As you know I love stationery, and diaries most definitely fall into this category. One of the great things about the new year is starting a crisp new diary, all those lovely smooth pages full of possibility. I also absolutely adore filofaxes. If I could get away with it, I would buy a new one every year, but as I particularly like the beautiful, but expensive leather ones, my budget wouldn’t stretch to it. I also enjoy putting in the new diary insert to my filofax each year, ready to start filling it once more.
But, in the age of the smart phone, are diaries becoming redundant? As much as I do love paper, I could not be without my online diary. It keeps me (sort of) on the straight and narrow. Whenever I need to put in an appointment – and I have a few as I see clients every week – it goes straight into iPhone. My iPhone also sends me reminders and you can put repeats in for birthdays, which makes things a lot easier.
However, by contrast, nothing beats writing things down. I think it helps to cement things in your memory. And let’s face it, with the amount of sleepless nights I face, mine’s not great. A to-do list simply has to be written down, just for the joy of ticking things off. I have be known to write things down I have already done just so that I can tick them off… just me?
So my solution is to combine all three. Nothing like a great excuse to have lots of stationery is there not? I have a Personal Planner for my blog planning and blog diary, my Filofax for day to day work and just life in general, my to-do lists and reviewing my week in advance. Then my smart phone for appointments and reminders. If I stop using all three and this usually happens when I get super busy and my organisational pants fall down, I have to confess I couldn’t survive without my online diary. That is always my fail safe and back up. So I guess it probably wins over all three, but it probably isn’t half as pretty and nice to write on.
How do you organise your time?
I’ve just found your blog and it’s wonderful! I’m now following everywhere! But on the subject of diaries (I love stationery too) nothing beats a written diary. I tried an online version this year and although it was great, had great options etc. it’s not the same, it didn’t feel quite so cathartic! Would love for you to check my blog out too! x
Thank you so much Chloe I am very chuffed 🙂 I think you’re right there is something much more cathartic about writing things down isn’t there?
I couldn’t manage without my online diary either, and love that it’s clever enough to be on my phone, iPad and laptop and for appointments I’m completely online. I’m with you though that there’s pleasure from a paper to do list – I combine paper and online here and the paper version is my absolutely must do. That works for me and it also means I can just concentrate on what other stationery I need! 🙂 #paperypeep
Yes I think my online diary keeps me on the straight and narrow. But I do love beautiful stationery and as you say to-do lists have to be written down
Yes, use all three! Sounds the perfect balance to me. I tend to just use paper for organising myself, as I use my online world enough for my liking with blogging and social media! Thanks for sharing with #bringbackpaper
Yes all three – the perfect reason to have lots of stationery 🙂
Laura! I love my paper diaries and have a strange habit of having quite a lot of them! I just bought some 2015/2016 ones which were getting deleted and one is for blogging, one for recording my heath symptoms etc. I much prefer them to online and my iphone does not allow me to write and use a pen, something I love to do.
Angela x
Ooh how many do you have? You should do a post on it 🙂 I don’t actually write a diary, if I did I think it would have to be paper, I mean for appointments, although I guess to have a lot of those too x
I use my filofax and my phone! I can’t quite manage to go paperless yet, as I find it so much easier with paper and really enjoy being able to scribble down what I’m doing xx
No I don’t think I could go entirely paper-less either, some things just have to be written down.
I think I love stationary too much to go completely paperless!
Yes I think I agree Habiba there is a real pleasure in getting a new diary isn’t there?