Organise your life with a command centre
Take control of your household and run it like a military operation with your own family command centre. Never miss paying a bill, forget a birthday, or mislay that vital document again. Here’s our guide to setting one up in your home.
What is a command centre?
A command centre (or command station) is quite literally a place from which you can command your entire household.
The term is American and it’s a big thing over there. Thanks to Pinterest and the transglobal blogosphere, the command centre is rapidly working its way into British homes. And no wonder! With lives more hectic than ever before, it can often feel like we’re drowning in life admin and clutter.
That’s where the command station comes into its own. It gives you a fighting chance of keeping on top of everything.
So, whether you’re struggling to keep track of everyone’s activities, or want to manage the household budget better, this could be the answer.
Where to start?
Your family, home and lifestyle will dictate what your command centre needs to achieve.
It should organise the basics of domestic life: post, grocery shopping, meal-planning, to-dos, appointments, bills, messages for family members, keys, phones, a calendar, a clock.
Although not restricted to parents, the command centre really does come into its own when you have to organise your own lives as well as your kids’. Contending with school newsletters, permission slips, lunch bags, book bags, sun hats, rain coats, PE kits, show-and-tell items, cake sale money… Getting organised makes everyone’s lives easier.
To work out how to run your household more smoothly, make a list of the problem areas in your daily routine – the sticking points where tempers get frayed and precious minutes get wasted. That should give you a good idea of what you need to include in your family command centre.
Where to put it?
Location is everything when it comes to the family command station. It needs to be situated somewhere where everyone can see it. Choose a location that the whole family passes through – whether that’s the hallway, the kitchen, or a handy nook at the centre of your home.
How to set it up
Once you’ve decided what to include in your command centre and know where you want to to put it, here comes the fun part. You get to design it!
Take inspiration from some of the command centres featured in this post. Or spend an hour browsing through Pinterest. Jot down anything that jumps out at you.
Shelves and notice boards are key. Make sure wall calendars are kept up to date with important birthdays, appointments and contract renewal dates. Take a moment to work out how many birthday cards you need for the next six months and buy them online, in advance. Check out our wonderful range of birthday cards and stay one step ahead.
Think carefully about where you are going to position hooks, shelves and family paperwork. Do you want little ones to be able to reach stuff or is it safer if they can’t?
How to make your command centre work hard
Pictured above: Vintage Cream Metal Storage Drawer - £5.95, Vintage Red Metal Storage Drawer - £5.95
When it comes to maximising your space, think vertically. Use clipboards, hooks, shelves and colourful pegs to keep surfaces clear. Don’t overcrowd though. Only keep things within eyesight that are either current or super-important.
Fix wire mesh in-trays straight to the wall. They’ll take up less space and papers will be less likely to remain buried for months.
Store fiddly items like pens, stamps, or phone chargers in boxes, again fixed to the wall. Small, carefully labelled boxes work best.
Make it personal
Your final task is to make your command centre something you love using. Something you’re proud of. And something you love the look of.
So put your own finishing touch to the wire in-trays you’ve fixed to your wall by making pretty labels from stylish wrapping paper.
And don’t forget to add an inspirational quote or two to help you out on those difficult mornings.
Organise your home with Rex London
If you’re looking for more command station inspiration, look no further...
Pictured above: Giant silver desk tidy - £2.95, Rustic Craft Sewing Box - £5.95
Pictured above: ‘Milk Carton’ Memo Pads - £2.95, Garden Birds Memo Pads - £4.95
Pictured above: 1950’s Pink Metal Wall Clock - £19.95, Vintage Metal Sorting Tray - £29.95