A Tour of My Personal Filofax

With the influx of bullet journal posts, including one I wrote myself, I decided I’d show you guys my Filofax set up! I used to use a typical bullet journal, which you can see in my post about it, but I decided last fall to switch to a Filofax. I may explain why in a later post, but long story short: I wanted something more flexible. Like physically. You’ll see what I mean.

Let’s get into the breakdown, and I’ll take you for a little look-see on how I generally have this set up, plus what you can expect inside the dividers. Get ready for pictures, y’all.

agenda, planner, organization

the filofax domino, personal sized, in fawn (my absolute favorite color)

A Quick Overview

For my everyday agenda/organizer, I’m using the Personal Domino in Soft Fawn. It’s a little on the smaller size, but it holds a lot of paper. While it looks like leather, it isn’t (at least according to Amazon and Filofax). This is real easy to just stick in my purse or backpack and go. I filled it with paper from Aliexpress (super cheap), and I used dividers from My Pretty Week on etsy, specifically these: dividers, monthly dividers, and handy pocket divider. Plus this adorable tassel, which I got sold on because it had the word unicorn in it (my momma does always tell me I’m a marketers dream).

Now, I won’t show you every component of my Filofax, especially since I actually got an A5 sized one recently that I’m now using as well. Sounds excessive? Depending on who you are, it totally is. But I’m a busy human, I work full time, go to school part time, and I’m working on getting this blog up and running. Plus I’d like to have a life, which apparently seems to be a very tall order.  So, to try and keep a handle on everything, I keep a few major sections to break things down into manageable chunks.

Monthly Pages

my monthly goals for january (lol)

I always start with monthly goals, and while I mentioned in my my 2018 themes post that I don’t necessarily want to use numerical goals, I do think that they can be helpful for some things, even if only to try and keep things in perspective. Overall, I want to try and build my goals from one month to the next. So even if my progress is small I can still see change over time. As far as types of goals, I try and give myself goals for most major aspects of my life. Then I break them down so that I can see progress, and it’s not an all or nothing approach.

filofax domino personal fawn

what a weekly spread may look like for me

No matter what, I keep weekly spreads for the current month in my monthly dividers along with a monthly spread (which always looks a damn mess, hence why it’s not here). As you can see, while my schedule is somewhat repetitive, I always have something going on. So to keep everything straight, I include everything I have schedule, and I’ll make notes on the day to day goings on. Also, I’ll add in to do’s as I think of them or as I need to plan, like exam dates, chores, blog tasks, etc.

My Blogging Section

This is probably one of my favorite sections of my planner. It’s my creative section, and filled with stuff I’m honestly really passionate about. Not that I’m not passionate about my job or my studies. But it’s different when it’s actually something that I’m doing for the pure fun of it.

blog stats tracker that i fill in at the end of each month

One of the two most important parts of my Filofax is my blog tracker. While stats aren’t everything in blogging, we’re at a point where they do matter. And even though they aren’t a direct measure of success, it’s really satisfying to see the numbers change. Even if it’s only a little bit from month to month. I track my numbers at the last day of each month. This way I’ll be able to look back and see the overall change over the course of the year. All of my major channels are tracked, plus my email list and my pageviews.

my editorial calendar for january (again, lol)

Confession: I’m really bad at my editorial calendar. I make one, and I haven’t actually been able to stick to it yet. I’m trying to get better about it, so I keep making them. I’ll let y’all know if I’m ever actually successful at it. But as far as making one, I like to put down what post, when. I’m starting to revamp this process a little bit, so hopefully the changes I’m making will help me use this better!

lists i keep in my personal filofax for my blog

There are a few running lists I keep in my Filofax, just in case I need them on the fly. The one above is my list of products to review, meaning the stuff I have already that I want to review. It’s easy to get sucked into wanting to buy all the newest stuff to review. But keep in mind that there are a lot of permanent collection products you already have! Reviews for those are always helpful, and are pretty evergreen since they aren’t limited edition. You can always find them in stores. I also have lists of brands I want to try, blog post ideas, and a general blog to do list.

Other Pages and Lists I Use

I do keep a separate divider for my spiritual and pagan practices. However I’m still pretty private about that part of my life so I won’t be showing it. Yet. As I get more comfortable sharing that part, I’ll absolutely share that later.

my to be read list

This… this list is a beast. My to be read list is already a couple pages long in my filofax. Don’t worry, my Good Reads list is actually a nightmare. I’m a bookworm, but I’m such a bookworm that I’m constantly adding to my TBR list without actually reading any of it. Because I want to read everything all at once. Fun. I often come across books that sound interesting while I’m out and about, so I like to be able to jot it down real quick.

brain dumps are so helpful

This might actually be the most important part of my Filofax, here’s why. Brain dumps are awesome. They’re a catch all list for any little thing you need to do, or any big thing. Regardless of the due date. It’s so cathartic to clear your mind and jot down everything you think you need to do or want to do. Then when you have some time you can go through and reorganize the list later. I especially love this because I deal with overwhelm frequently. It helps to get everything in perspective. And it’s great because my anxiety/depression makes me forgetful. So unless I write it down, it’s going to go poof.

That’s it y’all! A little tour through my Filofax, nothing (too) crazy, but always changing. Let me know what agenda you use, and why!

2 Comments

  1. Katy Mackenzie 03/18/2018

    I have always wanted a filofax and because I use my bullet journal, I thought they weren’t anything like Bujos! This post has changed my view on that. Loved it!

    Reply
    • makeupbykaelin 06/01/2018

      I’m so glad it could help! I love being able to use both together, it gives me so much more freedom!

      Reply

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