Today I’m reviewing the Filofax planner I bought last week.

All this madness started when I discovered a certain paper addict on Instagram by chance and quickly noticed her truly awesome Filofax planners. Clicking that hashtag #filofaxlove sealed the deal. I HAD to have one. (Below are the 16 most recent Instagram images with the hashtag #filofaxlove.)

I’m no stranger to planners. I’ve tried a range of different options and none has ever really worked for me. I’m looking for something that’s:

• easy
• flexible
• pretty
• gives a good overview

So let’s test how the Filofax system works out.

I decided to go for the Filofax Domino in Pocket size since it looked really cute and was very affordable at just 100 DKR / $18. It was marked down 50% on the Danish Filofax site.

The cover isn’t leather but it’s very lovely and doesn’t look cheap. I’m a little worried about the offwhite elastic belly band becoming dirty and looking very used over time. I’ll let you know how that works out.

The inside is beautifully embossed with the Filofax logo and the model name and size. It’s a suede-like fabric and very nice to the touch. By the way, I love how the pink pleather is peeking through the credit card slits on the left side. You will also notice the little notches for the elastic belly band on each side. Lovely details, even on this budget version.

I put a few of my business cards in the top slit. I also made a dashboard (as filofax’ers like to call them) from an older Hambley overlay with lime green circles. This idea is totally stolen from Cathy Vee who sells these in her shop. She has some beautiful ones. But I just happened to have a scrap of overlay.

Under the dashboard I put my goals for this month using a printable (available to you for free at the very bottom of this post). And behind that card I put a ziplock pocket filled with sequins.

I haven’t put a pen in the pen holder. I need at least a couple pens at my disposal at any time so I just keep them in my pencil case. Note however, that only somewhat thin pens fit in the pen holder. I couldn’t fit my Slick Writer in there, for example, since it’s not elastic.

Above is a comparison of the original diary pages that came with the planner and the ones I printed myself (find the Pocket Size, two days per page, lined one for 2013 – awesome site, by the way) and put in. I didn’t care for the cream colored paper or the serif font used on the originals. And while I’d love to be able to view the entire week on one spread, the pocket format is just too small for that, I think.

Actually I sort of regret getting the pocket sized Filofax. The next one I get will probably be the A5 Domino in Ultra Violet so I can fit all my business stuff in there too. This little one will only be used for noting when I do blog posts and personal reminders/appointments.

I removed the numbered tabbed dividers, the alphabet/address tabbed dividers and address pages since I know I won’t be using them. Even though I love tabbed pages. (I’ll probably add them later once I find an excuse to do so.)

I wrote my non-blog-post stuff on washi tape. Because it’s so cute – and because I want to avoid the pen bleeding through. I used my fine point Slick Writer on the washi and my Ice Green Stabilo 88 for noting directly on the pages.

And I pretty much had to have the Filofax Pocket Sticky Notes.

Also included in the planner is a bunch of cream note papers, week schedule pages, a folded world map and a clear pocket like you see above.

If I’d sprung for a bigger planner I would have been able to fit my blog post planner cards in that pocket. I love having them with me at all times when I get an idea for a blog post or remember something I need to include in a scheduled post. Instead they have to fit in the belly band.

Overall I really adore this planner. The quality is just beautiful and I like that you can change the diary pages every year and essentially only need ONE planner. (Realistically it’s gonna be hard to decide on just one.)

Now I have a little freebie for you as a reward for making it all the way to the bottom of this post. ;) It turned out to be a big one but I really wanted to include lots of photos.

You can download the Monthly Goals Filofax cards in Summer colors for free. I love printing these on 8.5×11 inch Neenah Solar White cardstock and adding a strip of washi on the bottom. I left mine blank on the backside but you could totally adhere some patterned paper or write an inspirational quote to keep motivated throughout the month.

Hope you enjoyed my review!

Which kind of planner do you use? Do you prefer book planners, wall planners or maybe digital ones? I’d love to hear your recommendations.