It may only be a week into this busy season of back to school, new sports teams and multiple piano lessons, but we bet it feels a bit longer than that. At this point, your house may look like an organized tornado ran through it. You know the kind: it leaves of piles of similar items together and in strategic spots throughout the house. It’s organized chaos and you always know where everything is, right?
Well, we’ve got a solution to the tornado that is this first week of fall. The beauty of this step-by-step is that you don’t even have to follow our steps! Take a peek down the list, get the gist, and then get to work creating a Command Center that best fits your family’s needs. Bonus: you probably won’t even have to spend a dime. Command Centers can be crafted from what you’ve already got laying around your house. You can add your meal planning lists and chore checklists to this station, too, so your kids always know where to look. It’s the perfect home base and a quick way to get organized before another one of those sneaky tornadoes rushes through.
What You’ll Need:
- A space in your home that doesn’t have anything else going on
- A blank wall near the laundry room or garage would work best
- You could also try a spot in the kitchen
- Hammer or drill
- Nails
- Chore checklist, meal planning board, other organizational items to hang on the wall
- Wall calendar
- Clipboards for upcoming events or projects
- Desk or small table
- Baskets or plastic bins
- Decorative items like frames or plaques
How You’ll Do It:
- Choose a spot in your home that is unused but that your family walks by quite frequently.
- Set up a desk or table against the wall.
- Stack baskets or bins beneath the desk. Label each basket or bin for one of your children.
- This is where they will store backpacks and shoes. (No more looking for those pesky items 30 seconds before leaving for school!)
- Arrange your chore checklist, meal planning board and other organizational tools and decorative items on the wall above the table or desk.
- Supply paper, Post-It Notes, pens and dry erase markers on the table or desk so you can add to your wall of lists when necessary.
Now your family will always know when and where they need to be at all times, and they’ll always have the supplies they need to face the day. Organization always takes preparation and a few minutes to accomplish, but it’s worth it in the end! Have your kids help pick out photos for the wall and office items for the desk. It can be your next family project and a gift that keeps on giving!