Franklin Covey Veronica binder!

I'm so excited Veronica is here!!

This is the Franklin Covey Veronica binder in Compact size, Latte color. I bought this from skhen who bought it in the recent FC sale but didn't like the stripey effect on the cover (which is a variation of the natural leather). She intended to return it but I'm not bothered by the stripes at all so I offered to buy it from her. She kindly agreed and shipped it to me super fast! Thanks so much skhen!

She even included cool stickers! Love!

I always like it when my binder looks good with my phone. Don't they look great together??

Ok, let's get down to some serious details. Last time I told you about my FC reboot I was using my Filofax personal Aston binder (which you can read the details of here).  Below you can see the state of it with the FC 2 pages per day inserts sticking out the side. Also, I recently started using the FC Expenses envelopes, which stick even farther out.

I have three months of FC 2PPD in here, and 12 months of month on 2 pages as well as lots of Filofax pages (contacts, info, etc.). I want to put more pages in, but this binder is at capacity.

I did what I indelicately call a "total guts transfer" and took all the pages out of my Aston and put them directly into the FC Veronica. The Veronica has 1.125 inch rings (1 1/8 inch). Zoe also has the Veronica, and she advised me that the Veronica doesn't hold many more pages than the Aston, but holds them much more comfortably. In the comparison photos below you can see what that means. In the photos below, the exact same pages are in the Aston and the Veronica.

You can see the Veronica is not filled to bursting, unlike the Aston. Something to notice though, is that the Aston's cover is very flexible and can bend around the pages, allowing the binder to be stuffed full and the pages to go all the way around the rings. The FC binder cover is more stiff and the covers do not bend around the pages, so the capacity is limited by the size of the rings. I do not use the page lifters in the FC binder so I can fit in more pages.

Below is a closeup of the rings with the exact same pages in the Aston as in the Veronica. You can see how the pages go all the way around the rings in the Aston (top) but not in the Veronica (bottom).

So the Veronica does have the capacity to hold more pages than the Aston, but can't be overstuffed due to the stiffness of the covers.

I put an equivalent number and type of pages (mix of FC and Filofax) into the Aston and the Veronica to get some side by side photos. Here you can really see what Zoe means that the Veronica hold the pages more comfortably. The pages stick out of the Aston binder but not the FC.

Here you can see how stuffed the Aston is compared to the Veronica. Something else to notice is the Veronica's cover is puffy and thicker than the Aston's, making the binder bulkier overall. The additional width also adds significantly to the size of the binder.

Just for thoroughness I did the same experiment with my Malden to see how its capacity compares to the FC Veronica.  Again, the pages stick out pretty far from the side of the Malden but are completely contained by the Veronica.

Below you can see how the covers of the Malden curve around the pages, allowing it to be overstuffed. The pages go all the way around the rings in the Malden but not in the Veronica.

So if you are choosing between a personal Filofax or a Franklin Covey compact, be aware that the Filofax will hold the FC Compact pages but they will stick out and may overstuff your Filofax binder, which risks the ring mechanism breaking.

Below you can see the Expenses envelope I was talking about earlier. I really like these because we are doing a lot of DIY on our house so I have to keep receipts for supplies in case I need to return anything. I was losing receipts and forgetting where I put them, so this envelope holds them all in one place.

Below you can see the difference in width of the FC expenses envelope at the left and the Filofax Personal size pages at the right. I'm not bothered by the different page sizes in the binder.

Below you can see the 2 Pages Per Day layout in the binder. These are the Seasons inserts, which I really like. Clipped in the pen loop you can see my new pen of choice, the Uni-ball Signo which has really dark ink so my writing is easy to see on the page.

Something I didn't expect is that the rings themselves are fatter in the FC than in the Filofax, so Filofax pages (which have smaller punched holes) are harder to turn in the FC binder. I tried to get a photo showing the thickness of the rings, Filofax on top and FC on bottom but I don't know if you can tell.

Here is the inside of the Veronica binder. There is a secretarial pocket that opens to the left, and a full length pocket behind:

Inside the back cover there is a pen loop, a full length vertical pocket, and a notepad holder that can't be used as a pocket because it's open all the way through:

The closure is magnetic and holds securely:

I like the rings on the closure strap, but they do add a fair amount of bulk to the binder:

I haven't taken this binder out and about with me in my bag yet (been snowed in at home with two sick kiddos) but I wonder how the extra bulk of the cover will feel in my bag compared to my Aston.

I love the Veronica binder! The leather feels so soft, and it's pretty in a professional way so it would be appropriate at work and out and about.

Meanwhile I have another FC binder on its way to me, a tan leather binder with 1 3/8 inch rings I ordered from ebay. I'm curious how the larger rings will be. Will I love the additional capacity? Or will the binder be too big and bulky to carry everywhere?

I'm using the 2 pages per day and info pages in my binder in conjunction with my weekly + monthly Plannerisms planner where I write all my goals, schedules and weekly task lists. I'll do a separate post with details on what I write in which book. Basically, Plannerisms is for all forward planning and the FC daily pages are for recording.

I'll keep you posted on my progress!  :)