New tutotial video - making insert booklets for the Midori Traveler's Notebook

I get a lot of questions about booklet making, so a video is probably overdue. This one features:

• folding
• covering
• stapling
• stitching
• cutting
• pressing

There are a couple of home-made tools in there, too, that might make your own booklet making easier.

Interview and giveaway - Sheng Chen of DIY Fish.

I have watched the phenomenon that is DIY Fish sweep through the planner community in recent months. I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to talk to Sheng Chen, the woman behind it. Here is my interview with Chen. Read to the end for your opportunity to win a free set of inserts.

1. Who is Sheng Chen and what’s the whole Fish thing about? Show us a picture of you with your favourite fish.

I was born in Shanghai and currently live in Singapore for more than 10 years with my husband. We have 2 boys, 3 and 9.  Fish is my cyber name behind my planner related designs which started from 2012.

This is me and my treasured Life Mapping(™) Special Edition 2014 - The Singapore Rare Butterflies Set which I have spent almost a year to prepare, study, and paint these beautiful butterflies and their host plants.

2. Tell me about your DIY Fish Life Mapping(™) Filofax and Midori inserts. What gave you the idea and how did you develop it?

Life Mapping(™) methods includes color coding, time-managing and journal writing.

It is not an idea that came into my mind suddenly but it can be a long story.

I have been using bonded notebooks to write my “little secrets” since I was in primary school. In primary 6, I started to mark the edges of my school books like a dictionary because I have to study so many text books and I need to locate the information efficiently. I realized that this is a useful and beautiful method so I started to decorate and mark the edges of my notebooks too.

Below is an old address book that I used in year 2000 which is remarkable because it’s my last address book before I transferred all my contacts into phone.

In 2011, I joined many Filofax, notebook, scrapbook groups and forums. From there, I start to know Filofax, Davinci, Franklin Covey, Hobonichi, Dodo Pad and many experienced notebook/paper binder users. After I got my first Filofax in 2012, my desire to create my own pages became stronger and stronger. I have read many articles about time management, how to take notes and how to write journals and came across to Peiling Lin* (林珮玲 ) ‘s method of how she marks her notebooks to be searchable. This is a sparkle, which encouraged me to continue my way to mark the notebook edge. But loose leaves are different from bond notebooks which do not have a flattened edge and that’s why I created the Index Page Marker to go with the color coding system.

Life Mapping(™) Inserts version 1 are traditional inserts which I have concentrated more on the color and illustrations. But very fast I realized that they can not satisfy me. Base on my own needs and after many rounds of redesign, I launched my Life Mapping(™) Inserts version 2 series which have monthly calendar, weekly calendar and daily pages all in one glance.

Now, Life Mapping(™) System has more than 6 series which include 2 kinds of Midori style notebooks that base on the need of different users. And there are more coming soon.

LM MTN v2.2

LM MTN Classic

*Peiling Lin is a famous author/speaker in Taiwan who has published many books about note taking.

3. You are very visible on the planning-related social media. How did that come about?

A big thank you to Carie Harling who 1st reviewed my Life Mapping(™) Small Projects Management Inserts. She translated my complicated and techie thoughts into a very professional but easy understood language. Because of her, people started to know me and understand my Life Mapping(™) System. .

Another big thank you to Danielle Paulson who set up the Life Mapping(™) Community FB Group. This group has successfully attracted many great souls from all over the world to share and exchange their knowledge and experiences of using planners and Life Mapping(™) System.

Last but not least is to thank the Philofaxy community. Without that community’s knowledge, guide, help and support, I wouldn’t be here.

4. You take a lot of time and care to provide detailed support for people as they start to use your system. How do you find the time?

Squeeze. Less sleep and play with my kids but work.I am adjusting myself recently to have more time to rest and stay with my family.

5. The Life Mapping(™) system works brilliantly and looks beautiful. Which of those two objectives do you have to work hardest on?

The flow. Once the structure and the flow is right, the beauty of the system will come out naturally with the user’s personality.  

6. Where do the ideas for new features come from? How about some hints on what we can expect in coming releases?

The ideas are from my everyday using experience, all kind of Filofax, notebook, time management, scrapbooking related videos and blog posts, and the most important from the feedbacks of my users.

I am planning to convert Life Mapping(™) Version 3 style into MTN style booklets for users who prefer weekly pages. There will be 2-3 styles.  

There’s another exciting development under way too. I’m working with another designer to bring a new time visualisation tool to Life Mapping(™). It’s going to change the way people think about their days.

7. At the moment Life Mapping(™) exists as inserts people download and print at home. What plans do you have for changing that model? Will there be a standalone DIY Fish planner book in the stores one day soon?

I have been thinking about this and searching for good quality paper. I am not sure yet if they will appear in stores but they will be available to purchase online one day.

8. What are some of the things you use your own planner for? What do people say when they see you using it?

Work schedule, family members schedules, journaling, doodling etc.

In office, many times, when people see I have a big book to write in, they will borrow paper and sometime even my pen. In public places, unless it's in a library or cafe where I will have my own table, I don't normally take out my binder.

9. How can people reading this get on board and try the system for themselves?  What are the main options?

People can visit my Etsy store. Here is an overview of what’s available there.

Life Mapping(™) is a kind of color coding,  time-managing and/or journal writing method. All Life Mapping Inserts have side index bar for color coding and searching.  Life Mapping Inserts/notebooks use grids and it’s quite well known that you can use smaller size binder to achieve bigger writing space.

The most popular Life Mapping(™) Inserts (LMI) is LMI v2.2 which you can have month, week, day all in one glance. This is good for people who like to put everything, combine work and life into one binder.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DIYfish/search?search_query=trial+v02.2&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ref=shop_search

LM MTN v2.2 is similar as above but has month, week and/or month, daily page at one glance. https://www.etsy.com/shop/DIYfish/search?search_query=MTN+v2.2&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ref=shop_search

LMI MTN Classic is an on the go Midori style booklet. It has horizontal format with month at a glance, monthly checklist, week at a glance, to do pages, note pages.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DIYfish/search?search_query=MTN+CLassic&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ref=shop_search

LMI version 3 is for users who prefer their binder to be light and stick to weekly pages to write and plan. Monthly calendar pages can be unfolded to work with weekly pages. https://www.etsy.com/shop/DIYfish/search?search_query=Trial+v3&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&ref=shop_search

There are 4 kind of weekly pages, 

Life Mapping(™) Planner is for small projects management. Warning: Please do not purchase unless you tried and know how to use it. http://www.wondereland.com/diyfish/planning-can-be-easy-life-mapping-planner/

Life Mapping(™) system has tradition inserts too. And I am still expanding the designs https://www.etsy.com/shop/DIYfish?section_id=14079725&ref=shopsection_leftnav_9&ga_search_query=Trial%2Bv3

You can always check the Product Catalogue for more information and new products.

10. And finally, Chen, please tell us about your special giveaway offer.

THREE readers will get the Life Mapping(™) inserts or booklets of their choice FREE. Here’s what you have to do to be in with a chance.

Join the Life Mapping(™) Community Group on Facebook if you’re not there already; like the DIYFish Facebook page and answer one or more of these questions in a post:

• What inserts/booklets are you using now (whether DIYFish or not)?
• What do you like and dislike about your current using inserts/booklets?
• Why would you like to try Life Mapping(™) Inserts/booklets?
• Which Life Mapping(™) Inserts/booklet would you like to win and why?
• How do you plan to use it?

If you want your post to qualify for the giveaway, start it with the letters “GA” and then type your answer. Make sure you post it on the DIYFish Facebook page. You can answer more than one question if you like, but you’ll only qualify for one entry in the giveaway draw. The draw will be made after one week, so make sure you post by the end of next Monday, 13 October.

Download free 2015 diaries for your Pocket Filofax

2015 is on the way. If you're looking for diary pages for next year for the Filofax Pocket format, you might want to look at these layouts, which are free to download and print yourself at home.

Although you'll still find the source files on this site to produce your own diary sets for any year (or any shorter period) people seem to like the convenience of downloading full year sets. Here are Pocket sized sets for 2015. I've already posted A4 and A5 sets and Personal sets.

Day per page

Day per page minimalist:   Word file   PDF file

Day on two pages

Original day on two pages:   Word file   PDF file

Two days per page

Two days per page (unruled):   Word file   PDF file
Two days per page (ruled):   Word file   PDF file

Week on two pages

Week on two pages enhanced TM layout:   Word file   PDF file

Week on two pages CC-inspired layout:   Word file   PDF file

Month per page

Original month per page:  Word file   PDF file

Month on two pages

Original month on two pages:   Word file   PDF file

Each file is set up as an A4 document. Print this double-sided. If you have a duplex printer, set it to flip on the short edge. If you don't then you'll have to print odd-numbered pages and then refeed to print the even-numbered pages on the reverse. You might have to experiment to find out how to refeed the paper.

On one side of each sheet you'll find crop marks. Use a craft knife and a steel ruler to release the Pocket pages and punch them. The templates are set up with mirrored gutters to accommodate the holes.

If using the PDF be sure to set it to print at full size as explained here.

Download free 2015 diaries for your Filofax Personal

2015 is on the way. It will soon be time to set up your new diary pages. If that happens to be in Filofax Personal format, you might want to look at these layouts, which are free to download and print yourself at home.

Although you'll still find the source files on this site to produce your own diary sets for any year (or any shorter period) people seem to like the convenience of downloading full year sets. Here are Personal sized sets for 2015. I've already posted A4 and A5 sets and Pocket sets will follow.

Printing on A4 or Letter paper

Day per page

Original day per page:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)
Day per page minimalist:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)

Day on two pages

Original day on two pages:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)

Two days per page

Two days per page (ruled):   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)
Two days per page (unruled):   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)

Week per page

Original week per page:   Word file   PDF file

Week on two pages

Week on two pages enhanced TM layout:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)

Week on two pages CC-inspired layout:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)
Week on two pages vertical layout:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)
Week on two pages landscape layout:   Word file   PDF file     (Letter versions:    Word file    PDF file)

Month per page

Original month per page:  Word file   PDF file 

Month on two pages

Original month on two pages:   Word file   PDF file   

Year planner

Fold out (Z fold) year planner:   Word file   PDF file   

Each file is set up as an A4 document. Print this double-sided. If you have a duplex printer, set it to flip on the short edge. If you don't then you'll have to print odd-numbered pages and then refeed to print the even-numbered pages on the reverse. You might have to experiment to find out how to refeed the paper.

On one side of each sheet you'll find crop marks. Use a craft knife and a steel ruler to release the Personal pages and punch them. The templates are set up with mirrored gutters to accommodate the holes.

If using the PDF be sure to set it to print at full size as explained here.

Printing on Filofax Personal blank paper

If you have a printer that can print directly onto blank Filofax paper, you might prefer to download from the following selection. These are set up to print two-sided and you're likely to have to print even pages first, then restack in the printer tray to print the even pages.

Original day per page:   Word file   PDF file
Original week per page:   Word file   PDF file
Week on two pages CC layout:   Word file   PDF file
Week on two pages vertical layout:   Word file   PDF file
Original month per page:  Word file   PDF file
Month per page with notes:  Word file   PDF file
Original month on two pages:   Word file   PDF file
Month on two pages with notes:   Word file   PDF file

How to print in booklet mode

I get lots of questions about printing in booklet mode. Today, I’m giving this topic a post of its own.

What is booklet printing?

Booklet printing shrinks individual, large pages of content to the size where two will fit on a single sheet, placed sideways. A multi-page original document will be organised so that a stack of output sheets can simply be folded in half and bound into a booklet.

Note that this is different from merely printing two pages per sheet, which will place your shrunken pages side by side in normal order. Booklet printing by contrast reorders your pages. Take this example of a four page document:

As you can see, the single sheet has pages 4 and 1 on one side and 2 and 3 on the other, which only makes sense once the paper is folded:

Here is a more complex, six-page document:

How do I print in booklet mode?

There are a few methods:

1.     Using built-in printer functionality

Many printers have booklet printing as a setting, but you may have to root around in your print settings to find it. Here it is in the settings of my Brother printer:

Generally only duplex printers (those that print on both sides of the paper) will have this function.

2.     Using a third-party utility

Third-party utilities can print booklets for you. My own favourite is FinePrint, available from www.fineprint.com. You can download and try it for free but will need to pay $49.95 currently for a fully functional version.

Once you own a utility like this, you’ll find many uses for it beyond printing organiser pages.

3.     Using Adobe Acrobat

Acrobat has its own, built-in booklet mode. So if your document is already a PDF, great. Otherwise, start by saving it as a PDF if your software allows. If it doesn’t, download a free PDF converter like DoPDF at www.dopdf.com. Once you have your document in PDF format, simply print it directly from Acrobat with these settings:

What if I don’t have a duplex printer?

With a simplex printer (offering only single-sided printing) it will be more difficult – but not impossible.

A simplex printer won’t have a built-in booklet mode, so method 1 is out.

If you use FinePrint it will guide you through the process of single side printing, restacking and feeding, then reprinting the second side.

Without a third-party utility, you can still print booklets on a simplex printer. Here is how, step by step:

1. Open your document and save as a PDF or convert using a tool like DoPDF (see above).

2. Now open this PDF file in Adobe Acrobat (double-clicking the file should do this) and set up to print as a booklet:

3. Crucially, you need to show DoPDF as your printer. This will produce a new PDF file that is set up like a booklet.

4. Now open this new PDF file in Adobe Acrobat and set it to print odd pages only (NOT as a booklet this time!):

5. Restack and reload your printed sheets in the paper tray. You will need them oriented properly for your particular printer and there are several aspects to this:

• Unprinted side facing up or facing down
• Pages in numerical order or reverse numerical order
• Pages oriented leftwards or oriented rightwards

Some trial and error may be needed. Take notes as you go and keep them.

6. With the pages re-fed, print again, this time the even-numbered pages only

What if I use Letter paper, not A4?

Booklet mode will not work well for you. The proportions of A4 mean two sheets shrink to fit on one sideways sheet perfectly. Letter paper behaves differently.

Sadly, booklet mode is never going to work perfectly with Letter-sized documents. The good news is that virtually all printers are produced for global use and will happily use either A4 or Letter paper through adjustment of the paper tray sliders. And Amazon in the US will happily sell you some A4 paper:

Happy printing, everyone!

Bullet Journal pages for your Filofax

I have previouly made available a Bullet Journal insert for the Midori Traveler's Notebook. First described by Ryder Carroll at www.bulletjournal.com, the Bullet Journal is an effective system for organising the notes you make in your daily notebook.

Today I am offering for free Filofax inserts designed to make it easy to use Bullet Journalling in your personal size Filofax.

The main page provides a grid layout on which to record your items and their associated planning symbols. This page is double-sided and you should print a generous number when you start using the system. At the top of each page is a box for your to record the date or the special purpose of the page (e.g. monthly task list) and the page number if you are using an indexed numbering system.

Most of your work in the system will be done on these pages, but there are also two special pages. The first is an index page, which can make it easy for you to locate special purpose pages once your Bullet Journal starts getting filled up:

The second special purpose page is the layout and symbols guide:

This page provides a key to the standard symbols used in Bullet Journalling and gives space on the reverse side for you to set your own, custom symbols.

You can download these inserts as A4 documents or as Letter paper documents, in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Here all all the combinations:

    Main pages:
    Word A4 version   Word Letter version   PDF A4 version   PDF Letter version

    Index & key pages:
    Word A4 version   Word Letter version   PDF A4 version   PDF Letter version

Print the files double-sided. If you have a duplex printer, set it to flip on the short edge. If you don't then you'll have to print and then refeed to print on the reverse. You might have to experiment to find out how to refeed the paper.

On one side of each sheet you'll find crop marks. Use a craft knife and a steel ruler to release the Personal pages and punch them.

If using the PDF be sure to set it to print at full size as explained here.

How to start a notebook: curing notebook stage fright

Have a look at this:

This is the first page of a brand new notebook. Do you find it inviting? Do you want to start writing something in it straight away? Or do you find yourself unable quite to ruin the sanctity of the untouched book, worried that what you write won’t be good enough or that a mistake on the first page will ruin the entire book? If you fall into the latter camp, you’re experiencing what I call “notebook stage fright”. It’s why people sometimes have shelves filled with notebooks they cannot bring themselves to sully by using them. 

Well, here’s a way to get past that. On the first page, the perfect, blank page you’ve been so worried about ruining, write your notebook’s mission statement. It might look like this:

Draft your own version first on scrap paper if you like, before copying it into your notebook. Then you’ll find it a piece of cake to just get going because you’ll have broken the book in and given yourself and it permission to work together.