Diary of an overstuffer – 2015 version

Dear Diary,

Today I got a personal Filofax. It is sooooo nice. Light and small enough to fit in my handbag. This is going to work. It is going to solve ALL my problems. It is going to be my one and only and it is going to hold my whole life. I will use it for everything forever. I can’t wait to set it up.

Okay so first will go in a year of Week on Two Pages calendar. I need the whole year in case I have an appointment suddenly come up for 8 months from now. Oooh, what if something comes up next year? Maybe I should put in January for next year. Right that’s exactly what I am going to do! Okay so now I need notepaper. One pack is not going to do. What happens if I need to take lots and lots of notes? I can’t run out of paper! Right then so five packs of notepaper should do. Ooh, now my Filofax won’t close. Take out January of next year and half of this year. Yesss!!!! Now I have more space. So I shall add dividers. I don’t use dividers but I want them in there anyway. And I want ALL of them because I can’t just leave one out. It will look funny. Damn, now it won’t close again. Okay so take out three of the six months and the dividers but the notepaper must stay in. I may need lots of notepaper one day. Right, now I have space so I shall add plastic envelopes. Two for receipts and articles and vouchers and then four spare in the case I need them. And two credit card holders. And then some post it notes, stamps, paperclips, and a pen for the pen holder. Plus I am going to need a highlighter and a pencil. I shall put it in this pocket here. Which now won’t close. Take out one pen. Okay now it squeezes closed but there is a huge bump and I can’t write on that side of the paper. Oh well, can’t be helped. Now I need hole reinforcers in case a ring tears and maybe some washi tape. Okay so I never use washi tape but what happens if I want to and I don’t have any with me? Aargh, now it won’t close again. Take out one plastic sleeve. Still won’t close. Take out another plastic sleeve. Okay now it closes. Just. Take out one credit card pocket and another month of the calendar. Ooh – space! Okay then I need important addresses and details of birthdays and a printed shopping list and a fold out year calendar. Okay it won’t close again….

Dear Diary,

Today I got a personal Filofax with 30mm rings. Extra big. So I can now add more months and put all my plastic sleeves back and add dividers and addresses and I can put in meal plans and lists of books to read and some inspirational quotes. Everything is going to fit in! This will be the answer to everything. So now all my credit cards can go in too. AND my money and my passport. Okay now it won’t close. Take out the book quotes, the meal plans and the inspirational quotes. And the extra six months. And my passport. Now I can put in more post-it notes and some spare keys and a USB stick. And a portable hole punch in case I need to punch paper when I am out and about. You never know…And then I can add my receipts in a little plastic pocket and YES! I can use it as my journal too…oh no wait now it won’t close…what is wrong with it? Is it defective?

Dear Diary,

Today I got Filofax A5 with extra big rings – a whole 35mm! I can have my page a day journal in here now AND all the quotes I need AND I can write nice and big and I have a notepad at the back and I can put extra pens in and stuff in all the paperclips I want and have lots of extra coloured paper so I can colour code. I need a whole pack of each colour – maybe two?  Yes definitely two because I don’t want to need it and not have it. Then I need coloured pens to match the paper. And coloured paper clips to match the pens and the paper. And I can add things like recipes so that I can do my shopping from them and I can have page a day diary as well as Week on Two pages. And I can back up all my addresses from my phone to my Filofax. And I can add my diet diary and my fold out year planner. Aaaargh. Now it won’t close and it is as heavy as a brick. It gives me backache and I hate carrying it.

Dear Diary,

I can’t figure out what Filofax’s problem is? Why can’t I fit everything in? Why is it so heavy? Why does it make me less efficient instead of more? Why do these things always happen to me? Maybe the answer is A4?…

1. Complete 2015 vertical week on two pages calendar for bookings and scheduling.
2. Complete 2015  week on two pages calendar for daily to dos and reminders about birthdays, holidays, things due.
3. 3 packs of lined notepaper holding client notes, long-term to dos, ideas for blog posts
4. Mini atlas, two fold-out maps
5. 5 plastic sleeves
6. 2 credit card sleeves full of cards
7. Front and back – credit cards, paper money, receipts, guarantees, vouchers, stamps
8. Flyleaf – keys, usb, coins, tokens for coffee machine and supermarket trolleys