The Easiest Family Command Center for Busy Families ( Busy Mom Approved)
Keeping track of school events, permission slips, test dates, after-school activities and even doctor’s appointments can make you feel like you are drowning. You are not alone,
The good news is you don’t need a fancy, expensive setup to get organized. I’ll show you the easiest, low-stress command center any busy family can set up — even if you only have a small corner to work with.
Is this what your kitchen counters or dining room table is starting to look like?
What Is a Family Command Center?
Your family command center is your small area of organized chaos. You can use items you already have in your home, and some items are easy to get and not too pricy at all.
This area will help keep you and your kids stay aware of upcoming test dates, doctor appointments and school trips and birthday parties. You will have time to get ready and plan for certain events when it’s up front and in focus for everyone.
No more surprise school events we are not prepared for and forgotten after school events.
What You Need For Your Personalized Command Center
This simple list is all you need. You can add as much or as little as you want. The size and cost are up to you; add as little or as much as you need. If you can’t get a dry erase board yet you can use an undated Monthly Calendar print out.
Items for your family command center
Writing desk
You choose the size, I actually went with a corner style desk because I didn’t have a lot of room. As I said, you can move one from around your home I found mine at the local Goodwill; it was the color I wanted, it could fit in my small space, and the price was right!
A Dry-Erase Wall Calendar
A monthly dry-erase calendar helps write out everything on one simple calendar for everyone to see. They can be held up with nails, or, depending on how light it is, you could try command strips.
Mine is placed above the desk, and it’s held up with nails in the wall that I just attach the calendar to every month when I update the board.
This brings me to my next tip: you will be pulling this down and putting it back up every month with updates.
I like to take it down and write in everything at once. I also cannot write for too long standing up so it was important for me to be able to bring it down.
You may want to put it up low to write on it standing up, but this could get tiresome. Also, if you have little ones who could get distracted and want to write on it (like my two boys), you may not want it too low.
Your dry-erase calendar should have the month, and it’s helpful to have a separate list of the weekly items. This helps identify what is due this week, what is happening this week besides all the things on the monthly calendar.
You have items that are due this week, and you can plan for them. The dry-erase board I used has a third task list. I like to use that for things that are due the whole month and as a separate grocery or errands list. I have linked it below if you want to see it.
Ubrands – Walmart – Dry Erase Calendar
A Wall Mesh Organizer
This is where you can use clips to hang papers, pictures from school, report cards, etc.
I am really unsure what you could call it. I had one from the year before, and I reused it for my command center. I couldn’t find the exact one I had, but these look like they would do the trick and give you an idea of how mine look.
choose something you would like
A Simple Clip board and pencil/pens Holder
A pen + marker cup
Optional: a weekly printable (like School Week-at-a-Glance)- you can print this out and start your journey before you get the dry-erase board.
Any Area Can Become your family Command Center
How to Set It Up (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Choose a spot you walk by every day (kitchen wall, hallway, dining area)
An area you and the family go by and can see every day is a good place.
The monthly calendar will be visible and easy for even small children to start to recognize and see if they have after-school soccer scheduled or weekend swim lessons.
You want it to be an easy place for everyone to have access to.
Step 2: Hang the calendar at eye-level
You want everyone to be able to see montly schedule clearly but also be able to update the board easily.
I found out quickly that writing against the wall was not ideal for me, I am short and my arms bothered me staying in a writing position that long. So I take the board down and place it back up whenever Im updating my board.
Keep in mind where and how high you want your board.
Step 3: Add a clipboard or inbox for papers
Your writing or homework desk should have a place where your children can also drop off papers and sheets, you can go through them and hang up or save as you like.
Step 4: Add a pen holder or tiny cup
Step 5: Add your weekly printable for quick reference
if you cant get a dry erase board right now no worries, use a blank book or printable.
Step 6: Write down only the essentials for the week — not everything
If you do have a seperate task list on your monthly calendar, use it for the weekly items so you can focus on one week at a time. No need for overload, we want easy, not overwhelming.
You got this! Keep going!
What to put on your calendar.
This is up to you. I prefer everything so when I do glance up at our family calendar, I can see and know what is coming, in every aspect of our family schedule.
Monthly events and appointments, school holidays when school is closed and days you might have off from work as well. You want to be able to look at your calendar and at a glance, know what is happening that day with your family members so everything can be planned out.
How to Keep it Updated.
Easy to remember, Sunday or Saturday evening, depending on your preference, update the weekly to-do list for the upcoming week. This way, any items needed this week are seen and can be planned out.
Each morning, look at your board calendar and look for anything needed that day and the week.
End of school day, any notes and sheets from school can go up on the wall paper clips or clipboards, whichever works for you. You can always use a bin that the kids can drop off papers in.
Fridays – clear out anything outdated from your paper bin
Monthly- update the whole month at one time, adding in anything from your calendar and the kids’ calendar. I always check the school website for scheduled days the school will be closed.
TIP- I have used different colored dry-erase markers to show whose after-school activity is whose, for example, soccer practice, I write in blue for my son, and after-school STEM club in purple for my other son.
If you are a visual person like me, you will appreciate this, so it’s quick and easy to know where and who is going where.
Start today
If you have been thinking of doing this, you just gotta start today.
Look around the house and see if there is a spot that calls out to you. You will know the best place to put your family command center.
Start small, look and see if you have items in your home you can repurpose for this and think about where you can put them. Add the touches that you want to see every day and make it your own.
Make it available for everyone to see and you will tell the difference.
I hope this helps you get inspired for your own family command center. If you would like to know how this has helped me you can check out this quick easy post
Leave a comment or message me if you have any questions or comments
One Comment
Pingback: