I bought an 18 month Moleskine Pocket planner in the spring this year because I was tempted to try a bound planner.
It is very pretty and it has a whole page to jot whatever down, next to the week on a page format.
My problem is that I am so fixated on my Filofax I can't bring myself to stop using it, even for a couple of weeks, to try out the Moleskine. On the other hand, I am pained not to use it, to have it pristine in my notebooks box.
I also think that updating BOTH planners would simply be overkill, and would fail on the second day of doing so.
Currently I do not lead a lifestyle that would require me to carry two planners for different reasons (i.e. one for personal, the other for work). I also thought of the idea of using it as a financial planner, but I really don't need one of those.
What to do, what to do???
11 comments:
I think you have answered your own question my dear : )
"I am so fixated on my Filofax I can't bring myself to stop using it, even for a couple of weeks"
As much as I love a good Mole, I vote stick with your tried and true Filo.
And teach me how to use a Pocket size while you're at it...because I really do want to be able to switch!!!!!!
I would fear missing something if I tried to swap from one format to another like that.
At the moment I 'plan' my appointments and events in two Filofax organisers A5 at my desk with a lot of other information on the page, and just the essential information in my Pocket which I carry around.
Try running both for a week or two and see how you get on.
I'm also keeping my Google Calendar up to date so that Alison knows what I'm up to as well! And reminders sound on my phone as well.
Complicated yes, but it's what you get used to I suppose.
Filofax for future, moleskine for past. Looks like the diary in the filo is mostly for planning, to-do's etc. Use the M for jotting down the highlight of the day, good memories, weather, notes on people seen/heard from, ideas -- whatever will bring a smile when you look back through later on. "Sorry, but it doesn't seem like the entries in your filo are likely to do that!
Ah - just ran across your post where you detailed how you use your pocket and see you already have a section for journaling. No matter -- since your journal format (dpp) sounds the same as the Moleskine and memories are better in bound form, I still think moving it to the Moleskine is a good idea! You could curl up with M last thing each night and write down those highlights of the day -- falling asleep with a smile on your face :-) Gee, I think I should go out and get a Moleskine myself...
Since Oni has an 18 months diary with 1 week per page and a note page, I doubt that she would be able to use it for journalling.
I feel your pain, Oni! I love the Moleskine paper, but I also love the versatility of a Filfax. In my ideal world there would be 1DPP inserts for Filofaxes ON MOLESKINE PAPER!!!
Yvotchka: you might be right, I will see how long I can stand looking at the Mole still wearing its green paper sleeve. Maybe I will find a use for it by next year. Regarding the use of the Pocket, I can give you two tips for now: smaller handwriting, and loads of post its or jotpaper in order to add that extra info. ;) hope it helps!
Steve: you must really have a busy schedule! I don't know if running both systems simultaneously would work. I already tried it with my QV business planner and it went ok when I used them for planning different things. But when that was over, I really couldn't keep up, even though I really loved writing on the QV paper. One thing that still makes me twitch are those empty pages on my Filofax from that time, when I would forget to update it and then wouldn't remember the events to update it! I guess I'm OCD in that way. I don't like having empty pages! :)
Petra: thank you for your suggestions, but like Jotje said, I don't think I would have enough space. Besides, I already keep a more personal journal where I write at least once a week. It's a Paperblanks with the best paper I have ever come across. Once I finished the first, I simply had to get another PB. they're just so...perfect! I will try to post a review on them soon.
Jotje: thanks! It is really frustrating having a good planner at your disposal and not be able to use it due to being so anal about how you use your planners, LOL!!! The only Moleskine paper I have tried is the plain reporter Notebook. It's ok, but it isn't that great with Fountain pen ink. I actually have two of them. One for my 21kittens projects, the other for work ideas, web related stuff, etc. I remember I didn't like them much at first, but have slowly come to appreciate them... :)
I used Moleskines for about 4 years and switched now to Filofax (finally I could afford one :D). Moleskine is great but for me, Filofax works so much better. And I really think, that you gave the answer to your question on your own: You are so fixated on your Filo! I would think this means, that this might be the right one for you ;)
Hope you can solve your dilemma!
Hi Oni! I feel your pain! As you know, I've gone back and forth between a bound planner vs Filofax for years now. In particular I used an 18 month Moleskine weekly notebook off and on for most of a year before I finally abandoned it. I found the tiny spaces for Saturday and Sunday infuriating.
I agree with everyone who has recommended you stay with your Filofax. You love it, and it works for you. Honestly I think the black cover and cream pages of the Mole would seem extremely bland after your colorful and personable Filo (another reason I abandoned the Mole).
I also agree with folks who have recommended you use the Mole for a different purpose. Recording diet and exercise maybe? Blogging planner? Maybe you could use it for work? (Something similar to what Diane B did with her work log: http://quovadisblog.com/2009/12/08/guest-post-what-did-you-do-last-month/
I wrote the following post specifically about day-per-page planners, but you could easily adapt any of these purposes for your Mole. Here's some ideas:
http://www.plannerisms.com/2010/01/when-is-planner-not-planner.html
The key is to find a purpose for it where it can stay at home, so you aren't carrying around two books. For example, if you use it to keep track of finances, you could jot your expenditures in your Filo, then transfer the totals for each category into your Mole on the weekly pages.
The Moleskine sounds ideal for use as a diary (in the American sense, meaning your private thoughts/experiences/dreams/fears/gripes, etc.). I prefer to keep my personal thoughts separate from the "appointments and other things I gotta do today" kind of items. I use my Personal Filo as a calendar/planner/reference book (always with me), and my Reporter Moleskine as a diary (at home where I use it to reflect at the end of each day). I like the larger Moleskine pages for journaling/sketching, but it wouldn't hold everything I like to have with me on a daily basis.
I'm a little late to the game here, but I agree that you should stick with your Filo for appointments and lists and the like. You so obviously love it and it works for you.
Like Mary Ann, I have a separate book for my "American" journal to write my thoughts and feelings. However, I also write certain events in my Filo. I think the comparison was made on Philofaxy or Plannerisms (I forget now where exactly, but it was a while ago) that some people have a place for "Tweets" (quick ideas) and another place for "Status updates" (more specific ideas and information). That's how I define where I put what - "Tweets" go in my Filo on the day it happens (a quick note about something - if I ordered something, if I paid something, if something fun happened, etc). "Status updates" go in my journal (details on something that happened or how I feel, etc).
Hope this helps - can't wait to hear what you ended up using the Mole for.
thanks for all your ideas, I will let you know once I find a use for it!
In the meantime it will have to sit next to my other notebooks, all brand new...
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