Hi friends! How's the organizing and decluttering going? We all tend to tackle it hard at the start of the year, wandering the house with trash bags and tossing anything that isn't nailed down.
But let's be honest, we usually fizzle out by February 1. We've moved on to bigger things, like planning our Spring Break vacation. Am I right?
This year is different, though, because I'm holding myself accountable to you. On the first Tuesday of every month, I'm sharing my decluttering journey using the KonMari Method.
Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has helped me enormously in getting control of our overstuffed house.
I meant to share this project sooner and be further along on my decluttering journey, but life happens and kids get sick, so I'm just going to keep plugging along. I'll deal with the “memento” items once my huge paper problem is under control.
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Want to know something? I've shared this before, but I'll share it again.
Confession: I've been known to scoop whole stacks of papers off the counter, stuff them into a box, and shove the box in a closet.
Then I never go back through the box, so whenever I need a specific paper, I spend forever digging through boxes for that one wretched sheet. It drives me up the wall!
This madness tells me a couple of things:
- There has to be a better way to sort papers as they come into my house.
- I don't need 98% of the papers I stuff into those boxes. Months later, when I finally clear them out, I throw most of them away. WHY didn't I toss them in the first place?
So, to tackle the first point, and to prepare for sorting the papers already in my home, I knew I needed a better system for paper as it arrives.
I sat down and considered what paper categories I'd actually need.
- Incoming
- Action Needed
- Ready to File
That's really all. I usually just stack everything on the counter, but that gets messy and confusing.
Before I painted my cabinets, I used the side of this tall cabinet in the kitchen as a sort of command center. I kept my calendar on the wall and taped up schedules and invitations I needed to see for a short time. I first hoped to use this space as my command station, but it was too small.
Just around the corner from the kitchen is the hallway connecting it to the mudroom, our most-used entrance. It also leads to our bedroom, so I pass it about 100 times a day. It's the perfect empty spot for our command center.
I ordered this wall file organizer from Amazon. I wanted something with an industrial farmhouse look.
Inside, I keep three folders and my Home Based Binder from Emily Ley (I'm kind of obsessed with it). One folder is for gift cards and coupons, which does exactly what it sounds like: it keeps them all in one place. Unsorted mail can go in the front.
The bottom slot holds two folders, To-Do and To-File, which are fairly self-explanatory. I file incoming mail as soon as I open it.
I'm working through all the papers I keep and file, so I'll share more about that later.
Then I made this magnetic board using items I already had around the house. Click HERE for the tutorial!
We also keep invitations, school schedules, and the school lunch plan on it. I took some of the practical papers off for the photos, since they aren't very pretty.
I like having my yearly goals right in plain view every day. It keeps them on my mind and helps me figure out how to reach them.
tap here to grab the free yearly goals printable sheet!
The calendar in the middle is a free printable I found by searching online, which I placed in a frame. I removed the glass so I could write directly on it.
I made the “Do what matters …” sign with my Silhouette machine, contact paper, and a sample pot of Sea Salt paint. I adore Emily Ley, and her quote speaks to me. I struggle so much with trying to do ALL THE THINGS!
It's a good reminder to focus on what matters and let the rest go. (Find my tutorial for making a DIY sign HERE.)
Speaking of worry, the sweet “Do not worry about tomorrow …” print comes from a wonderful art book. I love having all kinds of art on hand whenever I need it. I have several pieces around the house and swap them out regularly.
I love the new location and having all the features neatly arranged in one spot. But what I REALLY love is not having paper clutter all over my kitchen counters.
Toys, on the other hand? We're not winning that battle anytime soon! #momlife
Do you have a command center?
Which features do you love most in a central command station?
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