My first Filo(faux)fax

(Term coined by Terri here.)

Hi everyone!

I left you last time with this photo.  It was my first organizer/planner/diary/calendar.

Today, I write about how I got started with using it.


It was the mid-90’s, and I was working at my 1^st real job.  I was cruising along, letting things happen as they will, and then I came across this article in Glamour Magazine.

The article that inspired me.

I didn't even know these existed!  I knew this was what I needed!  I knew this would make life easier for me!  I would be productive, efficient, and organized -- and I loved being organized.  I searched and searched, and found one in a local leather store called Fino.  It was the equivalent of $40 at that time, but worth every penny.  It has earned its keep.

An obsession was born.  I used it every single day.  It stayed open on my desk at work.  I took it home at night, afraid of losing it and not being without it for a single minute.  I took it to meetings.  I played with it, rearranging its contents to suit my needs.  I made my own inserts.  To this day, I customize my personal information page, print it out and punch it.  Knowing my love for it, my mom got me accessories that I still use today.  She also got me a Mont Blanc ballpoint to use with it that has seen better days but I still (sparingly) use.  The pen fits in the pen loop perfectly.  I used it for years.  I felt like an adult.

The original lot

Years later, the PDA was born.  I used one, of course, like any yuppie would.  But I still wanted to use pen and paper, and I wanted my Filo to match my red limited edition Palm Pilot.  So I got my first real Filofax - a red PDA Pocket Portobello (that’s a mouthful!).  I used them together seamlessly.  I felt like the world was at my fingertips, literally.  I synced and typed like a pro.  I downloaded apps like there was no tomorrow.  Once again, I made toys for it, and bought my first real Filofax inserts.  Since my Palm was my diary and to do list, the paper pages were for notes at meetings, projects, etc.

Palm Pilot (I don't know why I kept it.)

This has gone on to another home.

(I recently found a Philofaxy blog post written by Nan that mirrors this stage of my life.  It made me realize I wasn't alone.)

And then my Palm died!  I debated getting another one, but the obsolescence of technology turned me off.  I didn’t want to be always chasing the “next big thing”.  I missed writing in a diary (or calendar as we call it here).  And I was tired of syncing!

During a visit to my sister, she gave me a personal-sized Coach planner.  I was home!  There was no turning back.  This was it!  And this I again used for years.

Coach planner, a gift from my sister

Five years ago I left my job.  But I got a pocket Domino to manage my smaller, less hectic life.  As always, it had to be ordered online.  After a few months though, the Domino was neglected.  I was lured by colorful covers on bound notebooks.  I divided them into sections, and thought it was the same.  It wasn't.

Last year, a family need triggered me to pull out the Domino and use it.  However, it didn’t survive living in a drawer for 2 years in a humid, tropical climate.  The suede was peeling and the elastic was stretched, not to mention the damage to the pen loop, which has now fallen off.  (I treated it well, I promise.)  I NEEDED another one.  (For those of the faint of heart, skip the next photo.)  (:

Tired and retired Pocket Domino

In my search for my next Filofax, I discovered Philofaxy, and the rest is history.  I was hooked!  I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are people like me out there.

My Filofax, and me, have never been happier!

My Filofax today

Thanks for visiting!