Changing to an A5

For over a year I have been using a Personal sized Filofax as my wallet/planner/notebook. This means that all I need to remember to have with me is one thing. As long as I have that I am set for the day – it even has keys and travel cards in it. I am out in the field and on foot all day so it is nice and light and compact. I have an A5 Van Der Spek which holds all documents to do with my finances, flat and family. This stays at home on my desk. In my Personal I have money, keys, cards, notes, lists and bookings. I keep it very very close to me at all times as I would be lost without it and also a bit of a security risk.

Recently though, I have accepted another job which means I now have two employments. This is going to involve a lot of good time management and juggling of hours and tasks. This second employment will take up a lot of time and in order to make sure I work 8 hours a day I am going to have to keep a record of each hour I do. My employers know each other and trust me, so they are happy for me to work my own timetable out. I was made redundant from my permanent job six months ago after 13 years so it has been a big adjustment for me to work hours for different companies, plus I have to make sure my records are accurate as I need to apply for unemployment for any shortfall during quiet months.

When I am under stress I become very forgetful so it is very important that I write everything down and keep things to do with my two separate jobs in their proper place and not mix them up.

So I have switched to an A5 for my work binder and am using dividers (which I hardly ever do). My wallet and my booking schedule is, for now, still in a personal organizer (my purple Gillio Mia Cara). It is bigger and heavier than I need but at the moment I cannot face downsizing to a pocket and trying to squash everything in or move into a separate wallet. I need to have something familiar with me as I adjust to a new working situation and planner system in my A5.

The A5 I am using is my Gigliodoro A5 Divino with 35mm rings.

On the left I have a Filofax pad which slips into the secretarial pocket. On the right I have a divider with a pocket made for me by Paula Gibbens. This holds receipts, bits of paper and notes until I have time to deal with them.
On the left I have a Filofax pad which slips into the secretarial pocket. I really like flyleaves. I wish they all had zips in them like the Van Der Spek ones. This flyleaf is a different colour from the rest of the binder as this binder originally came with 3 rings, as did the flyleaf. So this flyleaf comes from my other Divino binder which is lighter in colour. 
On the right I have a divider with a pocket made for me by Paula Gibbens. This holds receipts, bits of paper and notes until I have time to deal with them.
On the right I have a divider with a pocket made for me by Paula Gibbens. This holds receipts, bits of paper and notes until I have time to deal with them.
I just used blank dividers and wrote on them with a CD divider. My categories are: Treats, Work, To Do, Blog, Parcels, Mark, Sites, 2015, Lessons, Hours
I just used blank dividers and wrote on them with a CD marker pen. My categories are: Treats, Work, To Do, Blog, Parcels, Mark, Sites, 2015, Lessons, Hours
My Work list so far
My Work list so far
Vertical Week on two pages for noting which hours I translated each day. This is for my second job. For my first job I have bookings in my personal Filofax which I carry with me everywhere.
Vertical Week on two pages for noting which hours I translated each day. This is for my second job. For my first job I have bookings in my personal Filofax which I carry with me everywhere. I use clear rulers in all my binders so I can see what is written on the page beneath. I like the broad ones that come with Gillio binders.
Week on two pages which I use for daily to dos. These are invaluable to me. I throw each week away as it finishes and only fill them in during the week ongoing. Anything longer term goes in the other lists
Week on two pages which I use for daily to dos. These are invaluable to me. I throw each week away as it finishes and only fill the lists for the days during the week. Anything longer term goes in the other lists at the back.
A finance sheet which I use to note my hours. I have to translate for 40 hours a week but I can work my own hours. Here I can total my hours up.
A finance sheet which I use to note my hours. I have to translate for 40 hours a week but I can work my own hours. Here I can total my hours up. I need to make sure that my employers are getting what they pay me for. I don’t want to shortchange them by not doing the right number of hours. 
Items to paste in my look book or that I want to buy
Items to paste in my look book or that I want to buy. It is very important to me that I keep some time for myself as I will be working 7 days a week. 

Author: Janet Carr

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

5 thoughts

  2. I do understand you so well, Janet. I also have many employers, three to be exact -National Education, University and Court of Justice. I’ve been juggling with 3 timetables for more than twenty years now and organisation is the key word for not losing track and your head along the way!

    I only use two planners though. One agenda Mulberry as wallet and diary and a Mulberry planner size for work and business. I have reduced the weight to a minimum as l have to walk a lot and hate having heavy planners. I only cary what l’m sure to be using. Anything related to finance, home, insurance or private life stays at home.

    Good luck on your new job and new organisation!

    Reply

Leave a Reply