Family Command Center

Create a basic family command center that will help keep your busy family organized

To some, a family command center can be visual clutter, but to me, out of sight out of mind right? We’re a family of five with two school-age children, two full-time jobs, and well, just life in general. Things always feel a little chaotic around here, so with school starting back up, I knew I needed to put a better system into place to organize paperwork and coordinate our schedules.

I created my family command center on a blank space in our laundry room. This space is right off of our main garage entry. We also hang keys, coats, backpacks and work uniforms here so my husband and I always get a visual reminder of the calendar before we head out the door.

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Calendar

For most, a calendar of some sort will be the hub of your family command center. At the beginning of the month, I write in any set obligations (work & school schedules, appointments, etc….) If you’re a large family, a separate color for each family member can help to visually differentiate individual activities. Dry erase markers are stored in a drawer within reach for anything that comes up along the way.

Two clipboards hang from small command hooks on the side of this wall cabinet. These are easy to change up with the seasons. Mine currently have the school’s academic calendar and a Clean Mama cleaning schedule.

Paper Organization

I hung two sets of these IKEA Kvissle magazine racks with basic file folders to help with paper organization. For now, I’ve divided them up into the following categories. Once I see what’s working well for our family I’ll add some cute labels.

• Memory Bin Papers – One folder for each child. Once a month, or when they get full I will move the contents to their actual memory bins that I keep in our basement. (More details on these bins coming soon). Label kit can be purchased from IHeartBins Etsy Shop
• Current School Paperwork – One folder for each school-aged child
• A file for myself
• A file for my husband
• Kids chore chart supplies – This one is still a work in progress
• Current year tax documents
• Blog documents and small calendar
• Action Items – Items that need to be addressed within the next week.
• Receipts – Large item and home improvement receipts and things I may need to return later.
• I kept one empty in case I find something later that I overlooked that needs to find a home. For now, I keep my planner in it when I don’t want to lug it around in my purse.

Outgoing

I found this cute little leather wall envelope to use for any outgoing mail and to hang our keys on! The perfect spot to grab everything as I head out the door!

I’m in love with this little drawer cabinet from The Container Store. It’s the perfect size to store full sheets of paper, but you can also purchase plastic divider trays that fit inside the drawers. Perfect for organizing all of the little odds and ends. I can’t wait to fill it all up!