My Traveller's Notebook Collection

Hey Everyone!

I'm back to show you all my collection of Traveler's Notebooks. When I say collection I am referring to four TN's... which is not a lot in comparison to some people, but I am a poor student so that's all I can afford at the moment! :)

I will show you all four and tell you where they are from and how much they cost. I will do separate reviews on each one individually, so if you are interested in that keep an eye out for those! So lets begin:

My first travellers notebook is a standard size from Ray Blake. It cost about $70 CAD or £35 GBP. I use this one as my journal, and currently also have a recipe book in it as well.

My second TN is another from Ray Blake. It is a field notes size and cost about $43 CAD or £21 GBP. I use this one to track my health issues, keep notes, and I'm still trying to decide what else should go in here. This one use to be my planner and is well used! I like that this one scratches easily!

Next is my Field notes size ButeoBunker (found on etsy). This one cost approximately $59 CAD. I am using this one for tracking information such as online orders, books to read, etc. I am at some point add in bill tracking, or a food journal to this one, but I haven't decided yet.

Finally I have my baby. My personal size ButeoBunker. This is the TN I use as my everyday carry. It contains my planner (MO2P and WO1P w/notes), routine tracker, and "common place" book and a folder.

Hope you enjoyed this post. My next post will be a review of one of my travellers notebooks. So if you want updates when new content comes out please follow. If you like what you read please share with a friend! Feel free to leave any questions in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading!

Stephanie xo

Blog Update!

Hey everyone! 

So a little update for you all. I am guessing at this point you have noticed the name change and are thinking what's up with this? I didn't follow this blog. I change the name from the Filofax lifestyle to The Traveler's Notebook Lifestyle because I have found a new love! I have traded out my Filofaxes for Traveler's Notebooks and I have truly found my planner peace! 

The set up and content for this blog will basically be the same, just using TN's instead of Filofaxes. Hopefully some of you will stick around because a lot of the items and methods I use in my TN's will work just fine in a Filofax, and who knows maybe I'll convert some people!! :)

Anyway if you are new to my blog welcome and if not thanks for sticking around! As always thanks for reading. Follow for updates and if you like what you see share with a friend! 

P.S. New post will be up shortly! 

Stephanie xo

How I Use: DIYFish Weekly Chart

DIYFish has many different versions and styles of planner inserts and not all look the same. I personally use the personal size version 3 style 1.

Personal size V3S1 includes:

• A monthly chart
• A monthly calendar
• Week on 2 pages
• A weekly chart 

The weekly chart included in these inserts is much smaller than the one that comes with other versions. I really like the size of this one. It is incorporated into the weekly page but there is still tons of room to write things. 

Personally, I use the weekly chart for things that I want to specifically focus on that week. For me it is not meant to track things for future reference. I use this chart to make sure I am getting specific things completed in the week without having to assign them a date. For example, sticking to my cleaning zones for the house, this is not something I necessarily care to look back at months from now to see if I was consistent, but it is something that needs to get done during the week that does not have an assigned time to be completed. 

As always thank you so much for reading. If you liked this post please follow and share with a friend! 

Stephanie xo

How I Use: DIYFish Monthly Chart

DIYFish inserts are some of the most unique inserts I have come across while using Filofax. When I first purchased them I was unsure of how I would make use of the monthly chart that came with the set. From January to March I barely used that section except to track sick days from school. 

Now I have figured out what works for me and I use this section for two reasons:

1. To track tasks I want to do monthly 
2. To see how often I do certain things or to see patterns in what I do 

As you can see below I colour code this section to match the rest of my planner and because I am slightly obsessive about how my pages look I try to group the colours together because each colour represents something (Ex: Pink is for my dog).  

Not everything on this list is a daily task. For example, Plan week is a task I want to do on Sundays so I use this chart to see how consistent I am with planning my weeks. 

Some things I like to track on my monthly chart include: 

• Exercise (one to four times a week)
• Tracking my diet
• When I weigh myself (once a week)
• Wearing my retainer
• Planning the following week (once a week)
• Grooming my dog (once a month sometimes twice)
• Brushing my dogs teeth (few times a week) 

As always, thanks so much for reading. If you liked this post please follow and share with a friend! 

Stephanie xo

How I Use: DIYFish WO2P

I have been searching for planner peace since I bought my first Filofax in May of 2013. I have tried many different inserts and many different methods of planning. However, I think I have finally found something that just works!

After almost giving up on ever finding the perfect inserts, I stumbled across DIYFish on Etsy. I figured I would download the 3-month trial version and see what I thought. I mean what could be the worst that could happen? ... I wouldn't like them?

After a week of using the V3S1 inserts I fell in love! If you want a full review of these inserts check out my previous blog post here.

I have decided to break up this post up into four parts:

1. Part 1: WO2P
2. Part 2: Monthly Chart
3. Part 3: Weekly Chart
4. Part 4: Life Mapping System/Colour Code

I use the monthly fold out calendar (note this is different from the monthly chart) to write important dates and appointments. My colour coding is used across all sections of these inserts, but I will discuss that in a later post. Also on my monthly calendar I track birthdays and anniversaries by colouring a small triangle in the bottom corner. 

Next to my monthly calendar is a blank column, which I use to write birthdays and anniversaries. I write them there instead of on my monthly calendar because they don't take up valuable space in the small boxes. 

Next to my birthdays/Anniversaries column there is a to do list column. Here I write out all of the items I can complete from my monthly calendar. This includes items such as, appointments, tests, assignments, events, etc. I do not write important dates here (ex: no school) because they are not tasks or errands I can complete. This may seem redundant but it allows me to see what I have accomplished that month in one location. 

The following page is just blank grid paper. For a while I did not have a use for this; however I have decided that for my spring semester at University I am going to use this page to make a master list of all the school related tasks I have to complete that month such as, reading, papers, assignments, exams, forum posts (for online courses), etc. 

After this we get into the week on two pages. Here I write out my to do lists in detail for each day. I will break tasks down into steps if necessary, I list appointments, exams, reading, errands, and even notes on these pages. For school I will take items off the previous master to do list and assign them a date when they need to be completed. I do not keep a separate to do list, everything goes on my weekly pages. 

As always, thank you so much for reading. If you liked this post please follow and share with a friend! 

Stephanie xo

Filofax Personal Original Review

Recently, I purchased a Fluoro Pink Filofax Original in personal size. I had hear many negative things about this line of planners, but still wanted to test one out for myself because I love the way they look. In the past I would never have considered myself a minimalist, but as time has passed I have come to like a less cluttered, minimalistic look. The Original is perfect for this! 

The outside cover of the Original is very simple. It is very plain, with a button closure. The stitching around the planner is a light tan colour which stands out on the fluorescent pink. Personally, I think this is very appealing. 

These planners are made of a solid piece of leather, which means there is no cardboard insert. This means the planner lays flat much easier and quicker than most others. I have had no issues with my Original laying flat (no matter how long it is closed). Keep in mind this makes the planner a little floppier than others. If you like a stiff cover you may not like this planner. 

When you open the Original there is an elastic pen loop on the inside cover along with two card slots and a full length pocket. The elastic pen loop is divided into three sections: a large pen loop, a place to put sticky notes or a smartphone (my iPhone 6 can fit in this part of the elastic without a case), and a smaller (much tighter) pen loop. The card slots are literally slots, they open up into the pocket behind, so you may want to keep that in mind when putting important cards in them. That being said, these two slots are fairly tight so there shouldn't be much issue with normal sized cards slipping out. The full length pocket is great for storage, but it is a little stiff. However, since it is made of leather it may loosen up over time with use. 

The Original has standard sized rings for a personal: 0.9" (or 23mm). 

The back cover of this planner has another full length pocket along with two slots one at the top and one at the bottom which can hold a slim notepad, which comes with a new Original. Again, this pocket is somewhat stiff, but still useful. 

Overall, I have fallen in love with this line of planners and cannot imagine using anything else. A lot of people dislike the pen loop being on the left; however, that does not bother me as I don't really use it. Instead of using the pen loop I use a zipper pocket because I carry multiple pens. As for the lack of pockets, it helps keep your planner decluttered! 

In my opinion, if you are looking for a really nice planner that feels good, looks good, and is simple this is the planner for you! However, if you like lots of pockets and big pens this planner probably isn't what you are looking for. 

As always, thank you so much for reading. If you liked this post please follow and share with a friend! 

Stephanie xo

My Filofax Personal Original Setup

Hey Everyone! 

Sorry this is late going up today! I have the stomach flu and was not up to writing this yesterday! But here it is! 

I am back with my Fluoro Pink Original setup! I feel like this should have been up sooner but it took so long for it to arrive. I absolutely love this planner! Pretty sure I have found my planner peace between this Filofax and my DIYFish inserts! Finally! 

I'm going to give you a complete flip thru of my baby! Anything you see blurred is just covering personal appointments or information. Here it is:

To begin this is what the cover of my original looks like (I am assuming most of you know what they look like, but she is just so pretty!). 

When you first open my Filofax you see my dashboard and inside pockets. In the pen loop I am currently keeping a black Sharpie pen however this might change when my Etsy order arrives. In the middle elastic I keep some extra paperclips, a laminated ruler, and some transparent dot stickers. I don't use the other pen loop because it tends to unnecessarily bulk up the planner. In the card slots I have my health and dental insurance card and a laminated sticky note. Basically, I laminate a few different sticky notes and write on them with dry erase markers, then I stick them under the paperclip on my dashboard. 

The dashboard photo was found here on Pinterest. I just printed this photo and laminated and hole punched it. The rabbit paperclips were found at my local Walmart, and the flower paperclips were found here on Etsy. 

 Inside the large front pocket I keep three different laminated post it notes to pin to my dashboard and a laminated sheet of affirmations. As I said above I use these laminated post its to write notes on with dry erase markers and then stick them to my dashboard with my paperclips.

I got the green (Notes) and the red (My Check List) sticky notes from my local Target. I got the WTF sticky notes from my local Indigo bookstore (you could probably order from there online).

Following the dashboard you come to my first divider (I will do a post about how I made my dividers if anyone is wondering). This divider is my personal information section. In here I keep important personal information, where to return my planner if it got lost, and emergency contacts, etc. Behind here I also keep a 2015 year at a glance calendar incase I wanted to look ahead. I can't remember for the life of me which blog I found the 2015 calendar on... if anyone knows could you leave a link to it in the comments? 

After my personal information tab you come to my notes tab. Here I keep all kinds of random notes. Currently I have laundry symbol guide, my 2015 goals (on the front I have a collage that represents the general idea and on the back an actual list which I have blurred for privacy reasons.), the card that shows what ink my printer takes, and a list of how long you should keep certain documents. I found the laundry tracker on Clean Mama. This blog has a lot of cute printables.

My next tab is my calendar section. I am using DIYFish so I have my monthly and weekly calendar all in one place. I will be doing a post about how I use her inserts soon, and I have a review of DIYFish inserts here if you haven't seen it.

This is what the beginning of each month looks like with the DIYFish inserts. If you are interested in purchasing these exact inserts you can find them here. They are a little pricy and you have to print and cut them yourself (which I normally hate doing) but these inserts are so worth it! I love them! I will also be doing a post about how to print these on a mac (when I was looking for this information I couldn't seem to find much!). 

This is what my monthly calendar looks like. I have my information blurred for personal reasons. You can keep this monthly calendar folded out like this and open your weekly pages on top of it and so you can see your week and month at a glance. Next to that I have a weight tracker since I am trying to reach my goal weight. I found this at Kel & Filofax if you are interested in printing one. She has some other free printables as well. 

When you flip over the weight tracker I have a sticker key. Here I keep the colour code for my transparent stickers. I use these on my monthly calendar to track days I have worked out (which I am slacking on), sick days, and snow days. 

Next, is my weekly pages. I colour code this in a pretty basic way: yellow, pink, and orange each symbolize a different class, green is appointments and meetings, and blue is miscellaneous. I use a clear Filofax ruler and I laminated a water tracker that I again use dry erase marker on. I left some extra lamination on the side and hole punched that I then cut slits in the holes so it is easily removable (without having to open the rings). I found this water tracker on Clean Mama. As you can see I have been slacking on tracking my water intake! 

The next tab you come to is my school section. For privacy reasons I did not show anything in this section because my school name is on most inserts. But in here I keep things such as: grades, class schedule, professor/classmate contact information, etc. 

Following this section is a blank section. Here I just keep extra paper for when I need it. This section is pretty boring and should have went at the back, but I really liked the back divider and wanted to use that one as my blog section. So this one just ended up being randomly in the middle. 

This section is for my blog. This is still in the process of being set up, but I plan to keep my ideas in here, track some stats, and maybe plan out individual posts. All I have in here right now is my list of ideas, which is blurred! You're going to have to wait an see! 

Incase anyone is wondering this is a piece of blank paper from the DIYFish inserts and I just googled the word blog, found an image I liked, printed it, cut it, and glued it in. 

The last thing in my Filofax is a two sided pocket. This came with a planner I had bought used, I believe the person got this from the brand Day Timer. I fits perfectly and I use it to hold some stickers and tabs. 

As always thank you so much for reading. If you liked this post please follow and share with a friend! 

Stephanie xo

Unboxing My New Filofax!

Hey Everyone!

I am officially in planner heaven! I just received my new planner and I have fallen in LOVE! This may just be the planner to give me planner peace (along with my DIYFish inserts).

I guess I should tell you which planner I bought and not make you wait any longer! So here is an unboxing for my new personal sized Fluoro Pink Original.

When I received the package in the mail this is what it was shipped in. The planner was not damaged and the rings were perfect. 

I bought this planner from a seller on the FaceBook group Pens and Filofaxes for Sale. She was awesome to work with and included some cute goodies with the planner. The planner was wrapped in another bag as you can see in the photo below. All this was included in the bag from the photo above. 

This is a photo of the front and back cover of the planner. There are no marks or scratches and it feels really nice. Also these photos are pretty true to colour (however, different computer screens may change the colour slightly). If you are thinking about buying one keep in mind it is extremely bright!

The inside of the planner is in perfect shape as well. 

This is the left hand side of the planner. This is where the pen loop is 

This is the right hand side of the planner. There is a space for a notepad

This is the button on the snap closure. I think is this is a really cute touch.

That was a look at my Filofax Fluoro Pink Original. I plan to do a review of the Original for those of you who are interested in here more about it, and I will also be doing a post about my setup. 

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked this post please share it with a friend and follow for more updates! 

Stephanie xo 

DIYFish Review

Hey Everyone! 

Warning!! This may be a long post so you may want to get a cup of tea or coffee before you sit down to read this one! In today's post I am going to tell you about how I ended up choosing my inserts, and do a review of the two styles I tried! 

I recently decided to purchase a new Filofax and I realized I didn't have any calendar inserts to use. As some of you may know I was using inserts from Piaric last year. If you are thinking about purchasing from her I highly recommend those inserts! I have a full review of them which you can read here. I really loved my inserts, but at the time I planned to purchase new inserts this year, Piaric was closed for a week. In case you didn't know I'm a very impatient and somewhat indecisive person. So of course I couldn't wait to purchase inserts... which is silly considering my new Filofax hadn't even arrived yet!  I also figured maybe something new would help me find my planner peace. So I began to search etsy, blogs, and YouTube for Filofax insert reviews. 

The most popular reviews seemed to be about DYIFish on etsy. Everyone seems to be raving about her inserts. I watched a ton of videos and looked at every personal sized insert on her site. I finally narrowed it down to her DO2P (which you can find here) and her WO2P (which you can find here). I tried a sample of the DO2P (day on 2 page) and found I didn't need that much space so I bought the full year of the WO2P (week on 2 page). 

Personally I found the setup of the day on 2 page didn't work for my lifestyle. There was just too much space and I like seeing my week all at once (especially with University due dates and stuff).

As you will see in the photo below there is a section where you can write anything you want (above this there is a place to track your mood and the weather for that day). 

This is a great place to write a quote or something, but I found I wasn't making use of it. The only time I wrote there was if I had a test or assignment due for University. Most times it was wasted space. 

In the photo below you can see that there is a space provided to track water consumption or even coffee/tea consumption. I found this useful since I am really bad about drinking enough water and I am trying to track it! So I made use of this feature. Below the water tracker there is your to do section. Again this section was extremely useful and I made good use out of it! Next to the To Do section there is a long column, this is for tracking your appointments. This is excellent for someone who schedules a lot of meetings and appointments. However for me this was more wasted space. If I had a doctors appointment or a class I would write it in but it became very repetitive and useless to me. 

Lastly, you can see there is a full page for notes. I originally bought this insert because I thought I could make good use of this section, but again I found myself looking for things to write there. It always ended up being full of unimportant useless notes or it ended up blank. 

Because I didn't care for this setup doesn't mean I am saying it is no good! I think this setup is wonderful for someone who needs a lot of space to write and still wants to use a personal size planner! Personally, I think DIYFish is a genius for coming up with this concept! Its so creative and there is a style to meet almost everyones needs! Also keep in mind you can purchase trial sets which is how I tried this one. 

After trying this for a week and deciding it wasn't for me I choose to take a risk and just buy her LMI V3 S1 inserts. I am so thrilled that I made this choice because I have fallen in love. I don't think I am going to ever buy any other type of insert! 

I will show you some photos and go over how it is laid out, but I will not be showing how I use them at the moment (that will be for another post and I will also do one about how to cut and print them!). 

The LMI S1V3 comes with some extra pages that my trial version of the DO2P did not. With the V3 you receive a month view, along with a monthly chart, and some other space to track things. At first this seemed confusing to me but once I watched some videos and tried them myself it makes perfect sense. 

Below is the first page for the month. This folds out to show a monthly chart as seen in the second photo. 

The monthly chart can be used to track just about anything you would like. You just write in the item you'd like to track and shade in the box for the days you do (or don't) do the item. This can be personalized in many ways. You'll see in the next photo if you flip this over there is a monthly calendar and more tracking space.

Here you can see your monthly calendar and you have space to write anything you'd like, plus a space to track To Dos for the month that have no specific date. The nice thing about this set up is that if you fold this out no matter what week you are on you can still see your monthly calendar. This reduces the amount of page flipping you have to do. As you can see in the second photo the weekly pages do not cover your monthly calendar. 

This is what the pages look like spread out before you open the WO2P view.

This is what the pages look like spread out with the WO2P open. 

Last but not least, the weekly calendar. I love the set up of this because all your days, including weekends, are the same size plus you have a space for tracking weekly tasks. I love that this allows you to see everything you need for the month and week as well as track things that need to be done that week that have no specific date or time. 

To sum up everything I said in this post. I love DIYFish inserts and I think they are so creative and genius! Everyone should try out some version of them. Just keep in mind that you will have to print, cut, fold, and hole punch the inserts yourself (which is not too hard). DYIFish provides print instructions. I am also going to do a post about how I print them from my Mac. I should also mention the LMI V3 set have, I believe, four different style of WO2P however this is my favourite! 

Thank you all so much for reading, if you liked this post please share with a friend and follow for updates. I will be uploading every Sunday (as long as there are no technical issues). 

Stephanie xo

**Note: I am not sponsored by DIYFish. I bought all this with my own money and these are my honest opinions!**