One of the most frequent requests I get from potential organizing clients is help with the never-ending stream of papers that come and go every day. So this week I will start the first in a series of posts dedicated to helping you create The Ultimate Family Command Center . . .

How many times a week do you answer the same questions about where various papers are in your house?

“Where’s that piece of paper with my friends phone number?”
“What happen to that credit card bill that was due sometime this week?”
“Where’s the take-out menu for the pizza place?”
“Who has the invitation to the party the kids were invited to this weekend?”
 ”Where’s a pencil and paper to take down a phone message?”

Despite efforts to go paperless, most household are over-run with paper piles. And if the papers aren’t over taking your kitchen counters, they are most likely relegated to that infamous junk drawer.  It may be in the kitchen, or in an office desk.  (Or maybe you have multiple junk drawers.)  Some place where you throw those little bits of miscellaneous papers, clippings, and mail.  We’ve all been guilty at one point or another of this form of organization.  But when it comes time to find these various objects, how easily, and better yet, how quickly, are you able to retrieve them?

My answer to household paper clutter is creating “The Ultimate Command Center.”

Similar to an airplane’s cockpit, which is a place for everything the pilot needs to communicate with those on the ground and simultaneously control the aircraft, the Family Command Center is a central place for managing household communication and running the family’s daily activities.  A Command Center manages: input (papers coming in), processes (what we need to do with those papers), output (papers going out), supplies, and frequent references.  It is the go-to spot for all the things you need to help your house run smoothly. 

When I put a Command Center together for a client, I encourage them to locate it in a central location, preferably near where you most often enter and exit your house.  Since the kitchen is usually the hub of the house, an ideal location is in an upper cabinet in the kitchen near the phone.                                
               
But you can also create a space in your home office.  If you use your computer for scheduling or contacts, you might want to locate the Command Center near the computer.  Just make sure it’s a functional space and that the location works best for you.
Find a way to incorporate a corkboard or magnetic board.  I usually try to attach a corkboard directly to the inside of the cabinet door using wood glue.  This keeps the board out of sight, but very accessible.  Use this board to post a list of frequently called numbers, lunch menus, invitations, grocery list. 

Setting up the System

Step 1: An Organized Junk Drawer

The first step is to create an “organized junk drawer” for all those office supplies you’re constantly asked for over the course of a day.  This will be their new “home.”  Each item will have its own space and the major rule here is:

ALL ITEMS MUST BE RETURNED TO THIS SPOT WHEN YOU ARE DONE USING THEM.

The goal here is for everyone to know where these items can always be found.  You can purchase inexpensive containers or you can re-purpose items you may already own:  small bowls, trinket boxes, clean baby food jars, the top of a glass butter dish, an empty mint box.  Have fun with it and make it as creative and attractive as you’d like, that way you’ll be more likely to keep it tidy. Another tip is to consider calling it something other than the “junk” drawer (you don’t want it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, now do you?). How about “utility drawer” or “office supplies drawer”?

Step 2: Papers In/Papers Out

There are different supplies and products you can use to put your Command Center together, but the basic set-up includes slots or cubbies for each member of the family for papers that come and go on a daily basis:  mail, children’s permission slips, notices, etc.  It is also useful to have a slot for incoming bills, as this will be the place where you sort the mail every day. In the pictured command center, the labeled slots are in the black organizer inside the right half of the cabinet. These don’t have to be expensive, just functional. Most times simple black stackable paper sorters work beautifully.

When you first implement this system it may be hard to get your kids, or even your significant other, into the habit of checking and using their slot.  So I like to place little surprises in the slots occasionally to motivate them to use it.  A piece of candy, a new pencil, love notes . . . just something to create the habit of using the system.

So what will become of all those papers once they make it into the cubbies? Wednesday I’ll post Part 2 of this series, which will focus on creating a family resource binder, so stay tuned for more! In the mean time, if you have any questions about setting up your own Command Center, please leave a comment below. 

Simply yours,
Debbie

Related posts:

1. The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 3: Active Files
2. The Ultimate Family Command Center, Part 2: The Family Resource Binder
3. Organizing York, PA . . . The Command Center
4. Work With Your Habits, Not Against Them
5. It’s National Clean Off Your Desk Day!