Organize Your Home Command Center
Having a Command Center is the best way of keeping your busy family organized. Putting together one area where everyone can add their activities and appointments makes everyone’s lives easier. There are many ways of putting together your own Command Center, take what works for you and leave what doesn’t; not everyone has the same needs.
You need to decide what your own Command Center will consist of. Will you only need to handle family activities and appointments from your Command Center? Or, will your station be for bill paying, homework, or be used as an actual home office?
- Find a central location- Usually this is the kitchen. The kitchen might not work for your family though so maybe a spot by the door is better for you. Wherever you choose should be a spot where everyone in the family will bring their papers, invitations, and other to-dos and where they go to check the calendar.
- Gather supplies- Most Command Centers will have these items: calendar, pens/pencils, filing system, bulletin board, and trash can. You may also have items like envelopes and stamps and a computer if this is being used for paying bills and homework.
- Set it up- Your calendar should be large enough to write in each family member’s activities and appointments. Color coding each family member is helpful, so each person knows at a glance what they have for things to do that day. Your filing system can be what works for you. Do you want a filing cabinet that is there for the filing of all household items? Or are you looking for filing trays or wall pockets that are just for each family member?
The most important things to remember are what it is that your family needs. Your Command Center can be as simple as a giant calendar hanging on your refrigerator. As long as everyone knows to go to the calendar and write down the day they have sports or a friend’s birthday party and to check the calendar every day, it may be enough for you. While others need the whole corner or an entire home office to run their household, every family is different so do what works for you.
Filing trays for each family member can be extremely helpful in taming all the papers that seem to multiply. If children drop all of their papers in their file every day after school, you won’t miss anything like important permission slips that need to be signed and sent back to school.
The bulletin board works for invitations with directions on them, or to stick notes to remind you to call for oil or have the dog groomed. Always have a trash can and recycling bin nearby as well. Once activities are recorded on the calendar and you no longer need that piece of paper, recycle it.
It may take a little tweaking, but eventually you will find a perfect system for your Command Center. The most important part is to be consistent. Get everyone involved and remind them daily to go to their file as well as to check the calendar. With families having so many activities going on, it will be nice getting everyone in the habit of doing this daily.
Here are the things you will need to get your Command Center up and running:
