As mentioned on the Philofaxy Facebook Group today, I have a project in mind which would involve me giving away Filofaxes to people who would then undertake particular projects with said Filofaxes and then report on them on my blog. Any and all ideas are very welcome as this is just a very diffuse idea at the moment. Also, if you wish to join the project without receiving a binder, or donate binders to the project please feel free – all interesting projects will be a fantastic addition and very welcome.
There is no limit to what you can pitch for the project but I would prefer it to be mainly on how to USE a Filofax for time management, planning, sorting your life. I am not averse to one of the Modes going to someone who would like purely to decorate it and make it pretty. But no more than that. If you can make any of the others pretty and functional that would be perfect! But function is key here.
For giveaway I have the following:
A5 Siena in Cinnamon(has been allocated)- A5 Malden in Grey
- A5 Amazona in Brown
- A5 Black Metropol (damaged cover so would be perfect for someone who would like to re-cover a Filo in leather or textile, or emboss it.
- A5 in Black Leather
- Personal Belmont in Brown
- Personal Mode in Aqua
- Personal Chocolate Aston (Thank you, Gail, for the donation!)
- Personal Mode in Aqua
- Personal Savannah in Camel
- Compact Violet Temperley*
- Pocket Chino in Fawn (contains a few personal expense sheets – may be ideal for someone tracking a project or general expenses)
- Pocket Chino in Fawn
- Pocket Mode in Red
- 1 purple leather A5 Ordning och Reda organiser with complete set of inserts – the rings may be a Swedish standard though – I would have to check
- 1 black croc A5 Ordning och Reda organiser, as above.
- 1 A5 Red Patent Binder (Thank you, Yu, for the donation!)
Of these only the Amazona has been used for more than two months. The others are either brand new or used for a week or two.
For the 2 Aqua Modes I would like to them to go to two new Filofax users who will then document how they set them up and what they use them for. And then show how you use them over the course of at least a month after you have set them up.
For the others I was thinking of the following:
- Create and set up a teacher’s or student’s Filofax from scratch
Use it to co-ordinate and manage this project(project has been allocated)- Create and set up a Filofax to organise a family or a business
- Create and set up a diet Filofax
- Create and set up a customized Filofax for me (you can send me the inserts afterwards)
- any other project that someone would like to pitch to me. Each of these must involve setting up and then using the system for at least a month. And for my blog, five or more long posts or ten or more short posts on the progress of your project.
If there is anyone who is familiar with WordPress and/or would like to co-ordinate this project for me then the Malden or Siena is yours. (Update: J, who is co-ordinating the project has chosen the Siena and will be using it to document this project.) If you want to work together with someone else that is also fine. It is good practice learning to blog and create Filofax systems.
I welcome all suggestions for projects you would like to use a Filofax for. In about a week I will gather all or most of them and put them out to a poll. Whichever comes out on top, you will receive a Filofax in the post and as soon as it arrives, away you go.
I will send each Filofax along with a full set of inserts which you can choose yourself from the stocks I have. I have inserts, dividers, rulers, calendars.
I am going to give preference to people who are active members of Philofaxy and/or The Philofaxy Facebook groups. This is not because I am playing favours but because I want to know that the binders are not going to disappear into the ether, never to be seen or heard from again. Where you are from doesn’t matter as I will send binders worldwide. If you have a blog, feel free to link to your project from my blog but all writing about it must be done for my blog.
Please make all suggestions in the comments field – your first comment on my blog has to be moderated but after that they are automatically approved. Most important for me is to see if anyone would like to manage this project for me. I am going into the most hectic time of year work-wise so if I manage it myself, it will be weekends and maybe evenings if I don’t work too late.
*this Violet Temperley is brand new but has crooked rings. I received it as a gift and then had to get the receipt and send it back. When it was returned to me the rings were even worse. I couldn’t bear to ask the person for the receipt again and make them worried and upset so I kept it and bought another one on the quiet. This one has never been used but if you do want it, just be aware that the rings close but are not aligned. I am not sure they are fixable or if you could return it to Filofax for a new one without the receipt.
Why am I doing this?
Several reasons really. Firstly I am in the lucky position of having multiple binders. They are all very special to me but my duplicates are not used. I wanted them to go to good homes where they will be loved and used. At the same time I felt that the planning and management function of a Filofax needed more focus. They are beautiful but you can also do all kinds of things with them – I wanted to see what some of these things could be. Hopefully it will help and inspire people. I also wanted to give people a chance to blog – maybe you have been thinking of setting one up but not had the energy or courage. Maybe you would just like to contribute now and then.
By the way, as a teacher I am used to giving students projects – it CAN happen that a project you thought would be fantastic does not work when you get down to it. If this happens to you, don’t panic – you can either pass the binder along to someone else who has a project idea. Or you can try another project.