A Command Central is a seamless system that holds all your papers, projects, tasks, lists, ideas, responsibilities, and materials for completing your projects. And it might feel overwhelming to create one, but today we’re going to show you how simple it can be. In fact, you most likely have an ideal spot in your home right now!
So what are the key points to consider when creating your space?
- Consider locations in your home that could hold a simple setup–like a filing cabinet and a small desk or table. If you need to go mostly digital you absolutely can, but you’ll want at least a clear space and a few folders to hold important papers (because the world isn’t paperless yet!).
- This is where you’ll sit down to work on your Weekly Review (where you’ll recenter yourself and get set up for success), so you’ll want this space to be as free from distraction as possible (i.e. not in front of the TV).
- If you need to divide your Command Central between a couple of rooms or two different floors of the house, that’s fine. You’ll just want one place to go for your regular planning sessions. (A Command Central can even be totally mobile…a computer, an accordion folder, and a small file box can do the trick!)
- Do you work at an office outside of your home? Or do you have a classroom where you teach? You’ll want to duplicate some parts of your Command Central at that external location, but for starters, just build one inside your home.
- And remember–this is JUST YOURS. You don’t share a Command Central with your family…as much as you love them.
- To begin, set aside just 10 minutes to start clearing space. Move papers off of a desk, clear the corner of a kitchen counter, set up a card table…whatever you need in order to think, “YES! I can now sit down and make awesome things happen.”
- Throughout this process, as you find things that are time sensitive, note them on your calendar and keep them in a single pile right out in the open so nothing will slip through the cracks while you’re building your system. Box or bag everything that is “dead weight.” (You’ll get to those soon.)
- Setting up a Command Central brings legitimacy to your work–whether in the home or away from home. This will help you reduce mental and physical clutter and help you focus on what you want to move forward.
- And please go easy on yourself! You don’t need a “Pinterest-perfect” place to begin. We are looking for functional and simple.
Want to Take a Virtual Tour…
Enjoy these photos of Command Centrals already in existence. And then we wish you the best in creating your very own!
Want additional coaching on the Command Central process?
More great resources will be coming soon to LearnDoBecome, so make sure you’ve signed up for our Five Habits resource on our homepage–or you can join our free training today! (See you soon!)
“How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles”
Thanks for this post! It was incredibly helpful for Module 1 Step 5! I didn’t understand what exactly I was going to be setting up or what I might even need. (I even skipped ahead in the modules to try and gain understanding!) You may want to consider adding this post there. It was nice to have clarification of when and how the space was going to be used. For example, the desk is for a clear space for weekly reviews so there was nothing stopping me from building that habit. Even after skipping ahead, this post helped a bunch!
I skipped ahead to the future modules that talked about the different sections so that I could gain an understanding of what exactly I was going to be building and what I needed and how divided the space could be. I have about 4 places in my house that I think would work well but they are not in the same room, but on the same level. I wasn’t sure if that was going to work and didn’t want to clear the space and then find it wasn’t going to work…again. Being the perfectionist that I am, I didn’t want to fail, again!
We are so glad you found this post helpful, and we are excited to hear your success stories in the days and weeks ahead! Thank you for your feedback, and we will use this as we continue to improve our program!
I have a large home and full of clutter. I can’t get anywhere because of depression and mental blocks. I had a bad accident in 2005 and was told 2008 that I was probably ADHD all my life and have a brain injury.
My TBI will never go away and I take medicine to function and sleep better. Just don’t know how to start and get even 1 room done.
Please help.
Gayle, thanks for reaching out! Our hearts go out to you. While we don’t fully understand the TBI side of things, we have found that our program is helpful to those who struggle with focus issues like ADHD because it gives them a place to put the ideas that pop into their heads when they’re in the middle of working on something else. We’re going to show you a step-by-step process to focus on and complete the projects that are most important to you. We’d love to share more with you in our free class! New class times are consistently added through this link: www.LearnDoBecome.com/STEP. If you click this evening, you’ll receive times in the very near future, as well as a few times in the next day or two. We look forward to having you jump in the class and know this will be time well spent. Enjoy! Please let us know if you have any questions at all.
I am basically in the same shape. I am not sure when it started but I know it has gotten progressively worst. My children could never have anyone over because of our horrible messy home. They are now adults.
My only daughter was murdered on 11/03/2019. She lived on her own and although I have my own clutter going on I am now dealing with the loss of her and bringing all of her belonging to our home to go through. I don’t know how to do it.
My husband isn’t dealing with any of this clutter. He has packed it and brought it home but that is where it ends.
I am not sure that this program can help me.
Pamela, thank you for your comment. Our hearts go out to you! We are so sorry to hear of the loss of your daughter. That must be incredibly hard for you. Our program is broken down into small steps and we teach you how to do the same with your own projects! We share specific tips for how to organize your projects and lists simply so they feel doable—even if you have very little time or energy. We’d love for you to join us! http://www.LearnDoBecome.com/STEP
I’m really sorry for the loss of your daughter and the way it occurred. Unresolved trauma can actually cause inflammation throughout the body, making it harder to make decisions. Don’t blame yourself, and while my situation may not be exactly the same, even the free part of this program is helping me. Learning to stick with it, that is harder… to get over the feeling of futility. But the feeling of clarity and control is so GREAT when even one square foot is cleared up and organized properly! I just find I really have definite priorities and ideas in mind, I just have never taken the time to find out what they truly are. So, I have to revise over and over again until I am happy with what I’ve made… And that’s great, because it’s truly custom tailored to the way our own brains and beings function! Good luck, despite the hard road of learning to mourn while still living! I’m sure she was wonderful!
Pamela,
For many of us, going through the STEP program can be extremely challenging because it requires change in the way we think and in the way we do things. But, trying to go through your stuff and your daughter’s belongings while mourning the tragic loss of your daughter can be overwhelming. It’s hard enough losing a child, and even harder knowing she was murdered. My heart goes out to you. If at all possible, seek help from a grief counselor, a pastor, a family member, or friends. Do not try to do any of this on your own. People deal with loss and grief very differently, especially husbands and wives, and mothers and fathers of the lost child. Don’t try to force your husband to help with your daughters things; he may not be able to deal with them, at least not at this time. Definitely consider grief counseling for you and, if he’s open to it, for your husband. Take your time going through your daughter’s things. There’s no deadline and no have to’s. Most importantly, be kind to yourself and to your husband. My heart aches for you. I’ll be praying for you. Sharon
Sorry to hear of the trauma of your daughter’s death.
It will take time to overcome the loss, of course. You will know when you are ready for each goal of recovery. There will come a time when you will want to go through and make a decision about every item of hers. The touching and sorting is healing. Other family members may not have the same timeline or even want to deal with the situation at all. Just do it when you have the time and desire.
I have reorganized my life after loss three times. You can recover.
Gayle,
Please check out Norman Doidge’s books, including The Brain’s Way of Healing. His books are full of people who did not accept the first diagnosis/prognosis that was told them and how they recovered. I know from personal experience that diagnoses can be wrong, and even if they’re right, many doctors have a very limited understanding of what the human body and mind are capable of (and often not enough time to ferret it out).
And if you have brain/body effects from your accident, find a Feldenkrais class or practitioner. The class I was in had a participant who had been in a serious car accident a few years before and exclaimed he wished he had found Feldenkrais sooner. It is a method of reconnecting brain and body so they function as when we were active children. It is subtle, but amazing (and also very calming and soothing).
Please don’t let labels define your future!
I’m ADHD too. Learning systems is good. Trying to actually implement them on your own is really hard.
Two things that have worked for me…
It’s easier to deal with someone else’s clutter than your own. So find someone else near you with a disorganized home. Local ADD support groups are a place to start. Or be brave and post an ad. You’ll get more replies than you think.
Spend a day at each other’s houses, and you’ll power through the clutter and disorganization like magic.
2. Get someone to hang out in your house while you work on it. They don’t have to help. Just having another person nearby somehow keeps me completely grounded and on task. I’ve no idea how or why, but it does. In ADD circles, they’re called a body double.
I was surprised to read that this area will be used by just me. I thought other family members would be dropping off mail/paperwork there and that maybe there was a place they could go to see everyones’ appointments and commitments etc. so I could put this in our bedroom if there’s room? if I knew the components of it now, I would also know better what size table or desk would best fit them, and that I would be comfortable with. I can’t wait to get this up and running! I need a system for life!!! thank you for helping us all!
Hi, Donna! Thanks so much for your questions. Command Centrals come in all shapes and sizes! You can see some great ideas here, https://learndobecome.com/command-central/. You will use your Command Central to process what is in your inbox as well as to plan for what is coming up in your life. Some of the day to day happenings of life, including mail and paperwork, will come to you via landing spots that you can predesignate. That way your family will know where to put things that need your attention and you get to decide what ultimately landing in your inbox for your Weekly Review. We hope this is helpful. If you’re part of STEP Mastery, this would be a great question to ask there as well! Thanks for being with us!!
I couldn’t find the Five Habits resource. Can you help?
Thanks for asking, Lisa! You can request that resource on this page, https://learndobecome.com/about/. We’re so grateful you’re here!
I’m not sure what comment to leave. Still struggling to apply all the information to organizing my home. I had a business but have retired and still have a lot of the office supplies, materials etc. and now combining our previous home/office with this retirement house/office. Struggling but not discouraged yet…thank you, Kathy
Kathy, we are so happy you are here with us! If you are in our STEP Mastery program, the Facebook group is SUCH an amazing place to get more support. We’re all engaging in the “struggle” of life, but we join together so we never need to feel discouraged. Thank you for being here, and we are sending lots of love!
I’d like more direction & details on how Eric utilizes a filing cabinet for his command central. Thank you!
Yes! He essentially uses it for his support materials. Instead of cubbies, he has file folders to hold relevant materials. And then he has bookshelves and his desk for other related items. Eric doesn’t mind having things spread out on flat surfaces, and he does a much more simple version of the Command Central—mostly using his calendar. I really like having zero piles and very specific lists, but he’s more of the visionary type, so he adapts his system to work for him!
Any pictures and or templates would be appreciated greatly. Thanks so very much April!