Wednesday 19 January 2011

The Downsizing Experiment Continues - otherwise known as how do I cram my life into a Pocket Deco?

So I am coming to the end of week 1 using my beautiful Pocket Deco in Ivory as my main Filofax. You know the one that we have surgically attached to us, have panic attacks about should it be out of sight for more than 15 minutes and that should we ever suffer the misfortune to loose it our lives would be over (or at least a mystery as we wouldn't where or what we were doing).


So the story so far, I have been a committed Personal size Filofax fan for many, many years to organise my personal life (my work Filofax is A5 - nothing smaller could cope with my list making/project writing/note taking OCD) and until recently this was working out really well - I was happily in love with my Chameleon in Raspberry and she came in my handbag everywhere with me. And here was my problem, I carry about so much stuff in said handbag that it was starting to need it's own heavy load sticker. And then Filofax emailed their Sale newsletter just before Christmas - and there it was. The Ivory Deco half price. And an idea formed - maybe by treating myself to the most gorgeous Pocket Filofax I could start to downsize. After all how much did I actually need to carry around with me 24/7? And so with the threat of discontinuation nudging me almost as much as the enablers commenting on my blog about the indecision see here I bought the Deco. In Pocket size. And thus started the Downsizing of Loulou.

So how have I set up the Deco? (I LOVE reading about how other Filofaxers set up their planners so here is hoping my description lives up to the posts by Caribbean Princess and Plannerisms - very unlikely it will so I recommend that you should check their blogs out for inspirational planner set ups).

So a couple of shots to show how gorgeous she is...as always the photos are taken with my iPhone, in the kitchen so the quality isn't brill but you can get the idea......


How gorgeous is that clasp!!
And here is the clasp open...

And here she is open - I have some pretty business cards for jewellery sites in the card holders (left) and then a photo of my favourite building in the world - The Chrysler Building in New York so it makes me smile every time I open my filo up :)


Close up of the gorgeous suede interior with the business cards/stamps etc. Note the zipped pocket - I keep my secrets in here (well I would if had any!!)


So if we flip over the clear pocket containing New York you can see I keep vouchers behind the Chrysler - currently a discount voucher for Oasis. Then on the right is a business card holder insert - currently showing the business card of the lovely Mr P's band Hybrid.


Then we have the ESSENTIAL post it notes, so cute!!


And so to the diary layout...in my Personal and in my work A5 I favour the week on one page with notes format where I can record all meetings/events in the diary page on the left hand and then have notes/to do's/things to remember on the notes page on the right. However with a Pocket the size I think would be just too small to have this format so I am trialling using the standard week on two pages. And so far it is working out ok....


The cream diary that was supplied includes a little notes section at the top of the left hand page - so essential to do's can go in there. I then use coloured pens to distinguish between what the notes/appointments are. For example all social events like Hybrid gigs are in purple (or a reminder that the new Mary Portas show starts tonight - love her!) PM in blue refers to a work meeting taking place on Wednesday and Thursday. And things to do with appointments are in pink. I favour the Pilot Frixion pens as they are lovely to write with, come in fab colours and are erasable - so when plans change you can rub the pen notes out. AMAZIN!!


Close up of the diary in action (cue dramatic music) dum dum dum


I am currently using the standard sections of Diary, Notes, Information, Financial and Addresses...

Under Notes I have 2 clear dividers I love these as they help to mark out my sections nice and neatly. I have in there Randoms - notes just taken while on the move, Lists - of movies, books, blogs, to do's etc and then Fashion - lists of things I'd love to buy, outfit combinations that work etc.

Next is Information which currently contains all the important information on a special project - timings, contact details etc etc. Plus my London Underground map .

Then we have Financial where I am aiming, in conjunction with the Spend Free app on my iPhone, to track all my expenditure each month with a view to working out how I can save more.

Then we have the Addresses tab - where surprisingly I have people's addresses (shocking!!)

We then reach the back of the Pocket Deco:


Here you can see my stickers (love them for brightening up the diary pages) and the suede popper pocket which currently looks after my Oyster card for when I visit London town.

So that is my set up and so far it seems to be working well. I have to admit I am missing my personal size filo purely for the amount I could get in it and store within it BUT I am loving the portability of the Pocket size and the gorgeousness of the binder more than makes up for the lack of size that I am used to.

Let's see how we get on next week though.........how do you organise yourself, please do share

Lx

13 comments:

  1. Loulou I am absolutely loving your Filofax. She is stunning! Oh I want a ruby deco so bad it hurts, maybe I buy one for myself for my birthday? Hehe. I really hope the pocket works out for you. It is reassuring that you have used it for a week and she is coping! I shall be getting some frixions and trying them out as well when I do decide what planner to use for my phd.
    Beautiful! Bet your work colleagues want one now :-)

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  3. Love the photos!! Isn't the Deco, well, decadent??? I adore mine. :)

    I can't believe they've discontinued this color!! It is so classy looking.

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  4. Oooh, found you! WOW...this Deco is gorgeous. You guys have to stop talking about how they are discontinuing it....

    How cool is that back pocket??!

    ***swooning***

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  5. It is absolutely lovely and the back pocket is fab :) Laurie you are so right it feels very decadent every time I open her up to write some more notes inside. And Yvotchka I am loving your post about the new pocket finsbury aqua such a gorgeous colour.

    CP I am doing my best to inspire and Filofax up all my work colleagues especially now they all have iPads to distract them!!

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  6. So cute! I wish I had it in me to downsize to a Pocket. It is darling!!

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  7. I think the Pocket is super-cute (and yours is gorgeous!), but I don't use the calendar pages in it because I have to keep my work calendar shared in Outlook. I use the calendar pages in my Personal Filo to write important daily to-do's. This way, I don't really have to sync anything appointment-wise and I can make changes on the fly.

    Your set-up is fantastic! I love the personal bits!

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  8. An I right in thinking you were looking for pictures of the City planner pages in pocket? I'm in the early stages of downsizing from my Personal Piazza that I loved to a Pocket Finsbury to now I've just ordered a Pocket Ruby Deco (excited!). I bought the City inserts a couple of weeks ago and I really like them...

    I'm really happy to see someone else is doing the same thing in terms of downsizing. My bag was unmanageable. I've also streamlined my purse in am effort to save my shoulder!

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  9. Hi Soraya

    Yep I was wanting to see how big the diary sections in the Pocket City Dweller pack were to see if that could be a good diary option for my Deco (and oooh the Ruby you will have to post pictures!!) I keep ping ponging between Pocket and Personal but I'm (almost) certain I could make the Pocket work with the right diary/system within it :)

    And it is amazing how many "essentials" I carry around with me everyday in my handbag - ridiculous really but you never know when you might need that item!!

    Thank you Auds'Alley and Robin - she is just darling I just need to find a way to make her work for me...

    Lx

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  10. I downsized from a personal Piazza to a pocket Butterfly that I use for my wallet and my planner. It's a tight squeeze but it is working for me. I only keep 4 months worth of the diary in it: the previous month, present month, and 2 future months. I use the week on 2 pages format.I keep a notes section where I jot down anything and everything and a password section, but I took out the phone number and address section because that is on my phone and on my A5 that stays at home.I love my butterfly. She is so cute!!

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  11. I have posted a couple of iPhone pictures of the diary section for you at www.flickr.com/photos/sorayaleila I'm hoping my deco will come tomorrow so then photos perhaps!

    I personally find the City pack diary too small (I use my Filofax for work and home) so I have a few months of a page a day then for the end of the year I have the City inserts. :)

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  12. This is awesome! I think I'd need an equally beautiful planner if I were to be convinced to ever downsize! But hmmmm, the Deco is releasing the amethyst...

    Anyway, I love your set up- it's great to find people who make pockets work!

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  13. Hi Soraya thank you for posting the photos - the diary does look a little teeny tiny. I'm awaiting a one day per page insert so I think I'll see how that goes first and I'll plan to check out the pocket sized version while at the Philofaxy meet up :)

    J the Deco is gorgeous and the amethyst looks stunning in the photos I have seen a worthy investment purchase :)

    Lx

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