Do you have paper clutter piling up on your counters, unsigned permission slips, and schedules posted all over the fridge? Then you may be in need of a family command center. Here are 4 Steps to Create the Perfect Command Center for your family.
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Now that back-to-school season is upon us, I am in full organization mode. I don’t know about you, but there is just something about the new school year that motivates me to declutter and organize my home. I love getting my house back in order before we get busy with all of the fun holiday traditions that are just around the corner.
One of the best ways that I have found to stay organized and on top of household responsibilities is with a family command center. Let’s face it, when you have kids it can be almost impossible to keep track of everyone’s schedules, appointments, practices, etc. Even with the best planner and system sometimes things can slip through the cracks.
That is why a home command center is one of the best organizational hacks for your home. It not only helps you manage your household but allows you to conquer all that paper clutter once and for all.
Related:
- How to Be a More Organized Mom
- 30 Time-Saving Hacks for Busy Moms
- 12 Simple Ways to be More Productive at Home
- How to use Time Block Scheduling to be More Productive
What is a Family Command Center?
A command center is basically an all-in-one home organizational area of your home where you can keep track of important papers, schedules, and to-do lists.
Why Do You Need a Command Center?
Trying to juggle everyday life with bills, schedules, activity lists, and important papers from work or school can be overwhelming. You may be keeping things in a folder or in a bin. You may have even attempted a binder to create some sort of organization for your home. But as your kids get older, you may find that just keeping a binder isn’t enough to keep everything straight.
Where Should You Put a Family Command Center?
The best part of this is that it’s entirely up to you. If you prefer to keep things simple, you can use the side of your refrigerator, or if you have the space try using a hallway or wall in your kitchen or mudroom for your command center. As long as it’s in a location where the whole family can see it and be able to use it.
What Elements Should Be Included in a Home Command Center?
Calendar
A calendar is a great way to keep your family in the loop so that everyone can stay on top of what needs to be done during the month. A few things you can make sure to include on your calendar are:
- Appointments
- Practice schedules
- Work schedules
- School activities
- Birthdays
A weekly planner can also come in handy if you need more space in addition to a calendar so you can write down each child’s name and their own individual schedules for the week.
Emergency booklet
This emergency information booklet lets you record passwords, contacts, medical info, and more. Of course, you can always create your own emergency binder or folder that includes family, friends, or neighbors’ numbers in case there is an emergency. Also, make sure to include doctors’ names and insurance information.
Chore charts
Chore charts are a great way to keep your kids accountable when it comes to completing their chores. These magnetic ones are perfect to put on the fridge especially if you don’t have a lot of wall space for your command center.
Cleaning checklists
If you are looking for an easy way to keep your home clean all the time then you need to use cleaning checklists. These along with good cleaning habits have helped me keep my home consistently clean and tidy. I like to include them in my command center so I always know what chores need to be done every day.
You may also like:
- 60 Cleaning Tasks That Take 5 Minutes or Less
- 30-Day Deep Cleaning Challenge
- 20 Quick Cleaning Hacks
Meal planner
Adding a meal planner to your home command center is a great way to let the family know what’s for dinner throughout the week. I know my family loves it when I update our meal planner so they can see what to look forward to.
Are you crafty? You can get some chalkboard paint or chalkboard contact paper and make your own meal planner. Just simply write “weekly menu” on the top and then add the days of the week down the side.
I’ve used the chalkboard contact paper and put it on the front of my pantry to add my meal plan. But, if you want to add your meal plan to a command center. You could pick up a sign at the Dollar Tree turn it over and paint it with chalkboard paint or cover it with contact paper and write your week’s menu on it with a chalk pen.
Related:
Shopping lists
A shopping list is a must to include in your command center. Whenever you are out of something, simply add it to your shopping list. Placing it in a central location encourages family members to also add to it when they need or want something, making grocery shopping much less stressful because you are not forgetting things.
Mail rack
This mail rack is perfect to store your mail as it comes into your home so it’s not piling up on your counters. Although, dealing with mail as soon as it comes into your home is ideal, if that’s not possible for you and you can sift through it a few times a week then this mail rack would be a great option.
However, if you prefer to keep your mail sorted then this mail organizer allows you to separate your mail. You can use it for bills, important letters, coupons, and magazines.
Corkboard/Dry erase board
If you have the space, a corkboard/dry erase board can come in handy to jot down notes or reminders to family members.
All-in-one organizational rack
This all-in-one organizational rack is perfect if you want to combine many of the elements above. It includes a corkboard for notes, a chalkboard, a key holder, a mail bin, as well as two racks that can be used as in and out bins. Just place the important papers that need to go out in one rack and when they are ready, move them to the other rack so you know they’ve been dealt with.
A few other things you may like depending on how much space you have is hooks for keys, coats, purses, bags, and backpacks. As well as baskets to hold items such as chargers, masks, or extra items you want to keep handy.
4 Steps to Create the Perfect Family Command Center
Now that you know some important essentials to include in your home command center, here are 4 simple steps to achieve the perfect organizational hub for your family.
1. Choose a spot for your organizational hub
As I mentioned earlier, it’s best to find a place that works for your family’s needs. Take a minute to look around your home and find an area you pass by frequently throughout the day. Whether it be a hallway, a wall in your kitchen, or a cabinet next to the refrigerator.
2. Decide what you need to make it functional for your home
Once you’ve decided where to put it, you are aware of how much space you have to work with. Now, you just need to figure out what to include in your command center to make it the most functional for you and your family.
Remember you don’t need to overcomplicate things. Yes, there are beautiful home command centers all over Pinterest but since the goal is to find what works for you and your home, you need to sit down and really think about what you need when it comes to home organization.
3. Figure out a budget and add your organizational elements
After you’ve made your list of your must-have organizational tools, you should decide on a budget. Depending on your preferences, you may want to use free printables (I have many in my free resource library) or you can choose to purchase magnetic calendars or notepads to keep it simple and budget-friendly.
You can head to Dollar Tree and find binders, and book bins to store the binders for important information. As well, as dry erase boards, and clipboards to hold your free calendar printables or chore charts. The good news is that creating a command center for your family doesn’t have to cost a lot as long as it’s functional and meets your needs.
4. Personalize it
One of the best parts of creating a family command center is being able to personalize it the way that you want. I love adding family pictures, signs with favorite quotes on them, or really anything that matches your home decor.
To keep things within your budget, shop your home. Reuse or rearrange items throughout your home to change things up.
When I’m looking for ideas to redecorate or add decor to my home on a budget, Krafts by Katelyn on YouTube is one of my favorite channels to find Dollar Tree DIY home decor ideas. Of course, Pinterest is also a great resource for budget-friendly home decor ideas.
Family Command Center Ideas
To give you some inspiration here are a few amazing command center ideas.
This Hallway Family Command Center– (Where the Smiles Have Been) is the ultimate family command center that includes three monthly calendars, a weekly calendar, chore charts, to-do lists, a mail organizer, and a growth chart ruler.
If you are looking for a cute idea to include in your home command center, this DIY Farmhouse Memo Board (Crafts by Amanda) would be the perfect addition. You can hang notes, lists, and pictures.
A few more home command center ideas I love:
- DIY Command Center– Aileen Cooks
- Man Oh Man Command Center– At Charlotte’s House
- Rustic Style Home Command Center– Little Yellow Wheelbarrow
Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to create your own command center in your home. Remember the goal is always to find what works best for you and your home to help you live a more manageable and organized life.
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