Jul 09
I saw a huge Filofax display in a shop recently and those questions have not left my mind since. In an age when personal planning is done on Google Calendar, Blackberries, mobile phones, in Entourage and Outlook and myriad other places which at least promise some connectivity, what is the attraction of time planning in a Filofax? Moleskine has seized the cool factor for scribbling notes and even the “information” content in some Filofaxes (subway maps, city guides and the like) is now more easily available elsewhere.
Yet, to judge by their instore display at least, some people are still buying and using Filofaxes. I remain confused as to why.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 4:27 pm and is filed under General Musings, Productivity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, trackback from your own site or share this post
8 Comments to “Do People Even Use Filofaxes Anymore?”
I would guess some people just like paper.
Me, I dumped my Franklin Planner in 1997, when I bought an Apple Newton MessagePad 2000. It’s still my favourite “dead” electronic technology. Now that BlackBerrys (and soon iPhones) have really gained traction in the corporate world, I believe these Filofax-type planners are on their last legs.
Great blog, by the way!
I’m not so sure I agree that the Filofax-type planners are on the way out.
For the computer/technology-savvy people, using a paper planner is almost like telling time by a sun dial. But, there are a lot of people who still aren’t comfortable with all the new fancy technology.
It’s easy to forget that not everyone spends tons of time on a computer/phone.
Still it does feel like a blast from the past to me. Maybe one day we’ll see those in a museum next to a typewriter!
Sometimes is good to turn off the eletronic devices and exercise another language. Maybe this notepads are taking advantage of this kind of thinking ….. well, at least should take! Very nice blog, enjoying a lot!
I’m all for back to basics - when I started integrating GTD into my daily routine it was via the wonderful medium of index cards. But the ease that comes with having a great electronic system (with synchronisation, duplication and archival becoming so simple) means that, as Katie says, the filofax will soon be sitting in a local museum!
For me (lady gadget geek) the biggest downside of electronic diaries is that I can’t pencil anything in. It’s either in or out, and somehow, that doesn’t work for me, although I can’t really figure out why.
So I do carry a paper diary around. The only downside is the lack of backup… if I ever lose my diary, I’m lost!
This is an interesting question touching on the wider comparison between “old analogue” technologies and “new digital” technologies. Although filofaxes (or note books, or paper magazines or books) are limited in terms of information sharing, updates and back ups, they still carry certain advantages that the digital world lacks; the won’t crash, they don’t need to be “learnt” to be used, they do not need to be powered, and some find them more aesthetically pleasing. The key isn’t necessarily to replace old technology with new, but to make them work together in the best possible way. This is where new work on ‘ambient’ or ‘ubiquitous’ technology comes in, its aim being to incorporate the advantages of new technologies within existing environments.
I am one of those people that have a newly purchased Filofax. I have moved back and forth between paper and electronic a few times over the last years. I just changed from my Franklin Covey classic size planner to a Personal size Filofax. I use my Filofax for my day to day life as my calendar and source for lists of all types, especially my “to-do” lists. I use my electronic Dell AXIM as a source for addresses.
I think a lot can be learnt from the look and feel of filofaxes etc for electronic organisers. Cold hard plastic isn’t as comfortable to hold and touch as leather and paper. The sound of pencil lead on paper can’t (or hasn’t been) be heard on an electronic diary. Think of the pains people go through to select their favourite pen - thickness, colour, weight - and how that works with digital diaries that are far less adaptable and personal.