Let me tell you a story about a girl who used to be organized—about four years ago. Since Clara arrived, things have slid downhill. I keep notes in scattered notebooks, on my phone, on Post-it notes, and I’ve scribbled in every inch of my day planner. These days I’m rarely sure what to do next because so many competing lists demand my attention. When John and I started thinking about what our home office needed to be truly functional, it took me about two seconds to shout, “command center!”
For this nesting, pregnant lady, the command center felt more urgent than even painting the office walls. While we were hanging things, we discovered that putting art up before painting is a happy accident: a few bad nail holes can be spackled before the room gets its final coat, which turned out to be a useful perk.
We chose a wall that’s visible from the office but out of direct view from the foyer. We needed one consolidated place for items that cross categories—projects, house maintenance, showhouse and book notes, future post ideas, website tasks, and more. The problem was that we each had separate lists floating around: some were in notebooks, some on our phones, and one mysterious “website” list apparently fell behind the couch.
My ideal was simple: everything visible in one easy-to-reference spot. Most important was a “Top Tasks” column where we could pull items from any category and rank them by priority. That way we wouldn’t bounce around randomly; we’d have a place to decide what actually makes the most sense to tackle next.
We also wanted a shared spot to plan upcoming posts so we could see giveaways, scheduled content, and ideas at a glance. And we needed a smaller section for a shopping list—because we have a habit of forgetting small, random items like replacement window locks for the freshly painted office windows.
We considered many options: one large dry-erase board, a big corkboard, painting the wall with dry-erase or chalkboard paint, even using magnetic paint with movable paper tiles. Ultimately we settled on a hybrid solution: two large magnetic frames to hold dry-erase magnets we could write on and move around. This approach would let us create multiple columns for to-dos and post planning. We also included a smaller frame for the “To Buy / To Get” list and added a few personal touches—Clara’s art, a funny quote from our last office, and a favorite family photo.
First we planned the layout using some old frames and adjusted things until the arrangement felt right. Then we ordered white dry-erase magnets. I loved that these magnets were large enough not to be a choking hazard and that we could write on them directly. Moving an item from “Projects” to “Top Tasks” and then over to the post schedule when it’s written or ready to publish would be quick and visual.
We went to Home Depot to find sheet metal. At first we couldn’t find a magnetic option—some panels on an endcap were not magnetic—but after a bit of searching we found the magnetic panels hidden in a different aisle. We bought two sheets large enough to fill our frames; they came in several sizes and were easy to cut at home with gloves and metal snips.
After removing the glass and backing from the frames, I traced the inner rectangle onto the sheet metal with a marker, put on gloves, and cut the panels. The small cuts took some time, but within fifteen minutes I had two metal inserts that slipped neatly into the frames and held in place with the backing. It was pretty thrilling to test-drive a few dry-erase magnets on the surface.
Next we decided on paint colors. We took inspiration from our new desk and opted for a mix of soft champagne, pearly metallic white, and flat white for the frames and metal backgrounds. I primed the metal sheets so the finish would be uniform and then spray-painted both the frames and the inserts in matching hues. It took about four thin coats to get an even finish, but the result was clean and cohesive. I used washi tape along the top of each board to label column headers and to make the layout easy to scan.
For the “To Buy / To Get” board, I used a smaller frame and slipped a slightly metallic, linen-like fabric behind the glass. A black dry-erase marker writes cleanly on the glass, and when we run errands we just snap a photo of the list to remember everything without rifling through purses to find a stray piece of paper.
The post-planning board, finished in pearl paint and accented with gold and yellow washi tape, has quickly proven useful. We don’t typically plan posts far in advance, but having a shared place to jot future ideas, scheduled giveaways, and content notes makes collaboration easier.
That’s how our command center came together. Eventually I’d like to upgrade a few frames (the one holding Clara’s painting needs a larger mat), but for now I feel about 95% more organized. If only I could reach behind the couch to retrieve that old website to-do list—maybe Burger will be convinced it looks like food and will fetch it for me.
How do you stay organized? Do you use a large family calendar in the kitchen, or rely on planners and shared boards? We debated adding a calendar board too, but since I use a planner for appointments and meetings, keeping the wall for project, home maintenance, and content planning felt like the right balance. We’ll see how it works in practice.
Update: For anyone curious about the octopus print, where we found it, or the file cabinet, that information is available in the comments on the original post.