Organisation Station – THE Makeover
Remember our Organisation Station?
It went here! These are the before pictures. And well the after pictures…..I am still not happy with our little area!!!
We created this little place for papers etc.
Although it was a HUGE improvement to the non-existent family organisation system we had in place IT NEEDS WORK. WE. NEED. CHANGE.
The first step in solving any problem is recognising there is a problem? Right?
So…..IDENTIFY.
Identify what the problem is. Where do I start???
1. The space has become a place of clutter. Piles of paper clutter. You know the junk mail, school notes, bills, 1 million pens kind of clutter. I must admit I also found an earing and some screws in amoungst it all!
2. Their is not a calendar or central place for the whole family to see what is going on.
3. There is no system for keeping track of dates, events and bills.
4. Master O’s school notes have already started flowing in and we have no efficient way of keeping track of them.
Identify what you need the solution to do for you.
1. A way of storing papers in some kind of order so they are easily found.
2. ONE central family calendar and notice board. Not several all over the house.
2. A system of mail in, dates recorded, papers filed away or thrown out.
Step two. Gather some INSPIRATION.
My favourite part of the process! Gathering inspiration! I am a visual person so its all about the pictures! This was easy! American mothers really have a grasp of this concept and are calling it a “Command Centre”
Pretty but a little cluttered and not as simple and practical as I would like. I dream of that Pottery Barn charging station!
LOVE it! A small space transformed into organisation for a whole family. And it is in the Kitchen, the command hub of the home!
This is what I’m talking about! A system supported by a simple organising area! Once again notice where it is??
Getting very close now. Love the whiteboard rather than pin boards as it is easier to jot down a quick note (and colour code it) and no little pins lying around for little hands to play with!
another great use of space but I wan’t a different area for artwork.
Neat, Simple and love the write on Calendar idea!
I chose these images because they are practical, do-able and inexpensive. As you can imagine I stumbled upon a million drool worthy images of picture perfect organising but they would take me a year to implement and a thousand dollars to create!!
How about a folder system for papers?
This great system idea for Family Administration comes from Gemma of My Big Nutshell. Her blog posts take you step by step through her process including exactly which products she used! Last week she showed how she used the same concept to set up a school folder!
So all this inspration has now given me a clearer idea of what I want to…..IMPLEMENT
- A place for mail.
- ONE Family calendar.
- A large whiteboard for notes.
- A clipboard for bills.
- Two folders for paper storage (one household and one school)
We have a three drawer filing cabinet in the study so these folders are only for 6 months worth of papers! I will have to enforce this!
So off to Officeworks I went, armed with my problem and my inspiration and two children and I came home with this;
I love these folders because they have an insert in the spine and cover! Perfect for a folder makeover! Practical doesn’t have to be ugly!
For inside our folders! Perfect for holding notes.
Recommended by My Big Nutshell. These are great as they are extra wide which means they are easy to find inside your folder! Loved that they were clear!
Some markers for our whiteboard…ok so they are just markers but…..THEY HAVE A BUILT IN MAGNET! What a great idea! Easy to keep them up on the board AWAY from little hands!
The piece de resistance….
a magnetic white board with a nice frame on it! Hey it has to be practical but look good as well! I will be looking at it every day!
Well to be honest I was more excited by these little beauties than the whiteboard!
How gorgeous are these clips! I have a little idea for them!!! They were at the checkout as I was leaving and it was fill a container for $4.99!
AND……
Isn’t this divine personalised family calendar just perfect! It wasn’t at Officeworks…I ordered it online through Stuck On You. What’s not to love about some cute little birdies!
I already have some clipboards at home and I am hoping to use our current organisation station for the mail. So today it all begins!!! Wish me luck!
Do you have a command centre, or household organisation area in your home? Can you share your tips or tricks? Remember “Sharing is Caring!”
Linking up with My Big Nutshell and Diary of a Stay at Home Mum for I Blog On Tuesdays