Step One: Assign the Space

Author: Ali Kaufman

Staying on top of whats next for each member of your family probably feels like a daily futility workout. Too bad it doesnt burn more calories.

Truth is: It takes a very little bit of work (and as much or as little creativity and cash as you have to spare for the project) to set up the space and systems for your familys very own family command center.

Just like it sounds, a family command center becomes the nerve center of your household operation. It is the hub of the systems that save you from the daily earthquake that rumbles down the stairs every morning with toothpaste-stained lips, untied shoes and last minute homework assignments that involve you shopping for supplies for projects youre going to end up doing for them anyway.

Your family command center will be the cure-all for your communication breakdowns. Here are a few of the things that you can include in your command center: (the complete list can be found here)

• calendar(s)
• whats next lists
• shopping lists
• school project lists
• invites + gift lists
• flyers + notices
• mail in/out boxes
• household checklists
• more here

If you wake up every morning wishing you had an air traffic controller monitoring the early morning kitchen chaos, try this:

Take a tour around your home and choose the space for your family command center. It should be a good chunk of wall and/or surface space. The ideal spot is at the familys main entrance. Before passing go, no one collects anything or does anything or goes anywhere without checking in to see... whats next?

Check back for more blog posts on this topic, youll get the next steps for designing + creating your very own family command center and the secrets to getting your family psyched up to use it.

If youre more of a piler than a filer, you might find it easier to gather samples of items included on the list of potential family command center zones. Either way, get a good idea of who in your family does what, goes when and needs something where.

Once you know where your family command center will live and what it needs to include, check back here for the next step.