the zeitgeist of zoe

Okay so here’s the thing:  if someone as planner-centric as myself should happen to coincidentally  stumble upon a system that actually, you know, WORKS and stuff…a sort of restlessness begins to rear its ugly head.

And I do mean ugly.

Through years of various trials, tribulations and gross overspending, I have arrived at the following planner conclusions –

1. If I were Goldilocks, then Filofax Personal size would be my “just right” porridge.

Despite my almost constant, niggling desire to find a way to make Pocket size work…and flatly ignoring my writer’s craving for the wide open spaces of the A5, I always come back to Personal and the balance of enough page real estate in a light & portable package.

2.  The marriage of purse & planner  in one (using my Malden) is so spectacular, I can’t think of one good reason to go back to carrying  a separate wallet & agenda around.

Like, ever.

I cannot tell you much I love this in mere words.  **wipes tear**  It is THAT good.

3. Don’t hate me, but I’ve got my inserts figured out too.  It’s a full year of week on 2 pages (with tabbed months of course) for overview and one month at a time (the current month) of day on 2 pages for detail. This can be accomplished in multiple designs with either DayTimer or Franklin Covey.

For 2012 I’ve ordered a set of each – DayTimer in original green & white (in case the new year dawns and I’m feeling minimalist and professional) and Franklin Covey in “Her Point of View” (in case I wake up January 1st 2012 and feel pretty).

So, with the great mysteries of the ages settled, what the heck am I going to blog about?!

Glad you asked.

Last night a random planner synapse fired in my wine-addled brain, and I remembered someone posting a question on Philofaxy about training a Kendal to lay flat.

Which translated in my mind to something along the lines of, “Blah, blah, blah, Kendal, blah, blah, blah” repeating over and over until I was forced by the mental din to rise from my sofa, rummage through the Filofax bin and unearth my own black Kendal Personal.

For no particular reason whatsoever, I decided to see whether it worked or failed as a purse/planner.

That was quite possibly the longest and most babbling intro to a blog post in the history of humanity.

But anyway, as it turns out, the Kendal makes a fantastic purse/planner.  Here’s why:

Although there are only three of them, the credit card pockets inside the front cover have curved edges, making it very easy to gain access to the cards, while still covering them enough to keep them secure. Cash can slip into the full length pocket behind the card slots like so.

3 credit card slots, curved for easy access

The mesh zip pocket inside the back cover is also a genius wallet feature.  Not only does it hold plenty of coins, but I can see what/how much change I have.  The zipper pull is not recessed and very easy to get at. I haven’t fumbled once trying to unzip it.  Which is saying a lot actually.

Mesh zip pocket in the back is perfect for loose change

Finally, the exterior slip pocket on the outside of the Kendal might just be my favorite feature. If I ruled the world (or ran Filofax) Personal binders would also come with that wonderful exterior “wallet pocket” that Pocket size binders have. But since nobody asks for my input at design time (yet…) this will do nicely.

Love, love, LOVE this exterior pocket!

All in all, this Filo may rival my beloved Malden for top billing as a purse/planner combo.

(May. I said may. Not does.  May. Calm down Malden-o-philes…for I am still one of you!)

The oiled leather of the Kendal is super durable; any scratches simply buff out with the natural oils from your fingers.  And who can resist that yummy leather scent?! This Filo has the best bang for the aroma buck in the opinion of this schnoz.

SO…I decided it would be cool to test drive a new Personal Filo every now and then…and rate it on performance as a purse/planner.

Today’s result:  Kendal as Wallet = WIN!!

Head over to the Flickr set for more pix and comment-y fun.