"A command centre enables an organization to function as designed, to perform day-to-day operations regardless of what is happening around it, in a manner in which no one realizes it is there but everyone knows who is in charge when there is trouble."
- Wikipedia
What is a Home Command Centre?
4 Essential Elements of Your Home Command Centre
Learn how to identify what you need in your organization hub and customize it to complement your lifestyle and space. A well-organized command centre keeps your household running smoothly by managing schedules, paperwork, and important information.
A home command centre has 4 essential elements:
Purpose – What needs to be organized?
Why – What problems does it solve?
Location – Where will it be most effective?
Organization Style – How do you prefer to keep things sorted?
You'll learn how to identify what you need in a command centre.
You'll find out how to customize your home command centre to complement your organizing style and space allotment.
Creating a system that fits your needs will help you stay on top of tasks and reduce daily stress.
Key Elements of a Command Centre
Why You Need a Command Centre
Creating an organization station will keep your daily life running smoothly. It puts you in active rather than reactive mode, ensuring you always know where to find critical information.
Your home command center manages four key activities:
Incoming papers
Action items (bills, forms, reminders)
Outgoing paperwork
Essential reference information
This is your go-to spot for schedules, medical documents, bills, appointment reminders, and even meal plans. Instead of dealing with scattered piles of paper, you’ll have a designated space to keep everything in order.
Imagine, after working all day you go to your mailbox to find, some weekly flyers, a few new bills, an invitation to a retirement party. You sort your mail as soon as you walk in—pinning an invitation to a corkboard, placing bills in a labeled folder, and recycling junk mail immediately. Simple, right?
Gallery Wall Command Center
Planning Your Command Centre
To make your command centre effective, consider:
What paperwork tends to pile up? (Medical forms, utility bills, newsletters?)
What information should be easily accessible? (Emergency contacts, maintenance schedules, travel plans?)
How do you track commitments? (A large calendar, a digital planner, or a notebook?)
A weekly meal plan might simplify grocery shopping, and a designated space for outgoing mail can streamline daily routines.
Cupboard Command Center
Best Location for Your Command Center
The effectiveness of your organization station depends heavily on its location. Ask yourself:
-Where do you need it?
-Where do you have space to set up a command center?
Choose a high-traffic area, typically:
Near your main entrance
In the kitchen hub
Home office or dedicated desk area
Close to your planning computer
On a wall or inside a cupboard for a clutter-free look.
You can use a wall, cupboard, closet, shelf or desk to create your center. You want it to be a workable space that you can easily access!
Plain English - The best location is where you naturally handle paperwork and schedule tasks.
Closet Command Center
Command Center Organization Styles
Your organization hub should match your organizing style:
What is your organizing style?
Do you hide things because you hate visual clutter?
Are you a piler or a filer?
Do you need to see things because, "if they are out of sight, they are out of mind"?
If you like things hidden you might like your command center in a cupboard.
Attach a corkboard to the inside of the cupboard door so that it's out of sight but accessible.
Or use a desk where you have a drawer(s) for supplies or try a stylish accordion file folder on your kitchen counter..
Small Desk Command Center
If you like to pile instead of file use a labeled box or basket.
If you are visual your magnetic chalkboard or corkboard could be on a wall.
Pin up your calendar, health reminders, upcoming social events, and inspiring quotes.
Try hanging wall files for paperwork.
Now more than ever, information organization has to become more efficient so that you can keep track of everything that matters.
Getting Started
Use what you already have (baskets, files, clipboards) before buying new supplies.
Test your setup and tweak it as necessary.
Make small adjustments over time to keep it effective.
A well-designed home command centre simplifies life and helps you stay in control.
Create a system that suits your organizing style and fits into your space. There is no point spending money on something pretty that doesn't suit how you like to organize. Use what you have on hand (a nice big calendar, baskets, files, clipboard) before you spend money on organizing systems. Try it for a while and tweak the command center until it suits you. Establishing and maintaining routines helps us feel more in control of our lives. Your customized home command centre will help keep your life running smoothly.
About Cathy Borg: Cathy is a Professional Organizer with over 10 years of experience helping adults 55+ create functional and stress-free living spaces. Need expert guidance? Let’s create a command centre that truly works for you. we'd love to chat. info@inandoutorganizing.ca
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