Some of our greatest lessons have been learned from our biggest failures. I’ve had a lot of failures to learn from lately. This project was birthed out of one such failure…
One day I was dropping off my 5 year old daughter at school. As we walked into her classroom, suddenly my stomach sank.
Oh no. Today is apple day.
Today I was supposed to give my daughter an apple for school and I FORGOT!
Ugh.
My daughter realized she didn’t have an apple and a look of panic flooded her face. She started to cry and my heart broke. It meant a lot to her to be prepared and I dropped the ball. Thankfully her sweet teacher had extra apples so everything turned out okay.
But I still felt like a total failure.
I know, I know. It’s just an apple. I had been forgetting so many things that week. Bringing an apple to school meant so much to my daughter. Being unprepared made her feel scared and out of place. I don’t want my daughter to feel that way when I leave her at school.
Many mommy failures like this happened because I was so disorganized. The amount of paperwork that my child brings home from school is ridiculous. How can I keep track of everything?
After the apple incident, I knew I needed to do something about my lack-of-organization problem. I decided to make a family command center.
This project literally took only minutes to put together and cost less than 15 dollars. It’s helped save my sanity by:
- keeping important paperwork organized and accessible
- keeps me on track and productive through the day
- disappearing when I don’t need it
Have I convinced you to make your own yet? Good! Here’s how to do it!
10 Minute 15 Dollar Family Command Center
Supplies:
- *2 Pocket Wall File
- Dry erase board of your choice
- Pretty scrapbook paper
- Tape
Directions:
Choose The Perfect Location
Choose a home for your command center. I decided to use the back side of my kitchen pantry door. This location is perfect because I can quickly write something on my to-do list or check school paperwork and then when I’m done the center hides away in my pantry.
Take Control of the Paperwork!
I bought this clear *2 Pocket Wall File
Stay On Task
Simply writing things down helps me stay on task. Instead of using a piece of paper that can get lost, use a dry erase board to keep track of your daily tasks. You can find a simple small dry erase board for around 5 dollars.
My mother-in-law made this cute dry erase board for me as a Christmas present. I installed the board right above the files. My to-do list is accessible, keeps me on track through the day, and disappears into the pantry when I don’t need to see it. Now when those random tasks come to mind, I can jot it down and make sure it gets accomplished by the end of the day. Or the end of the week.
Either way I can get the satisfaction of crossing things off my list one at a time. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling?
The Results:
This Family Command Center has given me so much peace! The important tasks of the day are getting accomplished instead of being forgotten. I am better able to take care of my family’s needs and that feels amazing!
I can proudly say that I haven’t had any mommy failures due to disorganization since I started using this system. Now if I could just conquer potty training with my two year old…. 🙂
What are some tricks that help you stay organized?
This post shared at: The Weekend re-Treat, Frugal Friday, Serenity Now, Saturday Sharefest, Best DIY Projects, The Makers, Whimsy Wednesday, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, DIY Sunday Showcase, Share Your Creativity, Project Inspire(d), Tutorials and Tips, and I’m Lovin It.
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I love both command centers and drop zones. Each is ESSENTIAL in my home. Pinned this! Looking forward to reading lots of your posts now that I am subscribed by email (another organizing trick for me!)
Now that school is about to start I’m so thankful to have this command center in place!
I’m so honored to have you as a subscriber! Make sure you take advantage of the free printable wall art, too!
Such a cute and easy idea! I finally convinced my husband to get a mail basket last year – I don’t know why he’s so opposed to having a place to put things – now I can start talking to him about this!
Maybe you can just make it and start using it and see if he notices 🙂 So glad you’re inspired and excited about this idea!
I love the tips and tricks i find on peoples blogs! Home is all about making the every day tasks easier and i’m glad it has made you less stressed! Also great news about the apple!
Isn’t it great finding ideas that help make life easier? I love getting inspired by other people’s blogs too!
As a teacher I’d say that was definitely a pro move on the teacher’s part to have extra apples! 🙂 I think this is a really cute way to get the organization job done, and it’s smart to put in on the door so that you can easily check it to find out what you’re forgetting.
My daughter’s teacher is awesome and I’m so thankful for her! I’m glad you liked this Rachel!
Such a great idea! I am a fellow disorganized mom and can totally relate. I love this idea because it is simple enough that I can keep up with it. Found you through #SITS and am now following you. BTW, I’m also pinning this for later!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know I’m not the only disorganized mom out there! It’s so encouraging seeing this idea inspire and help others.
What a great idea! I need one of these ASAP! Thank you for sharing, visiting from The Weekend Retreat Party.
You won’t regret making one! It’s been such a help for a forgetful person like myself 🙂
Great idea with the hanging wall file, may have to steal It! Our command center is called “The Landing Zone” because my husband dumps all his stuff there when he “lands” home from work. A big wall unit above is on my list! Maybe by spring! 😉
Go ahead and make one for yourself! We also had a pretty bad landing zone at our house too–scattered papers were contstantly on our kitchen counters. It drove my hubby crazy! Thankfully the command center has taken care of that problem!
I keep a steno pad by my computer. When I see something I want to look up later, I write it down. I used to put it on post-it notes but I had so many of them I didn’t know what I wanted to do with any of it. The pad keeps it right at my finger tips and I no longer lose the things I want to check.
I like that idea Patty. Writing something down will help me stay focused on what I’m doing instead of getting distracted. I’ll have to try that!
Command centers are my jam! I just love being organized. I really like your idea of having a wall file. It is a great place to keep important papers, but it looks organized and pretty.
Looking pretty while being organized was one of the biggest goals of this project! I love this one so much I may have to implement this system into my office!
Great idea! Failures are only opportunities for growth, and you solved your organization problem with a nifty command center. No more forgotten apples! It looks great. I love that you personalized the clear wall files with paper. Awesome job!
Thanks Christie! I’m learning to look for the opportunities in failures instead of being hard on myself. If we’re going to fail we may as well get something valuable from it, right? It was a lot of fun sharing this project because anyone can do it and make it fit their style!