Let’s be honest, life only seems to get more and more busy these days. As wonderful as personal calendars may be (whether you opt for one on your phone or in your planner), they can only get you so far. At the end of the day, staying on top of your busy schedule is best achieved with clear organization, daily reminders, and easy to read visuals. With all this knowledge in mind, I determined how to easily build a command center in no time!
If there was one thing I learned from my “failed” attempts at optimal organization in the past, it was that I need a central location to keep all my dates, lists and reminders together. This is why I found a command center to be my best bet.
5 Key Secrets to Command Center Success:
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Central location.
– Be sure and find a central location in your home to setup up your command center. This should be a place you walk by on a daily basis. After all, what good is having everything organized if you fail to see and thus use it?! [After recent home construction, I found myself with a random wall on the end of a hallway. Seeing as if this location was off of my kitchen, I knew I’d be forced to see my command center daily and thus my command center was born.]
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Declutter the space surrounding.
– It is important to allow your command center to have enough room that you can focus on the items necessary and not be distracted by clutter. Don’t have an open wall you can dedicate? No worries, simply find a smaller section to create your command center. A command center can be as small or large as you desire and have the room to implement. If needed, you can even remove some wall decor in order to incorporate your command center. In no time, your organizational benefits will far outweigh your happiness that the wall decor brought you, promise!
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Simplify sections.
– Don’t have one calendar that keeps track of every appointment for every member of the family, along with family vacations, grocery lists and upcoming events. Too much information is overwhelming and frustrating, in the end leading to failed attempts at being organized. As space allows, create additional calendars, bulletin boards, folders, etc. for different needs.
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Label, label and label.
– Clearly label and breakdown categories that are most important in your life. Note this may change as your life changes, as what may be important one year (i.e. kid’s school lunches), may not be as important the next (when your kiddos are out of school). [For me, these categories include: a monthly calendar, a more detailed weekly calendar, a catch all location for invitations and announcements, a place to sort incoming and outgoing mail, a to do list and a place to jot down grocery and shopping lists easily. However, I know a few years from now as the activities of my kiddos only increase, I’ll need to add an additional kiddo calendar as well.]
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You don’t need to spend a small fortune.
– Many companies will sell pre-made command center organizers. As fabulous as these are, they truly aren’t necessary to get the most out of your command center. In fact if you are at all like me, you may have most of what you need already sitting in your home collecting dust. [As beautiful as the Pottery Barn command centers are, I knew creating one from there was not in my budget. So, I stuck with my tried and true BFF, Amazon for 99% of my items.]
After implementing the above tips, my end result is as pictured!
* Affiliate links are included in this post. All this means, is that if you click on one of those links and purchase something, I may receive a small commission. However, you will not pay a penny more- promise!
Want to duplicate this look?
The galvanized mail envelope can be located here
The square cork board can be located here
Similar calendar can be located here
Similar weekly dry erase board can be located here
Final Steps
I labeled all items with clear font, cardstock and additional paper matting for cosmetic appeal. As you can see my current command center is heavy on the mail organization. Is it just me or does mail seem to pile up on your countertops all the time too? These tools allowed me to file mail under general “mail” (think magazines, flyers, etc), “attention needed mail” (think bills) and “outgoing” mail.
Additionally, as wonderful as dry erase boards are (and I have plenty to prove my love for them), I knew that I wanted a location for grocery and regular shopping items to be jotted down where I didn’t have to then rewrite them every time I ran an errand.
So, I created an inexpensive and easy to make clipboard with tear away paper. You can create one too by simply stapling together (along the top/smaller end) 10 pieces of computer paper. Then cut the paper down the middle to form two sections (stopping your cut line short of the staples). Clip this pack of paper under your clipboard and top with a label to hide your staples. Now every time I think of a new item needed I add it to the list. Then every time I leave for the store, I tear off a sheet of paper. Easy as that!
And just like that… my command center was complete! Now, over a year later, my command center continues to not only be used daily by me, but also by my husband for optimal family organization!
Hooked on organization (me too!)? Don’t stop here!
Enjoy additional FREE organizational posts and printables below:
- Important Dates Printable (ideal for easily keeping track of those important dates (birthdays and anniversaries). I tend to print two of these, keeping one on my command center and one in my on-the-go planner).
- Monthly Calendars (Available in two different template designs, these 2020 calendars are 100% free! Furthermore, they are ideal for organization with their wide open spaces!)
- “Simple Sunday Strategy” (this strategy has helped me tremendously to organize the week ahead and CUT weekday stress in the process! The idea couldn’t be more simple and I would highly recommend giving it a shot!)
- How to have your most organized year yet! (You won’t want to miss these tips!)
- Weekly Plan Organizer Printable (Ideal for weekly meal prep, or organizing extracurricular activities. I am sure to use one of these weekly!)
- Busy Woman’s Holiday Organizational Booklet (If the holidays stress you out (you are not alone!), then you will definitely want to pin this post for later! Packed full of organization tips, strategies, and printables… enjoy this FREE 8-page booklet!)
Do you have a command center? What is your favorite feature? Share below!
