Diary Dilemma - Retiring The Filofax

Yes, you read that title correctly.  I'm hyperventilating into a brown paper bag as I type.

However, I am trying to streamline my diary at the moment and after trying to run two Filofax lives (one work, one home) I think the only way to re-discover my love for my Filofax is to stop using them for a bit. 

two filofaxes and a personal planner


So I am going from an A5 Black Zipped Metropol and Personal Spring Green Chameleon to one from the Personal Planner website.  I suppose, in many ways, the idea behind the PP is like a Filofax in that you can create your own style and feel.  I have got mine to run from August to July to fit in with the educational year for work and mixed and matched the additional pages at the back to suit my needs for work and home.

I have tried all sorts of ways to perfect the double-life Filofax but there isn't anything that completely suits my needs.  It's been a time of change this year at work and maybe that's the issue - no continuity, lots of scribbling out and moving appointments and sessions around.

My ideal layout would be a week-on-one-page double diary (one side for work, one side for home) with plenty of space for notes and some additional pages at the back.  And yes, I know I could create my own printables but it's a lot of faffing about, isn't it?  The Dodo pad is the nearest I've come to finding my perfect layout but whilst the paper is excellent quality it makes the Filofax so 'full' and heavy.  Using different colour pens and drawing lines/boxes didn't work either but I did discover the Pilot FriXion erasable pens!  I went and ordered this set of five from Amazon.


Temperley for FilofaxSo if this doesn't work then I can see myself designing my own diary system and bidding for some funding to get it off the ground.

BUT... I'm not completely denying myself the Filofax love though.  I still have my Temperley as my purse (with a minimal 3-month diary and notepaper on the compact rings).  I was gutted recently when the zip broke but a quick email to Filofax, quoting my original order number saw them supply a Freepost return address and a replacement was sent out within a week.  Absolutely astounding service.   

What sort of diary system do you use?  Are you still a paper-and-pen person or a gadget junkie using the apps on your phone or tablet?  Do you find that one method works or do you use a mixture of a few?