Archiving the Years



It’s only recently that I started archiving my past inserts. I used to keep only the previous year’s pages but after having read how other people keep their pages for years, I thought maybe I’d start keeping mine as well. I confess that my system isn’t formal, nor is it unique in any way. But it works for me, at least for now. I created my archival system back in June when I completely overhauled not just my system, but everything Filofax-related that I own.

On New Year’s Day, I set up my Malden for all of 2011. This meant that I also pulled out anything relating to 2010 and put those pages into my “Past” binder, a Personal black Guildford. Keeping these pages in a binder on my bookshelf allows for easy access to anything from the past year I might need. Since using the daily pages, however, it’s impossible for me to keep everything in one binder – there are just too many pages. So I put only the last half of the daily pages in my “Past” binder and put the rest into my archival box.

Likewise, I had to put the second half of 2011 daily sheets into the box for the same reason. I keep my upcoming sheets in my “Future” binder, a Personal red Domino. This is where I pull a week’s worth of daily sheets from to add to my Malden at the start of every week when I do my weekly planning. The past week’s daily pages will also go into the “Future” binder until July when it’s time to make the swap again.

I use Avery tabs to label the years and the format. For each year, I use a different color so that it’s easy to distinguish them at a glance.

Like I said, my system isn’t glamorous but it’s functional. I’ve only started saving my pages since 2009 so who knows what my archival system will end up being when I have year’s worth of pages to deal with. But that’s another post for 10 years down the road…

Comments

  1. I am so pleased for you that you have made this decision. You will find yourself referring to them more often than you thought you would before you started archiving. Franklin Covey has a good 3" storage binder and cover for personal size pages, and for most (not me) that is more than adequate.

    I came to this through my Father, and have all of his notebooks back to the early 1920's. They are one of my most cherished possessions, and a constant source of inspiration, plus I have many from his Father going back to pre-civil war. Quite a record of family history.

    I leave you with this quote from Benjamin Franklin; " I am indebted to my notebooks for the happiness of my whole life." Hard for many to identify with, but I not only understand it, but agree with it whole heartedly.

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  2. I think I will need to start some kind of archival system at the end of this year. I may use box folders initially. I will have to remember this post for 2012!

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  3. I archive my pages by year - diary, drawings that others made me, letters that I received, postcards, photos, etc., basically whatever was in my diary/filofax at the time. It's so interesting to see what I deemed important that year, what seemed so vital to my life then.... It's really a tribute to the passage of time and my part in it, I suppose....

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  4. Crofter - How great that you can look back on your father's and grandfather's writings. I will have to look into the FC storage binder. I did buy a Filofax storage binder but I don't think it's great quality, and it's expensive. As for your Ben Franklin quote: I may have to add that to my list of quotes. I feel the same way about my many journals.

    CP - I highly recommend it, as do many people I've heard from on Philofaxy.

    Aspire - That's cool that you keep special artifacts like that in your Filo. I usually put those kinds of things in whatever journal I'm using at the time. One day I'll have to do a post on those too...

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  5. Cool idea! I tend to just throw mine out as I have no where to put them. maybe if I did this that wouldnt happen!

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  6. I used to throw mine out. I had a number of binders that weren't in official use, so this is a good use for them. That and hold extra inserts.

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