparing the price of paper and printer ink versus having custom inserts printed and what type of printers are the best for handling insert projects.

If you have ideas for future episodes please send them to steve at philofaxy dot com

Show Notes (timings approximate)

01:00 - The simple solution... Philofaxy Inserts
02:00 - Preprinted or Print Your Own
04:45 - The inserts Steve uses
06:45 - Check your printer specification
08:00 - Choosing a printer
10:30 - Filofax inserts as currently used by Karine
11:30 - Using an Office Services shop to get inserts printed
13:00 - Using pre-printed inserts
14:00 - Buy a sample insert part way through the year
16:00 - Preparing for the new year
17:30 - Changes to your inserts
18:20 - DaVinci Paper
20:00 - Choosing the right insert for you, it might take a few different ones
22:00 - Go back to Episode 1 to help you decide what size
29:30 - Tips of the week

Episode 8 - Choosing inserts


A direct download is also available here: Episode8.mp3



Presenters - Steve Morton and Karine Tovmassian

Our Websites: Philofaxy  TN Times and The Streamlined Life  The Streamlined Life (FB Group)

Naturally we would love to hear your feedback on the podcast. If you use iTunes please gives us your rating or reviews of the podcast.

Previous Episodes:


Episode 7 - How do you carry your planner
Episode 6 - Planners on the go - Travelling with your planner
Episode 5 - Why would you pay more than double the price of a Filofax?
Episode 4 - Using Your Planner To Create Small and Permanent Habit Changes.
Episode 3 - A Multi Plannerverse: Getting on with two or more planners.
Episode 2 - Where to start your planning journey and why....
Episode 1 - What size and why....

13 April 2016

FAQ: Van der Spek

I often get asked questions on a regular basis about different brands of organisers, so I am going to bring them together in to an easy to understand and a format that we can keep up to date easily. Today's post we look at Van der Spek.

Company History
Van der Spek have been making leather goods for more than 90 years with the 3rd and 4th generations of the family continuing the traditions of high quality and craftsmanship produced items. In addition to the family, the small team is made up of craftsmen and women with many years of experience. Their market was predominately in the Netherlands, but it is now a truly world wide company with customers in every continent of the world.

Company Details. 

Company: Van der Spek Lederwaren

Location:  Van der Spek LederwarenLaning 2
3297 TB Puttershoek
Tel: +31 78 676 4777

Email: website@vdslederwaren.nl
Website: http://www.vdsshop.com

Facebook page: Van der Spek Lederwaren
Facebook groupVan der Spek Organiser Fans

Product details. 

Leather is sourced from within Europe and all Custom organisers, Nomad TN covers and Codex Notebook covers are made in house at Puttershoek by the Van der Spek team.

Custom models typically take 3-4 weeks to be made and delivered as they are made to order, therefore each one is unique to the customers requirements within certain design parameters.

Custom models can have various options added to the basic designs such as back pockets, additional pen loops, etc.

With custom models you select the interior and exterior leather/colour as well as the colour of the interior and exterior stitching. There is a very wide range of leathers in different finishes and colours available. The range of leather is constantly being expanded to meet the needs and desires of the customers.

You can decide if you want stiffener between the exterior and interior leather included. You can also opt to not include the foam between the layers, just request this in the special requirement message on your order.

Further customisations are available, please contact Petra Van der Spek at the email address shown above.

The Touch Me range are mass produced for Van der Spek by a company overseas, but to a high standard. These are available off the shelf.

Rings:
Van der Spek use Krause rings in all of their organisers, these are also available for separate purchase should you want to upgrade other brands of organiser, but check the photo on the website to ensure they are compatible with the ones you are replacing.

·      What is the maximum paper thickness can you use in the rings?:
  • Mini 15mm rings – max 11mm
  • Junior 16mm rings – max 12mm
  • Junior 20mm rings – max 14mm
  • Senior 20mm rings – max 14mm
  • Senior 25mm rings – max 19mm
  • Standard 25mm rings – max 19mm
  • Standard 30mm rings – max 24mm
  • Manager A5 25mm rings – max 19mm
  • Manager A5 35mm rings – max 29mm
Leathers:

Italian leather
18… leathers. These leathers are finished and are easy to keep clean. These leathers are hand dyed, which gives the leather different colour shades. The leather is made from the neck and front legs of the cow (also named as avancorpi) which gives the hide a beautiful natural grain.

NAPPA leathers:
The 62… leathers + Barbie + velato are naked leathers. There is no finish on the leather. They have a two tone effect on the hide. It is more natural looking, but please note that they are more sensitive to water and dirt.

The other nappa leathers with the names (except Barbie and velato) do have the finish and the skins are always in one plain colour. The finish means it is easier to clean and also more durable.

Janet leather:
These leathers cost 10% more than all the other colours.

The original Janet leather is the brown one #104. This leather is sensitive for water and dirt since it also does not have any finish, just an open structure.

So you have to love leather that will change and get a patina look as well.

And we also have 4 other colours in look-a-like Janet leather. These leather can handle water and are more durable.

Print leathers like croco, ostrich and LV. These are cow leathers with a print. They’re all very durable and easy to clean.

Undyed leather:
Very sensitive for all you can think of ;), water, dirt, even sunlight! This leather will change really fast! So you have to love it!

Inside leathers like: 05-08-09 ….. These leather are thinner and have wrinkles in the leather, that is the reason we only use them for the inside. It is a finished leather, so it is also easy to keep clean.

All the leathers we use are full grain leather, top quality! They do not treat their leathers.

Leather skins do come from cattle that live in the open air and under various conditions. So the leather is subject to all kinds of natural defects, neck pleats, traces of veins etc. these cannot be avoided in the tanning process. Of course they try to avoid these natural marks in the selection process so they get the best result for your finished product. But it is still a natural product which gives it charm.

Organiser Sizes:

A5 Manager - Available in Custom and 'Touch Me' designs with either 35 mm or 25 mm rings, the same ring spacing as Filofax A5

Standard - The same size and ring spacing as Filofax Personal, they come with either 30 mm or 25 mm or 13 mm rings. Also available in the Touch Me range with 30 mm rings 25 mm size optional.

Senior - These come in two sizes. Widened for A6 and Un-widened. Ring spacing common to Mulberry Agenda and it is different spacing to Standard, therefore Standard (Personal) pages will not fit a Senior.

Senior Un-widened are for use with Sucess type inserts which are narrower than A6 inserts. This size in custom is available in 13 mm or 20 mm or 25 mm rings. Old style Touch Me models were also Un-widened but were only available in Black and Dark Brown with 20mm rings. Un-widened will accept A6 inserts, but you will need to use top tabs on the dividers.

Senior Widened models in Custom will work with A6 inserts with side tabs they are available with 13 mm or 20 mm or 25 mm rings. All new Touch Me models are widened by default in all colours, and are also available in 20 or 25 mm size and will take A6 inserts.

Here are the two Senior sizes compared when open. The widened model measures approximately 315 mm edge to edge. The un-widened model below it approximately 280 mm edge to edge.



Junior - Page size is the same as Filofax Pocket size and the same ring spacing as Filofax Pocket. In Custom these come in two ring sizes 20mm and 16mm. Touch Me model comes with 16 mm size rings.

Mini - Page size similar to Filofax Mini but the ring spacing is different to Filofax Mini, therefore Filofax Mini pages will not fit the Mini Van der Spek. Only available in Custom with 15 mm rings.

The ring spacing is 19<->25.4<->25.4<->19mm spacing.

VdS Mini will fit on to A5, and Personal (Standard) So in fact it is quite a useful size as a 'satellite' planner that you can tuck in your pocket and may be leave your Standard in your bag.

Nomad Travellers Notebook Cover. 
The Nomad TN cover came about as a result of a joint team effort between the people at Van der Spek and Janet Carr and Steve Morton during their get together at Puttershoek in October 2014. The design was further refined and revealed to the public in April 2015.

The Nomad comes in the standard TN cover size for booklets that are 210 mm by 110 mm in size. The Nomad Junior is now available for booklets that are 140 mm by 90 mm in size.

The Nomad is available as a basic cover with various options that can be added including internal pockets and pen loops all available for on-line ordering. But like all things Van der Spek they can be customised to the buyers requirements, naturally this will cost a little more but the results are outstanding. Find out more about the Nomad TN cover on the Van der Spek website.

The Codex Notebook Cover
This product was originally designed for bound notebooks/planners such as the Hobonichi planner. It is available in both A5 and A6 sizes. The Codex Standard is for the Hobonichi Weekes planner.

This product can also be fully customised.

Some examples have also been made as Nomads in A5 and A6 sizes. Find out more about the Codex Cover on the Van der Spek website.

Other products:

As well as organisers and other planner covers, Van der Spek also make leather pen cases and leather writing cases,  these can also be customised in a similar way to the leather organisers. See the website for full details.

News: Keep up to date with news and new releases on the Van der Spek Blog.

We will up date this post with new information and answer any questions in more detail. Please leave any questions in the comments.