Filofax Malden Setup and Updates

Filofax Update

From Top to Bottom: Mini Chameleon in Red, Pocket Finsbury in Yellow (more mustard than it appears here), Personal Malden in Vintage Pink, A5 Malden in Ochre

It’s been more than half a year since I got my first Filofax, and I have been very satisfied with my Personal Malden. I do not really use the A5 Malden or the Mini Chameleon. The latter has been used on a couple occasions as a wallet, and I would use it more as a wallet if Filofax made card holders for the mini size. I love the colour, but I am not sure what I will do with it in the long run. The A5 is just waiting to be my next personal journal.

Here’s a long update on how I am using the Personal Malden.

I love my Maldens. The leather is so supple, but it carries so much. Having used the Finsbury for awhile now, it hasn’t held up as well (more on that later). It is the only model in the current Filofax range that I would continue repurchasing. I’m always on the lookout for Maldens now.

Filofax UpdateThe front looks more or less the same as it did back in the summer. In the zippered envelope, I keep hair ties (long hair I have), a paperclip, a tapestry needle, and a band-aid. The other pockets have: random business cards, blank business cards, insurance card, back-up debit card, a colour chart for shopping, and one cash bill.

I use a Sunday Week on Two Pages. It was between this refill and the Week on One Page with Notes refill. I liked that format; it was one of the best thing about the Moleskine planners. Ultimately, I got the Sun-Sat one because of the Notes box and the weekend days are the same size as the rest of the week. I sometimes forget about the Notes box to-do, but I really like having the weekend days same size.

Filofax UpdateAs a private person, I decided not to photograph some of my tabbed colour sections. Mainly, I have a lot of goals, shopping lists, and other random notes. I put my diary/planner in the middle of the planner rather than the front. This distributes the weight of the planner more evenly.

I use the Bullet Journal system when making my lists. Circle for events, squares for to-do. It’s just a very basic system.

As a savings tactic, I’ve started writing down what I spend every day. I total it up daily and weekly, writing in a red pen. I don’t have a spending problem exactly, but personal finance is important to me. I enter the totals into a spreadsheet every couple of weeks along with my other financial information.

Filofax UpdateImmediately after the diary ends, I have a 2014-2017 calendar. I’ve been using this to track my running actually. I like just looking into the future.

After that, I have my A-Z Tabs which hold contact information, beauty/essential oil recipes, and wifi information. I like the using the A-Z as an overall reference guide while the front and middle of the planner are goal and task oriented.

Filofax UpdateThis is a very cheap planner add-on I found at a dollar store. They fell apart so I had to super glue the post-its back. I’ve been trying to use less post-it notes/use up the ones I already have, and it’s been working well actually.

Filofax UpdateAt the very back of the planner is the zippered folder where I put more paper clips. I actually don’t use them very often, but good to have on hand. I have some return address mailing labels and stamps in here. The stamps aren’t always here, but I was mailing something last week. The black clip on the zippered folder serves as an additional pen holder.

Filofax UpdateIn one of the back pockets, I keep a list of pangrams so if I ever have time, I practice my handwriting.

Moving onto the Filofax Finsbury for a moment.

As I said in the first post about the Finsbury, I’ve been using this as a wallet. It’s been going well. It made me realize how few of my cards I actually use. Still, I love the plastic card essential. I put the rest of my member cards in the change pocket as I have a separate change purse. I use the top opening envelope for coupons.

Filofax UpdateWhile I love having my Personal Malden on me, it’s not all the feasible for instances where I am going out at night or just needing more space in my handbag. I started using the Finsbury to take notes on the fly. I often just really need to write things down. I really do like the size of the pocket for just a couple of lines of text. When I get home, I put whatever I wrote into the main planner or execute the task right away.

After I realized that, I filled the Pocket with the lined coloured paper it came with and more cute stationery. It’s not a light wallet, but my last one was big too. At least with this one, you can write in it!

Filofax UpdateOn a final note, I do not think I will repurchase the Finsbury line. Maybe it’s because I use this more, but I find that the leather has already began peeling slightly at the top and bottom spine. As you can see above, the stitching is loosening as well. I do not fill it to the brim and carry very little cash now so I don’t think it should have worn out so quickly.

This post was much longer than anticipated so I will post things on pens and other tips later in the week.

Thanks for reading!

3 thoughts on “Filofax Malden Setup and Updates

    • athena (Post author)

      Hi Susan! Compared to some others, I don’t do that much with my planners. I’ve always loved using a paper planner though so I invested in it last year. You can buy Filofax planners at certain retail outlets and online at http://www.filofaxusa.com/ The Malden itself is harder to come by. I had to order my A5 online and even then, there weren’t a lot of them. Thanks for commenting! 🙂

      Reply

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