Filofax Set up: University Edition

Hello!

Long time no see!

I thought while I have a spare morning (before the madness begins of next week) I thought I might blog this, as it has been lingering around for a few weeks.

Here is my university set up for this semester - it is working really well.

Looking  a wee bit full :)



Dashboard - colour coding scheme, and removable tab labels sticky taped to the clear fly leaf

 

Closer view of my tabs

I have my to do list
my month and weekly view
My uni reference tab, and my Global Leadership Program info under the one tab.

First section - to do lists.
I started using these as a sort of brain dump type of system, I then go and space out the tasks during the week in my WO2P

Kikki k Medium Pages - Monthly View

Kikki K WO2P

 

 

Unit Outlines, printed and cut down to size 

Then in the back I have a map and a clear pocket with some mark it dots and post it notes :) 

Reading and the Power of Words

The past week I have been a bit down on myself, not the happy chirpy person who annoyingly giggles at silly things.
Knowing the main reason behind this 'mood swing' is that I am lacking something to do, it starts out as boredom then progresses into a bizarre place where I lack all motivation for anything.

Today I decided to clean out my bookshelf, I came across a book I had completely forgotten I had bought. "What your Mother should have told you - Natalie Reilly"



The first section of the book is titled 'How to be Happy' - how fitting for the way I was feeling, as you progress further into the pages riddled in advice which contains a witty prose and funny relatable antidotes my mood completely shifted back into some what of a normal state.

Moral of the story, feeling down? Pick up a well written funny book and have a laugh. Reading transports you to a different world, removes you from feeling sorry for yourself and might just bring your icy attitude  back up to at least a luke warm temperature.


 

Filofax 'My Week' - January Edition

It has been a looong time since I blogged what my week looked like in my Filofax, so instead of boring you to death, I thought I would just show you how I've been using my kikki k pages, and decorating with some new washi I have acquired.

Love these post it notes, which were sent to me via the secret santa RAK on the AUS and NZ Filofax Group

This was by far the busiest week I have had in a long time. Can you tell how busy I was by looking at how messy it is?

Here you can see the colour coding tab scheme I sometimes work with - it really worked so well over summer school. I also love love love this washi tape..

Ahh the week before exams! I spent most of it freaking out.

Hellish exam week! Thank goodness it is over!!!

So that's about it, nothing overly exciting, but thought I would just document this while I have no uni work to do, and am spending my first day off holidays catching up on things.

 

Political thought in action

Political thought in action – or ramblings I think it should actually be called.  

The title of this blog post is ‘borrowed’ from a unit I am yet to sit at university, but it does sound intriguing in all dramatic senses right? Lol!

Over the past few months, as I have dragged myself through the torment of reading through countless articles, participated in many political debates via social media and with family and friends my political thoughts have changed to a certain degree, actually maybe evolve is a better word to describe it.

Today I thought I would touch on some of the subconscious underlying things that I believe drives people to political action or at least political thought.  

So how did this blog post come around? Through conversations, reactions, personal belief and experience with a political organisation.

As I am sure you are all aware, I am a member of a rather controversial idealist political party within Australia. In hindsight it is not surprising that they didn’t win a seat, or come close to it technically speaking. Without any real policies, its main candidate is  ‘trapped’ within an embassy overseas in London with a number of government organisations wishing he wasn’t alive. Some have also described it as a ploy to aid its founder out of the tricky situation he is in, but that is a whole other topic within itself.

Let’s go back to one of the key points I have taken away from this experience, that being idealistic is a great spark. What spark did it create? A movement in people. Now it is important to note that by movement, one would assume a huge rally of people, however a movement can actually  be on a personal level.

In my self-help reading book craze, I have come out with the idea that to truly change the world, you need to alter your perception before you have any impact. This leads me to believe that changing the world happens on a personal perception basis, if you can change YOUR view of the world, share this with others on the smallest level you will have an impact on their thoughts, which in turn will affect their lives, they will tell other people, who will tell others, which therefore changes the world.

Sure I would love to inspire people like leaders and public figures have inspired myself, is that always realistic? No.

Am I the next Bono? No. Am I going to be as radical as Julian Assange? I doubt it. Am I going to be the next Jack Mundey? Probably not.

As amazing I think the individuals listed above are, I have come to terms with the fact that I may or may not find myself in situations or have access to the platforms they have created for themselves. Maybe I am, dare I say it a little bit more conventional or even *deep breath* conservative.

No matter what I may be, I have to work with what I have. Which I have only really come to terms with that I can only play the cards I am dealt in life.

Now a lady never reveals her secrets, but in essence what cards do I have in my hand in the game of poker called life?

A critical mind (which is developing more and more each day), a keen sense of learning, a deep dislike for corruption, a belief that injustice in the world needs to rectified, some may say a deep sense of national pride, but above all I am no different to any other person in this world who has a questioning mind in a forever changing and developing world.

If you are reading this and made it through, well done! Gold Star for you.

Thoughts, comments, opinions, book deal offers?

Week 44!

Helllllooo!

Another week down in the year 2013! Can't believe we are in November!

Actually I can and I can't, time has flown by, but in the last 11 months I have grown so much as a person. It has been 11 months since I left my fulltime job (which at the time was what I dedicated my life too), I started studying which I adore more then anything else in the world. I love learning.
I also have 'found myself' again. I have gone back to the person who I was about 6 years ago, with a much older, more grown up perspective of the world. I am finally coming to the terms that I am actually happy with myself. :)

So, I'll leave my ramblings for another day as they might be a bit heavy for a Monday morning.

Here is my week in my personal metropol. Things are winding down in terms of assessments for uni, but exam season is about to hit.  :/

I attended a fundraiser luncheon on Friday for a family friend who is living with cancer. It was such a lovely heart warming day.

I also had the arrival of my first ever POCKET FILOFAX!!!!

A huge thank you to Belinda for letting me re home her beloved Filofax. The cross style is the one I have been eyeing off ever since I discovered Filofax. I can't wait to start using her.

 

Inspiration: Sarah Harrison

I’m sure we have all heard of the recent leaking of the NSA files and the ever growing saga of Edward Snowden. If you have been living under a rock, or want to read some further details, this is a link to the Australian ABC’s article.

What I would like to speak with you about is a person that is supporting Edward Snowden in such a brave, courageous and selfless way. This person is Sarah Harrison.

I have not made it a secret that I am a supporter of Wikileaks (who Sarah is employed by), I think what they do for the world has changed the scope and people’s perceptions of the bodies who govern our countries. Even in saying that, if we took that statement out of the equation, Sarah’s courage in an age where we seem to be more concerned about protecting our own interests before others (a perception I don’t completely agree with, but it is a well implied statement) is rather remarkable.

I’m not going to bore you with all the details, we can all use Google, However I would like to share a few articles about Sarah with you.  

Who is WikiLeaks' Sarah Harrison really?

Mystery woman Sarah Harrison who stands by WikiLeaks men

Sarah Harrison, Snowden’s Travel Buddy: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know 

Sarah embodies the spirit of people I admire. A major influence in my life who has brought out a fighting cause in me is my grandfather. He has been a major player in developing the Australian working rights by being involved in many union demonstrations, if there is anything that I have taken away from his story it is to fight for a cause you believe in, which Sarah Harrison has done selflessly. She has left herself in exile, in fear of returning to the UK, she has left her life, her family and her friends behind to protect and support Edward Snowden. I am sure he will be forever grateful for her, and dare I say it, I am too.

It is nice to see people still caring for causes they believe in. Kudos to you Sarah.

Kikki K 2014 - Inserts Review

So last week I purchased my 2014 inserts for my personal size. It was a snap impulse buy, but whatever.

I posted my 'haul' on facebook and had some requests to blog about my thoughts and do a pen test.

Let's get started!

My local store likes hiding these types of things on me, I can never find them and always have to ask. The packing the insets come in is nothing to write home about just a plain plastic slip, but for $15, one can't complain as that is cheap for inserts compared to the Filofax and Collins inserts.
I also love the fact they start in the first few weeks of December - right before uni starts for summer so I can use them sooner!

The only layout they offer in personal size is week on two pages which is what I have been using most of the year.

Hopefully you can see this clearly, these are 3am photos.
Each day has faint lines on it so you can write neatly, each day also has a birthdays line, so you wont have an excuse to ever forget.

Week on two pages layout
 

Monthly View

I don't know if I am going to use these, the boxes are tiny!!! It also makes it really hard to write in when you are left handed like me.
I think I may need to purchase the Filofax horizontal monthly inserts or make my own.

The Pen Test

I know a few people were interested to see what pens would bleed through, I was really surprised. The quality of the paper is so much better then the Filofax inserts and I also think they are better then the Collins inserts I've been using.

Now, I do not own a lot of fancy pens. I am a huge love of the Pilot Frixion range though.



Pens Used



Flip side, not as much bleed through, just a bit of shadowing - I can live with that



This is the flip side of the paper with it held up to the lamp in my room.

There is however one thing I find slightly annoying is that there are these black banners on certain pages. Nothing a sticker can't cover. I just find them annoying as it cuts out some of the writing space in the day. A nice gesture, just annoying.

Have you planned what you will be using for 2014?
x
 

Confession: We need to talk...

Now, let's be a little bit serious here (for just a second, I promise)

I thought it was important to post this now as I delve further into the world of Australian politics within my own life , university life and blogging life.

I have a bit of a confession to tell you all... I am a Wikileaks Party member.

I have decided upon this in the last few weeks after being very unhappy for various reasons with the main two political parties that have governed Australia in my lifetime.

Why?

This years election has brought out a fierce streak in me, I had a very intense argument with a friend of 15 years over politics, although we made up a few weeks later, our friendship has never been the same and never will be, because unlike the impression I get from her, I believe people do not have to apologise for their opinions.

It is no secret I am not a fan of Australia's Liberal Party, for a number of reasons.  

My up bringing was/still is quite middle class, I'm not very fancy, I don't bring in huge sums of money, I live at home, so one would think that I would be a Labor Party Supporter, which I was up until this election. It is also important to note that I did vote for them. (we will come back to this)

I would like to share with you the turmoil I had when I arrived to the polling booth on election day I saw, what has become quite a life changing event.

Looking at the table cloth as people refer to the senate ballot sheet was 'Wikileaks Party'...I was quite taken back as I had not heard very much about a party being formed.

I had been a admirer of the work Wikileaks did when they released the cables of the wars. I always remember seeing Assange on the news and being;

1. Very proud of him for being so brave and taking a stand
2. rebelling against the superpower of the world
3. supporting whistleblowing
4. changing the world

Something inside me resonates with Julian Assange, he is your everyday common Australian bloke who is taking on the super powers of the world, and scaring the crap out of them. The combative side in me adores stories and people like this, I also think the core fundamentals of his actions embodies the Australian spirit. (and yes, that rambling went through my mind above this went through my mind while standing there trying to vote. )

I couldn't just leave to polling booth without filling in my ballot papers, I was really torn on who to vote for, but in the end my upbringing and lack of knowledge of the Wikileaks Party made me vote Labor for the Senate.

However, in the past 2 months I have been spurred on to do more research on Wikileaks, Julain Assange and the Wikileaks Party. Looking at studying politics I had a notion of joining a party, although I wasn't very happy with either major political party within my country I decided I needed to bit the bullet and join Wikileaks.

I believe in what they stand for, their mission statement reads - "[Wikileaks Party] objectives which include the protection of human rights and freedoms; transparency of governmental and corporate action, policy and information; recognition of the need for equality between generations; and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination."I think these are important factors that need to be addressed particularly on the level of the Senate, as they really do rule the roost when it comes to decisions.

Will people disagree with me? Yes. There is a lot of people out there who do not agree with the action of Wikileaks. Trust me I have read them.

Do I care if people disagree? Not really.
We live in a society that is supposed to be democratic I am free to think, act and do what I please within ethical and lawful restrictions. Joining a political party may not be high on every 21 year olds agenda, but it is on mine.

I am smart enough to know that there is no one, no party in politics that is crystal clear, politics can be a dirty game played on a public level, however I believe, our society in Australia allows free thinking, which allows me to vote, or even share my opinion on politics on the internet. So now you all know.

Thanks for reading. x






 

Week 43!

What a week it has been, second last week for uni..WHOOOO!!! count down is on!

I've had a rather dramatic week, my pitch project for marketing was due on Monday, which my group was scrambling all day to complete. Our presentation was a bit of a disaster, but I think we should be okay, the tutor laughed the whole way through our presentation, and luckily my waffling skills got us through the dreaded Q&A section of a presentation.

Oh and to top this dramatic week of studying off, I received a email from the maths subject coordinator asking me to come and speak to him as he doesn't think I would pass the unit.  It resulted in me withdrawing from maths all together.

It sucks because now I will have another Failed Withdrawn unit on my transcript (long story) but at the end of the day it makes me less stressed and also gives me a chance to boost my marks in my final exams as I wont be dedicating most of my time to maths. Which will hopefully boost my GPA - which I only found out how important it is after that meeting on Wednesday.

So there is my week in a nutshell. Winding down a bit which is nice, but I know this is the calm before the storm, which is exams.

 

Life Decsisions: Swapping Degrees

sorry blog - o - sphere, you are going to get many blog posts from me today.

Ever had one of those heart wrenching finds from your past? Well I did a few weeks ago.

I found a bit of paper from high school (yes I keep things like that) that had our ambitions in life for the next 10 years.
Whilst I know life changes in an instant there is still part of me that wishes whole heartily that I followed the path that I had set out when I was 15, as it seems pretty awesome.

I won't share with you everything on that bit of paper but I will pick out a few points of the things I wanted to do by age 25.

• I want to be out of home, either in my own house or close to buying a house.
• I want to have a degree in Political Science
• I want to travel

There are a few other little things that really resonate with me still to this day.

So this brought me to my latest life decision. I decided I am going to swap degrees at uni, as it is a start to what I hope will unfold from the list above.

So I will now end up graduating with a Bachelor in Commerce - majoring in Human Resources with a minor Bachelor of Arts - Politics and International relations.

Yep, try saying that to everyone new you meet each semester!

I am really excited about the change, this semester has been rather horrible, I lost all motivation to do most things for uni. Studying marketing has taken its toll on me. It definitely wasn't what I expected, nor am I very good at it either.

I am so excited for the next coming year at uni, I think this is such a positive change that I needed. It will also push me further into the field of trade unions - which is where I think I would like to end up.

If you made it this far into my rambling, well done. Thanks for listening. :)  

 

My week 41 & 42

Oh hi, long time no see right?

I have been super busy the past three weeks, uni work, bush fire drama, sickness, motivation levels etc;

Here is my week 41.

I must say I really love the washi I used (from Kmart) I think it is super cute!
It was a super busy week, preparing the final details for my final projects due the next week for uni.

This week doesn't look so busy, but it was long and tyring, my HRM report and presentation was on Wednesday.

39 paged report, 6 weeks of group meetings, 15 mins presentation and finally handing it! Felt AMAZING!!!!

Then there was of course the bush fires that ripped through NSW on Thursday - terribly shocking and devastating to the community I live in.
I am safe, but over 200 families have lost their house in the Blue Mountains. A devastating event.
If you have a spare $10 - please donate it to the Salvation Army, to aid them in rebuilding these peoples lives. www.salvationarmy.org.au/Donate  

I also, just wanted to say a huge thank you, to everyone involved in putting out these fires, especially the Fire-fighters and volunteers. God bless all of you!

Another thank you to everyone who sent me text messages, Facebook messages and called to check if my family was okay. It's heart-warming.

Remember to stay alert and diligent when there is a fire. Stay safe people! x
 

I'm still here!

I haven't disappeared! I've been super busy, between uni, bush fires, life, sickness.. normally blogging will resume this weekend.

hope you are happy, safe and well xx

Week 40

Another week has been brought to a close.

What a looooong week. In terms of decoration this week it has been kept to a minimum, although it doesn't look like a busy week, it certainly was! I find the busier I am the less I use my planner...strange!

As you can see, I've been watching Gossip Girl, finally watched the last season - the truth was revealed (although I read it online when it was first released) felt like my teenage years were well and truly over with the conclusion of the show.

 

Week 39

Here we are again, another week down in the year.

This past week was a bit of a fail in terms of doing anything overly productive. I have a huge assignment due, which I have been working on with my group for the past 4-5 weeks. I am eat, sleeping and breathing this assignment. Which has put all of my maths class work on the back burner.

This week, I barely used my planner. I love this colour scheme and the polka dots, but at the end of the day it really wasn't overly effective as last weeks pages.

I really have grown to the idea of planning in colour, my brain works better I think, it is also much more visually appealing.


This week I am trying the simple colour scheme again, that way I know if last week was just an off week.

I've spent a lot of time with my sister as she is also on holidays, it's nice to see each other everyday, as most days we are just passing ships in the household.

we have gone for lunch a few times this week and hung out, watched movies, played video games (well, I watched her play them haha)

Hopefully the coming week is more productive :)

Banned Books Week - Censorship in Australia

Banned Books Week - Censorship in Australia

I thought this was an interesting titbit in Australian history, and here I was thinking our censorship laws weren't as strict as other countries.

Moodboard: Evoking Feelings of Summer

Summer Mood Board!
Can you tell what is on my summer playlist? lol!

 

So summer is coming! I am normally not a summer person, however I can't wait just to chill out a bit. This will be my first summer in a long time where I won't be working in an office. So that might mean that I will actually have a tan and not be vampire pale.

 

I thought I would collect a few things and post them here on what I love about summer in Australia, some style inspiration from stationery, decorations, fashion, drinks, food and places.

 

Stationery  

 

typo postcards

typo list

Cocktail Time!
@___rochellemarie
^Follow me on instagram!^



Gloria Jeans - Very Vanilla Chiller


 Food



There is nothing I love more in summer then a nice crispy chicken Ceaser Salad

 

Decorations 

My first ever 'real' job was working for a decoration company during their Christmas season, I learnt so much and loved every minute of it.
My pick for this Christmas is blue and magenta decorations.



Just as a bit of summer fun - I want these lanterns to hang in my bedroom, how cute are the colours!


Fashion

I don't feel like I am a 'on trend' sort of person, I just wear what I like.
I am loving these for summer this year though.




ASOS Dress

 

This is my Handbag of choice for the summer, I think it is super cute and will go with EVERYTHING
I also love that it reminds me of a art deco building.

Places

I already have a infactuation with Sydney, but Sydney in the summer time is an amazing place to be.

Here are my favourite spots to hang out at


Darling Harbour
This place is lovely at night as it is full of lively people
I adore going into the city during the day and just sitting on the harbour edge.

 



Blackbird Café

I have been here once before for as what we refer to as a 'Sunday Sess'

Beautiful food, great cocktails and at night it is brilliant.

 

 

 

 

 

So there are my picks for the summer, I am looking forward to it!

 

Tell me what you love about summer? Is it the weather, the music, the freedom, the food, the cocktails (maybe a few sneaky sunday sess's?) 



 

 

 

 

Week 38!

Hello lovelies!

Here we are again for another week of planner stalking!

This week has been a loooong week! Even though we are on mid semester break from uni, there is no rest for the wicked! Also with the change of seasons I have had horrible hay fever, so I will be glad when that is over :)

In terms of decoration, this week I have played with my ice cream post it note set from Kmart, love these colours.
I love love love the sprinkle post it notes, so cute! It reminds me of eating fairy bread when I was a kid. (The squareish, oblong sprinkles were the best ones!)

You can see my colour coding coming into play, the pink writing is anything relating to one of my  Marketing classes, the green relates to my Human Resources class, as per the binders I created. I love colour coding, it makes life so much more easier to think in colour.

I'm going to do a trial next week using colours that are just related purely for decoration and see how I cope with that.

 

I am also loving being back in my metropol! I also love my new set up - I am now using my Filofax for notes during my uni meetings, shopping lists, you name it, it is going in here :)

New Filofax set up

With the year coming close to an end, I am gearing up my Filofax to take the abuse from exam period, end of uni projects, Christmas, holiday plans, you name it, it will go in here.

I have sadly had to move from my Adelphi slimline to a personal to accommodate the information that will be needed in the next few months.

After seeing this blog post I just had to use my kingfisher blue metropol, the colour is so stunning I love it!

So, let's stop rambling, let's get onto what you are all really here for PLANNER PORN (yes, I just said that)

Organised Chaos!



Who would have thought Manilla folders could be so pretty! These are from typo.
I got 5 for $5 so I don't mind cutting them up.  



My new Dashbord
I have a fly leaf over the top of this with a picture strip of my friends.



I have three main sections.
My diary is behind the dashboard and my second main section is my university tab.
The main section tabs stick out of the binder just a little, but I actually really like it.
I wanted that defined curved section from the folders.



Within this tabbed section I have my sub tabs.
On the Australian Filofax facebook group I asked the students out there how they used their planners to keep track of their uni deadlines as I feel like I was spiralling out of control.
I decided because we only have roughly 4 weeks of class time left I would just create a to do list instead of printing my unit outlines.

As part of my new colour coding system, I decided all uni related tabs need to be blue to match the divider.



Colour coding has been my new best friend!
This is my to do list, it is only two pages, which is great but daunting.
My colour combinations are based on my colours that are on my subject binders.



This is my next main section.
I opted for a bottom tab for a change, it also gives the definition between what is for uni and what is personal life things.



Here is a picture of my tabs so far in this section.
I picked the green tabs for all things in my notes section as part of the colour scheme.
This is what I have so far, but as the year goes on I will add in Christmas tabs, holiday tabs and anything else that is needed.

This system is a little different from what I was using before - this is really going to become a workhorse planner. I like the simplified setting as it provides a clear picture of what the main focus is and doesn't distract me.

 

I am surprised at how much I actually like the colours, I am normally a darker colour lover, as you might have noticed from this blog post.

 

 

So there you have it, new simple set up ready to get to work.