Command central,
Get control over your time and your schedule with a ‘battle station for life’
It’s 6 p.m. and you’re running late as usual. You forgot about your son’s baseball practice today and that you had that late meeting. You scramble to get the kids packed up and finally have them strapped into the van when you realize you don’t have his baseball glove and, worse, you have no idea where it is.
Sound familiar? If it does, creating a command centre in your home could be just the answer. In fact, says professional organizer Gisele Grenier Miller, everyone — from singles to busy families to seniors — can benefit from using one.
A command centre is your home’s main battle station for life. It’s a central area where all important tasks are recorded and, if used correctly, it can be a tool to keep everyone and everything in your home organized and on track.
“It’s all about time management,” said Grenier Miller, owner of Altered Spaces - Altered Lives ( altered spaces altered lives. “A command centre can serve as a reminder so you have time to prepare for events ahead of time.”
The key to creating an efficient command centre is choosing the right location. Set it up in a convenient area, otherwise it may be forgotten or ignored and not used to its full potential.
The most common place to put one is in the kitchen, since it’s already the hub of the home, says Grenier Miller.
It can be set up on a wall, or it can be a desk or table.
Alternatively, a cupboard or cabinet can be set aside to create a central command centre that can be shut away to reduce clutter. Grenier Miller suggests lining the cabinet with magnetic chalkboard sheets or paint to make jotting down important notes a breeze.
Or, if you’re tech-savvy, set up a command centre using an iPad, tablet or computer — just utilize apps instead of physical tools.
Once you’ve chosen an ideal location, start gathering your tools.
“The calendar is the No. 1 tool that is needed,” says Grenier Miller. The larger the calendar, the better; the more space you have to jot down important family events, schedules and notes, the less likely you are to miss something.
She also suggests including some sort of filing system for mail, bills and other papers that come into the house. But you’ll need to go through it once a week to keep on top of things.
It’s also important to integrate a note-taking system, whether it be a whiteboard, chalkboard or old-fashioned note pad, to jot down things that need to be remembered.
There are many things that can be integrated into your home’s command centre: a meal planning system, chore lists for the children (or your spouse), displays for your children’s art — it’s really up to you.
Grenier Miller suggests reevaluating your command centre weekly or monthly to assess it’s usefulness. Is it doing what you had hoped? If not, what can you change or add?
Command centres can be life-changing for everyone, including children, she says.
“Incorporating some fun for the children, like bright colours or interactive tools, can help a child build organizational skills that they can then use in all areas for the rest of their lives.”