How to Create an Easy, Organized Message Board
School is starting soon, kids are heading off on their own to college. How are you going to keep all the details organized? How can you help your kids keep track of things for themselves? By creating an organized place to keep all the details, your family can know what is going on and where!
1. Location, Location, Location
Pick a centrally located spot in your home that will work for all of the family to use. Sometime the kitchen is best for this, but maybe it’s the mudroom or pantry. It will be a place where all the papers, calendar, and notes can be collected, so locate it in a place where it’s convenient to use when your family comes home and they can get into the habit of dealing with papers right away.
2. Get a Board
Grab a white board, bulletin board or chalkboard where messages can be left or info gathered. Or paint a chalkboard painted directly on the wall! My daughter and I painted a chalkboard on her wall and used metallic paint, so that magnets will adhere to the same area. The dual purpose is great! If you don’t want to paint your wall then paint and hang a basic board or frame it to make it part of your decor for your messages.
3. Corral the Clutter
Use dishes, pottery or a basket to gather keys, phones, mail, or odds and ends that have a tendency to otherwise be laying around. When family walks in the door, they can empty pockets, purses, or backpacks right away and bins to corral the clutter will help keep things looking neat instead of piles sitting around.
4. File It!
Use tabbed file folders and assign one to each person or assign them for different topics. I could easily check folders for permission slips, notes from school, or collect invites or bills to pay from the mail and quickly recycle the rest. If your family gets into the habit of dealing with paperwork as soon as they get home, it is less likely to end up on their bedroom floor, lost in the shuffle or in a pile somewhere else in the house.