In my last post in DIYHub I shared a tutorial of how I created my own version of the filo-fax organization system. I realize now that, I didn't really explain what a filo-fax is for. I will do that today as well as show some images of my now filled in filo-fax.
A filo-fax is a combination between a planner and a bullet journal all held together in a binder. There are dividers for different sections of life like personal projects as well as work. Many people keep a diary inside a pocket of their filo-fax. Other people use it more like a bullet journal or even a scrapbook. The filo-fax system is ideal for people who have ongoing creative projects like writing a novel or for keeping plans together for a DIY build.
My personal filo-fax contains a bit of all of these things. I want it to be a place where I can keep all the loose ends of my life. The first page has a pocket to hold my daily logs (to do lists) and the first segment is sort of like a scrapbook where I have an "about me" section for images that inspire me.
Then, there are sections for different work and creative projects. I have created a section called "journalism". I gathered up all the loose pages and notes in different notebooks that have to do with articles I am working on into one place. Just that act alone has really helped to clear up my scattered brain.
Then there is a section for anything to do with the house we are building. Mostly I plan to put pictures of our progress and plans for the future. I travel frequently and often find myself telling people about our build and showing them pictures on my phone. Now I have a physical place to store all my pictures and show them to whoever I meet along my journeys.
If you read my last about making my filo-fax you say that, originally, I bound these pages together with string.
As you can imagine, that wasn't a long-term solution. Tying and untiying the strings each time I wanted to add pages was not practical, especially in this stage when I am adding so much to my filo-fax. I ended up buying three rings from the stationary store. These rings are way too big for this project. When I close the cover of the book it doesn't all fit but ... it works for now. My goal is to find smaller rings that can be attached to the cover itself, if that is possible.
Eventually this book will be filled with projects and at that point I might bind it permanently and keep it as a record of everything I worked on in the year 2025.
For now though, I am really enjoying the process of gathering up loose notes that were previously scattered all over my desk and in a few different note books. Now all of the projects I have going on at the moment are contained in this book. And not only that, they are decorated with sketches, collages, and colorful things I have made over the last few months. While I may not have a huge social life nor many pictures of me hanging out with friends to post about online, I do have a record of the art and work I have been chipping away at all year.
