A Day in the Life of my Filofax – Part 2

A typical few days during the busy season
A typical few days during the busy season. I scribble everything that comes up. On Saturdays I record my weight.

My post about a day in the life of my Filofax is enduringly popular, with many people wondering how I manage such long and stressful days.

It sounds trite but in many ways I am saved by my Filofax. Because I have so many different things to remember, writing everything down is the only way I can cope. I don’t know from hour to hour where I am going to be next and for the sake of my sanity I can’t start thinking about what I am going to DO next, because I would derail whatever I am doing at the moment,  but I know my Filofax knows so I can relax.

Because I have so many meetings one after the other and my days are so long (I sometimes start my first lesson at 7am and finish my last one at 9.30pm with no break for lunch) I do not often have time to prepare lessons in the traditional way. Namely via prepared lesson plans. What saves me here is the same thing that saved me many times as a journalist and probably keeps my blog going – insatiable curiosity and a mind that never sleeps.

I use my plastic sleeves to keep anything that could help me. In my plastic sleeves at the moment are:

  • a small article on different types of religious head covering for women. This can be used in debate, translation and summarising.
  • package insert from a tub of Clarins cream. Can be used to illustrate how language can deceive (your skin will look younger, appear smoother and fine lines may appear to be reduced)
  • review from a book written about how to manage staff who are from Generation Y – also for debate, discussion, translation
  • crossword puzzles I have created to train the most commonly occurring false friends between Swedish and English
  • example of a bad speech (a doozy with an 8 page opening statement!)

Also in my plastic sleeves are:

  • a new section of the Parliament tour which I teach that needs to be added
  • a speech that needs translating
  • book and film recommendations. These I photocopy and can hand out at the end of a lesson
  • conversation topics

In the credit card sleeves:

  • my business cards
  • business cards of my clients
  • business cards for various businesses I am interested in
  • club membership card for my hairdresser
  • blank credit card samples that came with my Gillio – I use them to hold information like my company’s organisation number and other details I need at hand.
  • conversation cards (see below)

Punched A4 papers:

  • attendance registers for groups
  • assignment briefings for all my clients
  • needs analyses

In A – Z

  • notes for each client, filed alphabetically. What we do each lesson, what they want to do next lesson, things I have promised to look up

To Dos

  • blog ideas
  • shopping lists
  • treats
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To the left is vertical week on two pages by Burde – I like these inserts as they have nice blocks which makes it easier to see my day. To the right are just standard week on two pages.

Calendars

  • at the front I have a week on two pages vertical for my bookings – this enables me to have an overview of my week. I keep one month previous and two months ahead. Once I have invoiced for all my hours I throw these away (see above)
  • behind that I have week on two pages horizontal for daily to dos.
I like the full length back pocket in my A5 Mia Cara as they hold papers for photocopying
I like the full length back pocket in my A5 Mia Cara as it holds papers for photocopying
To the left I always keep a couple of blank cards in case an occasion comes up like a forgotten birthday or promotion. Also to the left two discount vouchers. To the right I have business cards, articles, blog ideas, accounts to pay and a folded to do list booklet (just visible)
To the left I always keep a couple of blank cards in case an occasion comes up like a forgotten birthday or promotion. Also to the left two discount vouchers. To the right I have business cards, articles, blog ideas, accounts to pay and a folded to do list booklet (just visible). In the credit card pocket is a repair slip for my watch.
To the left articles, a receipt and a package insert about a product range I am interested in. To the right writing paper and envelopes in case I need to leave a note for someone.
To the left articles, a receipt and a package insert about a product range I am interested in. To the right writing paper and envelopes in case I need to leave a note for someone. Also small tools in case my iPad or iPhone need the sim cards changed.
Hole reinforcement stickers, sim cards, YSL envelope punched to provide extra storage
Hole reinforcement stickers, sim cards, YSL envelope punched to provide extra storage
Various cards - tattooist, handbag, sims, hotel
Various cards – tattooist, handbag, sims, hotel. I use rulers instead of dividers.
World map, articles, business cards
World map, articles, business cards
World maps. Most of my clients travel frequently and all of them need to know about other countries so I always carry a few of these in my Filofax. I like the Gillio ones.
World maps. Most of my clients travel frequently and all of them need to know about other countries so I always carry a few of these in my Filofax. I like the Gillio ones.
Several articles - a) working with Generation Y b) raising gender free children and c) my favourite - an employee sues the Central Bank because a colleague farted in his office and he won almost a million!
Several articles – a) working with Generation Y b) raising gender free children and c) my favourite – an employee sues the Central Bank because a colleague farted in his office and he won almost a million!
Articles to the left and discussion topics to the right (copied a few times and folded)
Articles to the left and discussion topics to the right (copied a few times and folded)
Post It notes
Post It notes
Articles, discount voucher
Articles, discount voucher
I was RAK'd these by a lovely Philofaxer and I use them all - the clear envelope is on the inside front page of my Filofax with the stickers inside, the post its are on my fly leaf and the to dos are in my plastic sleeve
I was RAK’d these by a lovely Philofaxer and I use them all – the clear envelope is on the inside front page of my Filofax with the stickers inside, the post its are on my fly leaf and the to dos are in my plastic sleeve

Conversation cards – these I slot into the credit card pockets to use whenever there are empty minutes at the end of a lesson:

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Everything that is in my over-full head that needs to be remembered is jotted down on the trot – either on the notepad at the back or on post its on the front flyleaf. At the end of the day I go through what has arisen, deal with what is immediate and transfer everything else to the end of the week. On Sunday I deal with it all.

I am only as good as the information I input though – one cancellation or change of booking that I forget to record will derail me completely. Because I don’t work in an office, calls and messages come in when I am in a meeting or running between meetings and I HAVE to record them in my Filofax or else I forget immediately.  It happens very seldom so people are understanding. A more difficult problem is usually a political crisis where I am needed to do something at short notice and I have to rearrange everything around it, like a puzzle, without telling other clients why I need to change.

Author: Janet Carr

Fashion, beauty and animal loving language consultant from South Africa living in Stockholm, Sweden.

8 thoughts

  2. This is fascinating – thanks for sharing with all of us! And how do you ever find the time to write such wonderful, picture-filled blog posts? When do you sleep? 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thank you Claudia! I tend to work very quickly and I also do all my blog posts for the week over the weekend when I have more time. The thing with being so busy is that you can do quite a bit in a free moment here and there!

      Reply

  4. You do seem to have loads of things you need to do, Janet. I’m glad your Filofax helps you cope with all the different tasks and things to remember.

    Reply

  5. This statement is brilliant and exactly how I feel.

    “I don’t know from hour to hour where I am going to be next and for the sake of my sanity I can’t start thinking about what I am going to DO next, because I would derail whatever I am doing at the moment, but I know my Filofax knows so I can relax.”

    I’ve never been able to put it into words, though.

    Reply

  6. When I worked this kind of insane schedule with jam packed days, I was working as a community organizer in an urban environment. My schedule resembled Janet’s and the work days were similarly long. I did not know about filofax back then but I carried a letter size at-a-glance scheduling book with week-to-view and 15 minute scheduling blocks; this told me where I needed to be when. Additionally, I had a regular composition book with covers I reinforced with book tape which had all contacts. Due to the nature of my work, people were grouped by which street they lived on. Finally, I had a spiral notebook; I would write tasks, transcribe telephone messages, and take meeting notes in it. So three relatively slim books did what my filofax does now. I fully agree regarding the need to just trust your books to deal with what needs to be done and just focus on what you’re doing right now. The part of my system at the time which was not working very well was task management. I had not yet discovered the need to schedule or block out time to work on projects, prepare and revise budgets, keep accounts, tidy my desk, or return phone calls. When you’re running around all day it is essential to schedule time to do these administrative tasks.

    Reply

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