Organized Spaces at Home – The Command Center

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that getting organized has to start somewhere. Everyone has their own set of struggles, and if you are a busy parent, you know how hard it is to keep the kids and the house organized, all while balancing a career!  To see results, you have to start somewhere…. This month’s focus in on the command center, a critical place in the home that when implemented, families can find a sense of balance within all the chaos! At dictionary dot com, hub is defined as a center around which other things revolve or from which they radiate; a focus of activity, authority, commerce, transportation.

Where is the “hub” in your home? Typically, the hub of a home is usually near the kitchen or a common space for everyone in the house. The hub of a home is usually the best place to create a family command center. A designated spot where paperwork can be processed or important information can be retrieved are two important blocks to building that family command center. A command center should include the following three components:

• Message Center – If it’s a bulletin board or white board, having a place where messages can be retrieved is important. Each person should have their own designated color or slot for messages coming in and going out.

• Inbox(s) – Having a specific inbox for every family member is also very important. This allows each person to be responsible for processing their paperwork, coming in or going out. It also allows kids to hand off paperwork for parents quickly and without incident.

• Tools & Resources – Having all the proper tools and resources in a command center can make processing information in the home so much easier. Things like writing utensils, postage, pencil sharpener, tape, post-it’s, and a stapler are just to name a few. Each household has their own pool of resources and again, giving kids the access to these resources allows them to become self reliant. Some specific resources are contact phone numbers, house keys, phone books or a “who to call when” list, empowers kids to gather information on their own.

Creating a command center can start small; the important thing is to just start! Involve your kids, let them show their own creativity in what they would like to see as a command center and who knows what kind of results you might see!

About the Author:
Megan Spears, Christian woman, stay at home mom and owner of Disorder2Order, a home based business in Hood River, Oregon. Megan helps busy families create household management systems.  She is a mother of two boys and a small business owner. Megan has always been a Christian, but really felt that she came to Christ in 2000, just after the loss of her father.

“Thy Word is a lamp onto my feet and a light onto my path.” Psalms 119:105. A passage that she carries in her heart, and believes that God’s Word guides her each and every day. She serves him by helping others!
Helping educate people on the benefits of organization is her passion. She has her own blog that focuses on life organization, and is a feature writer for the Online Organizing Blog and the Preschool Finders Blog. She teaches workshops and speaks on topics such as time management, paper clutter, and household management systems.

She is an active member the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), as well as a board member for NAPO Oregon Chapter, the Director of Membership for the NAPO Oregon Chapter, a committee member for the NAPO Chapter Relations Committee, a member of the Faithful Organizers, and an active supporter of the NAPO in the Schools program.