Kitchen Message Center

One of the best weekend retreats I ever went to centered on time management.  A woman from Franklin Covey taught us how to save time by making immediate decisions on paper and e-mails so we only had to touch them once.

She encouraged us to create a place that our mind would trust and build that credibility by tracking everything in a single place.  

And...she taught us the value of the family calendar.  We hung the large scale version on our refrigerator and used it all during the time that Chase and Bethany were doing the crazy years of sports, family and school events.  The calendar was updated each month and below it, magnet clips held all of the team rosters, school year calendar, registration forms, etc.

In our new house, I recently recreated our "kitchen message center" on the empty cabinet face in a way that fits our new lives as empty nesters. A white magnet board from Ikea holds grocery lists, messages, fliers for upcoming events and other information. A chalkboard facilitates meal planning. Hooks above it hold keys...

And at the very top...a reminder each time we walk out the door.