Like everyone else at the start of this year, I needed something to kick me into gear. A new year, a fresh start, and the perfect excuse to buy something that would magically transform me into my most organised, productive, put together self…

Look, I’m a child of the 90s. It was always gonna happen.

I bought a Filofax off Vinted, and now I’m fully stepping into my 90s fashion business girlie era. Think Samantha Jones of SATC scribbling down important meetings between cocktails meets Jenna Rink from 13 Going on 30 collaging magazine cutouts for inspiration. 

Because let’s be honest, running a small business is chaos. Orders, emails, social media, product ideas, the constant urge to redesign my website at 2 am, it’s a lot. And I’ve never been one of those people who just naturally has their life together. I’ve tried all the apps that promise to 'change your life' and more sticky notes than I’d like to admit. But nothing hits quite like putting pen to paper.

Why a Filofax is the Ultimate Business Bestie

First off, it looks chic let’s face it If I’m gonna attempt to organise my life, I want it to at least look the part; enter my cherry red leather beauty I found on eBay.

But more importantly, it’s completely customisable. Unlike a normal planner, I can shuffle pages around, add sections, and hole-punch literally anything into it. Jenna Rink would defiantly approve!

Right now, mine’s filled with:

Weekly planning – I try not to overload my diary with more than three main tasks per day. Anything more, and my brain just refuses to cooperate, remember you can always add more when the first tasks are done!
Organised brain dumps – A chaotic but essential space for product ideas, content inspo, and random thoughts, all separated by dividers I labelled in my best neat handwriting (which lasted all of two days).
Journaling – Because running a business is stressful, and sometimes you just need to get everything out of your head and onto paper.

And honestly? Writing things down actually makes me do them. Unlike my 300+ ignored phone reminders.

The thing about running a business is that it’s not just about staying organised—it’s about staying inspired. It’s so easy to get stuck in work mode and forget to actually be creative when you’re constantly juggling orders, emails, and trying to make Instagram’s algorithm happy.

So I’ve started journaling as part of my workday. 

Nothing fancy, just:

Morning brain dumps – To clear my head before diving into the day.
Goal tracking – Because if I write it down, I’m way more likely to actually do it. Plus, it’s nice to look back and see how far I’ve come.
Random creative scribbles – Because the best ideas happen when you’re not overthinking.

Honestly? It’s a game-changer.

If you love stationery, to do lists, and pretending you’re a 90s CEO in a power suit then yes, absolutely. If you’re someone who buys planners and then forgets about them two weeks later, maybe start small.

But if, like me, you need a space to organise both your business brain and creative chaos, then a Filofax might just be the move.

Because let’s be real if Samantha Jones had a Filofax and ran New York, I can definitely use one to keep my business in check.

For more Filofax inspo follow our pintrest board