Having a family command center is the key to keeping your sanity and keeping your family organized!
I have never been one to keep up with a schedule or planner. It’s like I have an aversion to keeping track of the smallest details of my day but with 2020 bringing about so many changes (i.e. challenges), that had to change. I have tried so many ideas to stay on track but today I want to share a few family command center ideas and other planning tips that may help if you’re planner adverse like me!
This past year I was challenged with keeping up with my mom’s doctor’s appointments, Jaden’s schoolwork, staying on track of client projects, keeping up with my online store and of course keeping up with home. There were many days I felt like a pressure cooker on the inside, trying not to explode from all the daily to-dos.
At the top of the year, I went on the hunt for the perfect family planner. I’m a left brainer, so the thought of planning my family’s lives down to the smallest detail has always left me running for the hills. I knew I needed a planner that was not restrictive in days and times and would offer enough space to sketch, scratch out and move things around as needed because that’s what left brainers do, right?!
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FOUR TIPS TO PLANNING WHEN YOU ARE PLANNER AVERSE
- Dedicate a notebook specifically for brain dumps. This helps get all of your thoughts, ideas, dates, etc. out of your head and onto paper. My favorite notebook for brain dumping is the Big Idea Sketchbook by Wit & Delight.
- Keep your priority to-dos to three major tasks a day. Anything more then that can feel overwhelming and become anxiety inducing.
- For family command centers, compartmentalize appointments, chores, lists of any kind. When everything runs together, you have a greater chance at forgetting things or becoming overwhelmed.
- Plan in blocks of time rather then a tight schedule. With little ones, things can change in a moment. In order to not feel like I’ve failed at planning because I’ve created a TOO tight schedule, I like to plan in loose blocks of time.
THE BEST FAMILY CALENDAR FOR YOUR FAMILY COMMAND CENTER
While scrolling Facebook one day, I stumbled on an ad (because it was definitely reading my mind) for The Family Plan Calendar. The Family Plan Calendar is the most amazing dashboard for your family!
I’ve often felt overwhelmed from having to keep up with multiple planners that serve different areas of your life. With the Family Plan Calendar, there’s room to keep track of everything your family needs… from chores, to your grocery list, planning out your menu for the week and even a prayer and grateful list.
Right now, the family calendar lives in the center of our home — the kitchen. My goal for this year is to have everyone in the family on board with using the family plan.
What I absolutely love the most is that the weekly calendar doesn’t include dates which means there’s no expiration on this calendar. I don’t always plan for the weeks so it’s really good knowing this calendar can last as long as I need it to. There’s no more guilt of letting another calendar or planner go to waste.
fOUR FAMILY COMMAND CENTER IDEAS YOU’LL LOVE
I’ve found a few other command centers around the web to fall in love with! Check them out here:
BUSINESS COMMAND CENTER FOR THE HOME OFFICE
Aside from trying to keep my family on track (2020 taught me many things), I also realized it was time to get my business life in order too. I’m the person that usually has 20 tabs open in my mind. It literally never stops racing which is number one reason why I fail to plan.
For my business life I knew I needed to compartmentalize all of my ventures and wanted some sort of wall organization. I started by breaking up my businesses — the blog, my design business, and online shop. For each business I needed to set up separate boards that would allow me to separate each task and goal in it’s respective category. Friends, I am almost ashamed to say this but I will anyway… for the past few years I have never separated my business affairs and that’s what has led me here.
I had three acrylic frames that I purchased from Target for Jaden’s room during the One Room Challenge. The frames didn’t fit the room but I decided to hold on to them hoping to use them for another project. After months, I finally found that project. Since I bought three, I used one for each business. This is the place I will brainstorm and make special notes for each category.
Next, I needed a weekly calendar for my daily tasks. Again, I am not one to plan out my day but I knew I needed to put some systems in place. The weekly dry erase board is where I have placed a task for each day. Even though each day may look a bit different, I’m holding myself accountable to stick to the goal for the day (i.e. Mondays are for writing blog posts and newsletters).
Lastly, I needed a push pin board to keep up with client work. There are so many moving parts when trying to design a space. In the past, I relied on leaving notes on random papers, samples scattered across my desk and scrambling every week to look for notes or invoices. The push pin board will serve as my dashboard for design work.
In the future, I’ll be sharing more about creating systems but for now, I think having a place to get all of the dates, ideas and thoughts out of my head and one place has been huge.
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What are some ways you keep your home and business life organized? Let me know down in the comments!
Until next time!
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