Our Dutch Door Layout: The How & The Why
Perhaps more than any other feature in our planner, the built-in dutch door layout is the most unique to the Evergreen planner system. It's widely used in the bullet journaling community, but we built ours seamlessly into the design and functionality of the Classic booklet.
When it came to designing our planner, a built-in dutch door was near the top of the “must have” list & here's why:
Have you ever made a great plan and it seemed perfect in every way (actionable, the right season, doable), but then you almost immediately went off plan? It’s not just you!
In “Boundaries for Leaders,” Dr. Henry Cloud reveals that making a plan and then completely proceeding without following the plan plagues organizations everywhere.
As a coach, he recommends creating a system where essential, updated information and goal-driving tasks are ALWAYS before the eyes. He says systems like this create what’s called “a working memory” which is vital for getting & keeping the brain on board with the overarching mission in day-to-day operations.
This is what our dutch door feature provides. Your agenda for the full week stays in view while you plan your days. Your habit tracker keeps your habit-goals top of mind. Above that is a flex space that stays visible all week long for a running to-do list or for weekly goals and reminders. This is exactly the type of system your brain craves to stay focused.
To create the dutch door effect you can either fold or tear off the edges of the day spread pages at the perforated line. This enables you to see your week's agenda and habit tracker all week long.
Folded or removed edges are great for grocery lists that can be torn and taken to the store, notes from phone calls, or running to-do lists. {pro-tip: leaving the Sunday Dutch Door and folding it toward your week spread, creates the perfect place to brain-dump your week’s to-do list. The list can be folded out to view while planning each day, or paper-clipped closed to enable you to see your vertical calendar}
Using a piece of washi tape, these paper strips can easily be moved from page to page as your week progresses, enabling you to move lists or notes as you need them. If you don’t have an immediate use for the removed paper edges, they can be kept in the back of the Cover for later use, or given to kiddos who like to plan just like mama!
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