In this post, I’ll share how I turned a Dutch-door monthly log-type layout into something I hope to be quite functional. And as a bonus, my bullet journal theme this month is books that complement my bullet journal quote list.

I occasionally return to this style – trying to marry more form and function into the monthly log layouts. But first, let’s back up and answer a few questions you might have. The only thing consistent throughout my years of bullet journaling is that I like to try (and re-try) new things. I decided long ago that I was not looking for the perfect layout. My perfect layouts were ones that I didn’t tire of and used.

I discovered I was not too fond of the same layout every month. So I decided to experiment with different themes and combinations of techniques. Since I gave myself ‘permission,’ I have enjoyed using my bullet journal each month.

What is a Dutch Door Layout in Bullet Journaling?

“Dutch Door” in bullet journaling removes part of the page by cutting or folding pages. In functional bullet journaling, you can leave a piece of the page stationary throughout the month (or part of the month) and still turn the pages like usual. For instance, if you have a cleaning list every week and don’t want to copy over the cleaning chart, you might cut your weekly pages so you can always see the cleaning chart graph but mark it off on that week’s page.

For purely aesthetic reasons, you might use a dutch door to reveal part of a design. Such as cutting out a window to show a pattern on the next page. Or cut the page to look like falling leaves like I did in my November 2019 bullet journal.

Beyond Dutch Door – Why a Book Theme?

I don’t know about you, but the turn of the seasons from Summer to Fall makes me want to curl up under a cozy blanket, sip some hot chocolate, read a good book, or watch a great series. Last year, I also did a book theme for October, but that’s when I went through a tough time, and the theme never made it into the world. I guess this month was to revive that idea because I liked it so much.

You can, of course, use this theme any time of the year. The colors I chose to paint the books on the welcome page are deeper and classified as more ‘fall’ colors. That’s one way you can modify a theme to be more seasonable – change the theme’s colors.

By the way, if you’re looking for other great theme ideas for Fall – check out this post.

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How I Used Dutch-Door Layouts This Month

I may or may not have gone a little crazy this month with the dutch doors. The thing is, I want them to work practically. I know there are a few ways I can improve them in the future, but I think I’m onto something.

Habit Tracker

For the habit tracker, I must admit that the form exceeds the function on this page. I stuck a black page behind a stack of books I cut out for the welcome page and liked it so much that I had to figure out a way to keep it. I love the peek-a-boo effect for the habit tracker. Now let’s hope I use the tracker.

When using a design on my dutch doors, much like the leaves, I love to use both sides of the page, and the stack of books is no exception. But hey! I’ve discovered that I won’t use my bullet journal if I’m not excited about it. It can’t all be about function with me. Many people wonder why others use themes in their bullet journals. This is why I love to use themes in my bullet journal.

Monthly Log

How many times do you write down an appointment in your bullet journal? The idea behind this dutch-door monthly bullet journal layout is to eliminate at least one of those times. Instead of writing an appointment on my monthly calendar and a weekly page, I’ll use the weekly pages for specific to-dos and looser notes for the week. Meetings and day-specific items have their section, so I don’t have to skim through notes and to-dos to know that I have a dentist appointment on Thursday.

Using a clear numbered sticker down the left-hand side of the page, I split the page into sections. The first page keeps appointments, school notes, errands to run, and a cleaning chart. If I flip the next page over, I use the same numbering system from the previous page but track daily notes and goals and have space for one line per day.

These pages keep all the things that are either calendar-related or that I do daily. That way, I don’t have to copy those items over and over to a weekly page. This reason right here is why I love the idea of a perfect dutch door theme.

Weekly Pages

Since there is no need to record appointments on my weekly pages, I wondered if I needed them. But I’ve tried eliminating weeklies in my bullet journal, which didn’t go well. Even if I skip a week of using my bullet journal for one reason or another, I always return to it and use the weekly pages for journaling, ideas, task lists, and general information specific to those weeks.

I continued the scalloped book dutch door theme, indenting the pages a little more each week and adding stickers to the first week’s left edge. These pages will be primarily task-related instead of appointment-based. I left them open and did not separate the pages into specific days. I’m trying to follow Laura Vanderkam’s advice to focus on a week instead of a day.

Using Books in My Dutch-Door Theme

Beyond the first dutch-door book stacks featured on the welcome page in this month’s bullet journal, each page in the monthly log and weekly pages has a scalloped edge that reminds me of stacked books.

Yes, I could have cut the pages in a straight line and achieved the same function. But I trimmed the indented pages into the curved outline of book spines. So I could continue with the book dutch-door theme in my bullet journal. The scalloped edges add just a little flair to the pages and, quite frankly, make me happy.

There are many possibilities to combine a book theme and dutch-doors in your bullet journal. It’s like a bullet journal book inception. You could go deeper and deeper.

Things I Learned While Creating a Book-Themed Dutch-Door Bullet Journal

While creating this dutch-door bullet journal theme, I learned the number one thing: I need some serious practice using an Exacto Knife. Especially with those curved edges I added for the book spines. After cutting out the dutch-door on the welcome page, I reverted to scissors for all the weeklies.

The second thing I learned while creating this theme, I love using templates for repeating shapes. Since the scalloped book edges for the weeklies, I cut out a template from a notepad and used that edge to create all of the weekly pages.

I learned this month that I need a visual calendar when using a monthly log. But I ran out of room on my page, so I added a flip-out set of books with a calendar.

The fourth item I learned about this month’s theme was to use flip-out pages when you run out of room on your page. What’s nice about the flip-out pages is that you can also use them on subsequent pages. So if you don’t want to cut pages like a dutch-door, a flip-out page is a great alternative.

The fifth and final thing I learned when creating this theme is not to be afraid to cover it up. I covered up a messy mistake on my brain dump page called “Not all thoughts are black & white. That’s why we have grey matter.” I love the look of the torn pages and the contrast on the page. Some of my favorite pages have come from trying to figure out how to fix a mistake.

Your Thoughts on Dutch-Doors

What are your opinions on Dutch Doors in your bullet journal? What concerns do you have? If you’ve tried it, I’d love to know what worked and what didn’t.

Oh, and by the way, if you have ideas on more ways to use books and dutch-doors together as a bullet journal theme, I’d love to hear your thoughts!