Create a Home Command Centre
What is a Home Command Centre? Despite its fancy name, it is actually a very simple concept. It’s a designated place where everything is brought together for the day-to-day running of the home so that people know where to find things. It really needn’t cost the earth, mine is mainly made up of things that I already had hanging around the home, along with a couple of things that I bought pretty cheaply. Any spot will do as the basis as a command centre. Mine centres around our fridge, with a spot in the hall for incoming mail.
What’s on mine?
Both Monthly and Weekly – the monthly one has dates for work and play. Although we do also have digital calendars that are shared between the family, somehow one on the fridge works best for the kids to see things at a glance.
We also have a Weekly one that includes the meals that are being eaten that week, along with the recipe book that they are from so that whoever is cooking can pick it up easily.
It’s a wipe clean magnetic one that I picked up from Amazon. I have the pens for the board and some other stationery in a magnetic pot that sticks to the fridge.
Also on our fridge is the weekly chore chart. With so many children and animals in our home, it helps us to make sure that no one is forgotten.
In a rack to the side of the cooker is a bunch of paperwork that is useful to keep near the command centre and it includes the 4-week rolling menu that we have. This menu makes it easy for us to plan our meals with little brain use.
Our incoming (and outgoing!) mail are in a slightly different place near our front door, but many people choose to have a mail sorting centre near the rest of the command centre – it just doesn’t quite work for us. However, if you have children at school, then a place where they can place their paperwork (if your school hasn’t gone digital!) is an excellent idea. You can get magnetic files that will go on your fridge if that is where you choose to sort it, otherwise just a set of files on a convenient wall.
Finally, I have seen some people who hang hooks for children’s bags near their command centre. Again, an excellent idea if you have the space. For us, we don’t need it as my children don’t go to school, but having a designated space for every item is helpful in a home.
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