NatStatWeek- My favourite stationery: Notebooks

Sorry for another late post, I had a busy and stressful day yesterday- we had to take our cat to the vets (she's ok now!), I got an email saying I didn't get the job I really wanted and thought I'd get, which upset me a lot, and then I found a vacancy for another job I've been looking for, so I spent an hour applying for that and got an interview, but I used to work there so I'm 99% sure they'll give me the job. After all that stress, I spent the evening playing Sims 3, which is what I do when I'm upset or stressed, and I completely forgot about the blog post!!

I have lots of notebooks. Lots and lots! Probably more than I will ever need!
I'm not very good at using them because whenever I start one, with a purpose for it like for drafting a novel, or for an Egyptology project, I change my mind about what to use it for after 3 pages and then feel like I've ruined the notebook! This doesn't happen with Filofaxes, because I can just take a page out and start again!
But I still LOVE to buy them, collect them, look at them on my shelf!
Most of my notebooks are unused (in fact, I'd say 80% of them!), and I think the rest are unfinished. Maybe one day I'll use up my current stash, but I don't think I'll ever stop buying them, so I think it's a never-ending situation!

My favourite ones are the pocket Moleskine-esque (actually Blackwells bookshop knock-offs!) ones, which are filled with notes, to-do lists, assignment lists, essay ideas, etc etc from university! I used to keep it in the front pocket of my handbag, and I'd just grab it and scribble whatever was on my mind- they truly are brain dumps! I loved to flick through the pages and see them full of writing. I used to read through them while walking home from uni, and put a diagonal line through the to-dos that were done, ideas that had already been implemented into essays, notes that weren't needed any more. I loved how the paper became indented onto the other side when I wrote with a biro. I used a 4-colour pen, and sometimes I colour-coded, sometimes it was random. I LOVE these notebooks, because they truly are my brain on paper. Random, eclectic, messy- and only I can make sense of it!

Personal Notes etc

Uni notes

Here's my rather large collection of notebooks on my bookcase and in my basket by my desk!

 

Smaller, pocket sized to A5 sized notebooks. Most of these are unused, and too cute to use!!

Bigger notebooks, from A5 to A4! I use these for research notes, language learning etc, so they get used more than my pocket notebooks. I'm not as precious about them as my cute smaller notebooks!

 

Filofax vs. bound notebooks- what I'm going to do next part 2

NB: If you haven't already, please read this post first

So this is a quick turnaround...


This morning I wrote a post about not using a personal filofax because they get damaged in my handbag. So I tried to start using a notebook for my day-to-day stuff...  

I wrote a day plan thingy for today, and a shopping list page, which only has 1 thing on it- a little hand whisk!

Well... harumphh. This isn't working. I just can't get used to a bound format, the randomness of where my lists etc will end up because I don't have specific sections, and the inability to move/remove/add things! :(

Also, the quality of the paper in the Moleskine I am using leaves much to be desired- the following page (shopping list) is decorated by some stamps, my new favourite thing- 

But the ink bleeds through to the other side!! :(

So, I'm going back to my personal Filofax for my daily organisation. I am still REALLY annoyed that the quality is rubbish, but I notice that the majority of damage (rings getting worse and dents in the leather) happens when I carry my filofax in my handbag. So, maybe I should change the way I carry it! It shouldn't go in my bag any more!

So the next question (besides solving my planner fail), is how should I carry my filofax when I can't have it in my hand?

Do you have any ideas for me? Please comment below!

BTW, I am still thinking about selling some of my personal filos, so if you see one you want, make me an offer!

Filofax vs. bound notebooks- what I'm going to do next! Part 1

NB: My system has changed since this post, so after you read this, please read this later post

Over the past few weeks I have been VERY annoyed with the quality of new Filofaxes. What with my Purple Malden debacle, and the problems with rings, especially in my brand new Holborn personal!! Quite frankly, I'm scared to use my Filofaxes at the moment, especially out and about when I carry them in my handbag! This is where the problems arise- my purple Malden has become really dented through things resting on it in my handbag (although this hasn't happened with any of my other Filofaxes, so I think the leather of the purple Malden is just too soft!), and I have noticed that the already bad rings of my brand new Holborn (it came to me like that) have got worse after an afternoon in my bag! I don't treat them badly- in fact, when I take my filo in my handbag, it sits inside my handbag organiser, in a special compartment, so it's not anywhere near any sharp things like keys etc! But they just get damaged when I take them out with me. I used to always carry my filo in my hand at uni, but when I'm carrying other bags or it's bad weather, I need to put it in a bag. But I'm scared to do so as they are getting damaged!!

Damage to my Purple Malden after one afternoon in my bag!

Yesterday, to try to get ideas to solve my planner fail, I went to Waterstones, who have some nice diaries at the moment. I saw the Moleskine 2013 daily large diary, and I have to say, when I held it in my hand, I really liked the feel of it, how chunky it was, how all the pages were uniform and 'together'. I didn't like it as an actual diary/planner- I have had a Moleskine pocket DPP before and didn't use it much- but I did like how chunky it was. It didn't feel bitty like a Filofax does. But most of all, I liked the thought that it was simple, and straight forward. This isn't just for Moleskine diaries/notebooks, you can say the same about any bound book.
When I got home, I noticed the rings of my Holborn were getting worse, which REALLY ANNOYED ME!!!, and something else struck me about the Moleskine I had looked at earlier- it wouldn't suffer as much damage as my Filofaxes (although I have read about some binding issues with the Moleskines); and also, I wouldn't really care as much if the cover etc got damaged, because I would replace them more frequently, and wouldn't want to keep it forever like my filos. And not to mention, bound planners cost a LOT less than filofaxes!!

So I'm going to start using a bound notebook for my day-to-day stuff. I am still going to use my Filofaxes, BUT they are going to stay at home, safe, where they can't get damaged!!
The way I am going to use the bound notebook is to hold important reference information and lists I will need while I am out and about (shopping lists etc), as a notebook, and a daily planner. BUT I will still use my filos in the same way I am currently using them- my A5 purple Malden for my hobbies/projects, my A5 ochre Malden for my research project (PhD) planner, with a cheaper A5 to take the insides of my A5 ochre Malden to uni (I don't take my ochre A5 to uni through fear of it getting scratched, so I use a cheaper one to take the insides to uni instead), and of course my personal-sized filos for organisation. I am going to use personal weekly diary inserts (probably WO2P from Europe, with appointment times and room for to-dos) as my normal weekly planner, but I won't be doing daily planning in my filo- instead, I will be doing daily planning in my bound notebook.
But now I am thinking, why use personal-sized filofaxes any more? The reason a lot of people use personal rather than A5 is because A5 filos are too big and bulky to carry around with them every day, but when they stay at home, they are great. Well, my filos are going to be staying at home- so maybe I could use an A5 as my organisation filofax! In that case, I don't need as many personal filofaxes as I have, because I won't be using them all the time. However, I will be using some of them, for hobbies, a journal/log-book, a notebook, and there are definitely some I WON'T be selling, because I love them too much! So I'm going to start thinking about selling some of my personals- keep watching my blog for a list of them!

If anyone wants a specific filofax that I have, email me with an offer at bernasconiray at hotmail dot com, and I'll get back to you!