With summer approaching, I’m finding it’s increasingly necessary to get a command center up and “running” at the new house. If you’re unfamiliar with what a home command center is, it’s an organized area for you to keep all of your family’s events, loose papers and daily odds-and-ends in one place.
Why You Need a Home Command Center
If you’re a busy family, a home command center is a must! With busy schedules, it’s a centralized place to keep your family updated on upcoming events and obligations. It’s perfect for families with kids in multiple sports and activities. It’s also extremely useful for parents (or non-parents) to keep track of work events, trips, birthdays, etc.
Outside of the calendar-planning, it’s helps keep your house tidy and organized. Having a place to hang your keys at the end of the day ensures you always know where they are. Hanging baskets for mail and loose papers helps eliminate clutter on the kitchen counter or foyer table. Write out your weekly grocery list so you can easily tear it off (or snap a photo) on your way to the store.
Home Command Center Essentials
If you’re convinced you need a home commend center, here’s a few essentials to get you started. Keep in mind, you can start with just one or two of these items and then add other items as needed.
Dry Erase Calendar
In my opinion, every home command center should start with a dry erase calendar. With busy schedules, this is the best way to keep track of schedules on the fly. It takes only a few moments at the beginning of the month to write in the dates and scheduled events. I would prefer dry erase over a paper calendar just because you can easily make changes (unless you prefer to write in pencil on the paper calendar).
Mail Holder/Letter Bin
Mail – why on earth is there so much of it?!? I swear I go paperless every chance I get but I still feel like our mail piles continue to grow.
Ideally, I’ll be looking for a holder with two to three bins so that I can organize our mail into categories. One of the bins can be used for important documents that need attention soonest (bills, event RSVPs, etc.), another bin will be for things that need filing (tax documents, insurance paperwork, receipts you may need to keep, medical documents, etc.) and a third can be for things to get back to (catalogs, coupons, etc.).
Key Hooks
My husband is notorious for misplacing his keys if he doesn’t set them in a place he often looks for them. Having a key hook on the wall as soon as he walks in the mudroom will provide a place for him to hang his keys as soon as he walks in the door.
Blank Chalkboard or Dry Erase Board
Not a necessity, but I like the idea of having a blank chalkboard or dry erase board to add notes that won’t go on your calendar. Here you could write out items you need from the store, daily or weekly reminders, or love notes (to your kids, spouse or yourself!).
Weekly Menu Planner
If menu planning is your thing (I’m trying to make it mine), why not include it in your home’s command center? I think it’s so much easier to meal plan when you have your calendar accessible. No more planning your meals, buying the ingredients and then realizing you have a busy week and spent money on groceries you didn’t need to.
Bulletin Board or Magnetic Board
While this can totally be an area to collect clutter, if used appropriately, a bulletin or magnetic board is super helpful. Use this as a place to pin items that need immediate attention (RSVPs to mail, permission slips to return to school, business cards you need to reference, recipes you want to try etc.). This is also a fun place for your kids to display their school work on rotation.
Small Shelf
Grab a small shelf and some small jars to store loose odds and ends like pens, pushpins and spare change.
My Inspiration
- Dry Erase Calendar | 2. Dry Erase Whiteboard | 3. Wood Shelf with Key Hooks | 4. Fabric Pinboard with Cubbies | 5. Dry Erase Meal Planning Whiteboard
If you’re not already, follow along with me on Instagram! I’ll be posting our home command center on there after it’s ready – we’re just waiting on our mudroom bench!