I blame my mother.

Yes, mom. I blame you.

After all of this planner-madness the last couple of weeks, I started to think about the very beginning. When did the planner-addiction start? When (or why?) did I get so obsessed with paper planners, Filofaxes, to do lists and other ‘systems’?

My mom bought me my first ever Filofax when I was turning 13. The year was 1997, people, I’d almost finished my first year in highschool, and the exams in June were coming up. My birthday is in June as well, so: exams on my birthday, and not a whole lot of time to celebrate. I remember vividly: that first year, I had an exam of Latin on my birthday… Joy, oh joy.

About two weeks before my birthday, my mom picked me up from school. I don’t remember why, but we went to this stationery shop near my school. They had a very cute Filofax in Pocket size, called ‘Active’:

 (thanks Steve Morton for helping me find the picture!)

I fell in love with it, and my mom got it for me. Too early, my birthday wasn’t for another two weeks, but she said: ‘This way, you can plan your exams.’

It sounded like a magical solution, a self-fulfilling prophecy that actually worked because I started filling out the papers like crazy, making a schedule and fabricating my own inserts. After this planner came another, and after that many, many, MANY more.

Today I have about 4 planners, and 1 on Adspot so I won’t count that one. One as my wallet, one for personal stuff, one for work, one for storage. I use an iPad, iPhone and iWhatnot, have spent some money on organising apps but I always, always come back to paper and pens. Like all of us, I switch out inserts, switch between sizes and uses… But I need paper. I need to write, to create, to be creative, to design and paste stickers and washi tape (for that, I blame you guys.)…

I agree with the post in the Philofaxy group on FB: there should be a FiloFanatics Anonymous group. We’d all schedule in the appointments and never miss a date, of course 😉

So mom, thanks for introducing me to the wonderful world of planners. Love you.