Command Center

The specifics of this set-up will be changing to fit our new house, but I wanted to keep a record of the system here, so I remember what worked about it and why.

After trying lots of other organizational schemes, most of which were centered around a binder or notebook, I finally realized that I actually need to be able to see everything that I need to be able to see. Out of sight is out of mind.

Here we have a calendar, my bulletin board, which holds my weekly cleaning checklist and recipes on probation, and one of my two planning clipboards for school (the other one is usually up there, too, but I think it got packed already for some reason). One clipboard has the Montessori presentations for the week, and the other has the morning basket plans. I also use those for record-keeping.

On the counter is a tickler file and a file of stuff I've torn from magazines over the years. Neither of these have worked that well for me and will be eliminated as I move towards implementing a (more) paperless system. Not sure why there's an empty flattened pasta box stuck in there. Children.

On the white board on the fridge, I keep a running list of groceries we need and leftovers that need to be eaten. When I am really on the ball, I also write a list of all the week's produce as we unpack it into the fridge so that things don't get forgotten in the crisper drawer. It's also the place for Bob to leave notes and to-dos for me. The paper has an inventory of the freezer, which we're trying to empty before the move.

Our new house has a galley-style kitchen, so there is no big open wall for all this to live on. My current plan is to keep the whiteboard on the fridge, get a smaller bulletin board to fit one of the narrower wall spaces, and then keep the school-related clipboards in the school room. But we'll see.