Last month I mentioned that I’d picked up a Radley mini organiser in a charity shop and I was already using a Filofax Mini (Amazona – you can read about that here).  To make the switch required a bit of slimming down, so I finally made the decision to take out the diary section – yikes!  Drastic huh?!

I’ll explain… firstly, I like a challenge, and secondly, I could really do without the extra weight in my handbag!  So I thought I’d see how I would cope with using the diary on my phone and using a Filofax (or in this case, Radley organiser) for my notes, to-do and banking.

My smartphone is a Samsung Galaxy S3 (Android operating system) and it comes loaded with the app, ‘S Planner,’ which lets you log events and tasks and view your diary in different layouts – Year, Month, Week, Day, List and Task.  This is a great advantage over a paper diary, as you don’t have to replicate the information to see it in different views.  You can assign an icon to your events, which acts like a sticker would in a Filofax to highlight all your important goings on.  There are also a variety of widgets you can place on the homescreens to see your day, month or tasks at a glance.

I’m definitely a paper and pen girl, so I can’t believe I’ve actually been using it quite happily for a month, but I really have!  I’ve also discovered that if I keep a record of what’s in my bank account in the Samsung app ‘S Memo,’ I can actually leave my Filofax at home if I need to.  Most of the time I wouldn’t do this, but for things like a trip to the cinema, out to do the food shopping, etc, where I don’t need all my lists with me, I might do.

Back to the Radley… this organiser is super cute and fits Filofax Mini paper, so it’s easy to get refills.  I’ve also noticed that you can pick up Radley organisers on eBay at a good price, so that’s a good place to snap one up if you like the look of them.  Here’s mine compared in size to my Mini Amazona:

I decided that the insides needed to be super cute too, and since this is my personal (ie non-work) organiser, I went all out!  I found a lovely pack of thick American Crafts ‘Ready Set Go’ paper in TKMaxx and used regular Filofax Mini dividers as a template to create my new set of colourful dividers.  To finish them off, I punched using my trusty Rapesco hole punch and used a Hello Kitty sticker on the front, which was from a pack I found in a charity shop (score!).  I haven’t labelled them as I know what’s in each section and I wanted to be able to see the paper pattern showing through.

All of this has left me very confused… part of me is really happy to have a lighter handbag, and another part of me is hankering to go back to personal size again and stuff it until it’s nice and fat!  But I am wondering if I were to put the lists and info that I need with me daily into S Memo, I could perhaps use my Personal Malden for everything else, but keep it the house.  Best of both worlds?!  Does anyone else do this?

So what’s next in my Filofax journey?  Watch this space…

Cat

Find a bargain Mini Filofax on Amazon here