17 Apr 2011

apologies for the lack of posting

...and commenting!

Have had my head in books lately and will do for the next three weeks as I have exams in the first week of May! Will try my best to get back to blogging mode asap as I have loads of post ideas in my head just itching to materialise!

So for now, I will declare a short hiatus due to these exams!

10 Apr 2011

when a format no longer works for you

I'm saying that because I've now switched to a Moleskine for 2011. For me, the week on two pages for my Filo wasn't enough space. I wanted to record daily outfits that I had worn, plus when TV shows would be on the internet for me to watch and also what to have for lunch and dinner that day. I'm one of those who like to make my own lunch to save a few pennies - and plus, it means I can eat what I want too, rather than having to choose between the restricted options at university.

So, I took the plunge and bought this Moleskine - which I don't regret as it was in the sale. There is a page for each day of 2011, and there are even spaces for the weather and temperature! Also, sometimes, I like to stick things into my diary - such as a train ticket for a trip I took which had awesome memories or as shown in my previous post, perfume samples.



So all I can say is; when a format no longer works for you, don't be afraid to take the plunge and try a new one. Yes you may waste a few british pounds / US dollars / money on splashing out on a new format, but after you've found the perfect one, you'll stick with it for many years to come*, AND, you'll experience better organisation. I'm already warming to my Moleskine layout (after debating with myself if the day per page was a bit excessive for someone like me) but I can see it working far better for me than the week on two pages ever did. My next aim is to try the day per page for my Filofax, maybe in 2012?

*Disclaimer: I know this is true as the number of diaries and planners I went through before I purchased a Filofax, and then this Moleskine said it all. Now that I've experienced the Filofax and the Moleskine ways, I know that these two will probably be the two that I will flit between in the future!

7 Apr 2011

writing a list

Justenoughsalt on Flickr commented on this photo of mine asking about the list I made on the right hand side. I said I would do a blog post on it and here it is! Sorry it's so late, I've been a bit lazy and lacklustre on the blogging front lately.



This bit is mainly in relation to a shopping list or a packing list - not really to-do list though it could be implemented that way. For me, I use three categories: essential, necessary and other. The list in the picture above is actually a list of how many plug sockets I'll need and for what!

Essential
Essential describes items that are in frequent use. As you can see on my list above, I have items such as my laptop, phone and a mouse adapter (particularly important in London where there is an abundance of mice!). In terms of a shopping list, this could describe essential groceries such as a loaf of bread, vegetables for that night's dinner, etc. For a packing list, this could be clean (obviously) underwear and socks and a toothbrush plus toothpaste.

Necessary
These are items which will be in use regularly, but not regularly enough to have their own permenant socket. In essence, these three items could share a socket. For a shopping list, this many be washing up liquid - so it is essential but only because the bottle at home is running a little low - therefore, it can wait until it is on offer, for example. And for packing, this may include clothes and make up (because if you're going to a hot country, is non-waterproof mascara REALLY necessary apart from for the cooler days?!).

Other
Again, applying this to my socket list, these include my chargers (which should really be in the essential list if you're packing for a holiday). The chargers can alternate one socket so are therefore 'other', though they could actually be put into the necessary column - I just wanted my sockets to all be in the same section. For a shopping list, this could be that bar of chocolate; and for a packing list, this could be that extra dress you wanted to pack (size and weight dependant after packing the essentials and necessities of course).

With these three lists, it helped me to narrow down what I really needed and what was really not that necessary. I have in the past applied this to a shopping list - using the 'other' list to cut down on my weekly expenditure.

I hope this helps, Justenoughsalt and I'm really sorry it took me so long to write this!

2 Apr 2011

the dark side?

WARNING: THIS IS A VERY IMAGE HEAVY POST. 

I succumbed to the 'dark side' and have bought a Moleskine 2011 diary. My excuse? They were half price in Paperchase and with only a quarter of the year gone, half price is a good deal, no?

Anyway, I was lusting after one before I bought this one and now that I've bought this one, I think it may well be love at first sight. I bought the hardback one (not sure what size it is) with a day per page to it - something which is completely different to the layout I had been using in my Filofax - a week on two pages.

Here are a few pictures of my new Moleskine.





Upon opening my Moleskine, I am greeted with two perfume cards sprayed with the respective perfumes from a perfume counter:  Marc Jacobs Daisy and Marc Jacobs Lola. Marc Jacobs perfumes (along with Dior, Chloe and Chanel ones) are my guilty pleasures.

This ensures that I open it in a good mood and so am ready for some organisation!


A very handy month view:



I copied up the stuff I had in my Filofax into my Molskine. I tried to make it as colourful as possible!

Also, note that on the 28th of March, I ordered from Rymans...More on that later.


Another perfume sample: Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs:



As you can see, there is actually some bleed through in the paper. The pen that has bled through is a Uni-ball eye pen with a 0.5mm nib for those of you interested.

I love that there is a dedicated space for the weather and temperature at the bottom of each page:



With this layout, it means I can do more with each day. I can write down what I wore (I love fashion and am always looking for ways to improve the way I dress), the weather, or even a mini diary entry with interesting things that may have happened that day! This is something I love and if I do head back to the Filofax in 2012, I think I may just opt for the day per page layout instead. Hope they do that in cotton cream!

The back pocket where I keep my NHS card and the paper counterpart of my driving licence:


The back cover where I have an interesting illustration from the Harajuki perfume range. The card does not smell but I liked the illustration so stuck it here:




Now onto my Ryman's order. I have been going through pens like no tomorrow lately due to writing up lecture notes and through revision and as a result of this, I decided to bulk purchase some pens. I bought a few Uniball Signo Gelsticks in blue and red (when I say a few, think 'quite a lot') and then fifteen of these as they had been reduced to 99p! I already have this pen in the 0.5mm thickness but decided to try this one and this is how it looked... (ignore the 'WORE', that was written using a Uniball Eye pen in 0.5mm).



I'm pretty much loving the space and freedom I'm having with this Moleskine at the minute and will see how my love/hate develops during the course of this year before deciding whether to return to my Filofax (which I do love) or purchase another Moleskine. Right now, it looks like Moleskine has the upper hand but we'll see how everything changes after this 'honeymoon period'.