Home Management Binder - does yours work?

Ever hear of a Home Management Binder? or Control Center? Well, a few years back I first heard of this concept and was quick to jump on board. Basically, it is a way to organize all your everyday papers that would otherwise clutter your desk, kitchen counter, or fridge and make them easily accessible. I love organizing so this tool held great appeal. Over several months, I put my binder together one piece at a time. I created all the relevant tabs and collected the required documents. I even found lovely pictures and scripture references to title each section. There were schedules/routines, menu planning/recipes, address book, emergency info, Christmas planner, books/education...I also detailed our important dates and holidays breaking down typical activities (or things I would like to do), menus, and for the big holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas I even typed out the readings I thought we should share. In short, I put together a very detailed book and loved the process.

Then reality came knocking. It has been 5 years now and about every 6 months I pull my binder out, revamp the schedules, and successfully use it for a week or two or maybe even a month before it gets shoved once more in a corner. Life is much calmer and organized when I am using my HMB so why do I let it slip? I believe it comes down to unrealistic expectations and fear of failure. I filled my HMB with my idealistic version of events and not what was real for our everyday lives. Also, what was real for us then (dual-income, two kids) is no longer relevant. How I can expect myself to do the same things the same way as I did back then is ridiculous. Every time I open that binder I am reminded of all the things I thought we would be doing but never did; in other words, I feel like I have failed. I see all the well laid plans and question why I never did follow through.

I still believe this is a great tool and I know that my family works better on a schedule with predictable routines. I know I am much calmer when I have a plan in place. So, as I approach my bi-annual revisit to my HMB I have concluded that it is time to dump the binder and start fresh. I will endeavor to keep my goals within reach and not set such lofty expectations. After all, what is the point of having a great tool if you never use it.

Have you ever used a HMB? Did you stick with it? How often do you update/revise your HMB?

I will be trying to clean through one section a week until I have something I will actually use. Check back each Thursday for a progress report as I figure out through trial and error what works for me. If you are interested in creating a HMB of your own there are many templates and samples. I will try to add a few links to this later but right now the kids are home from school so its back to my #1 calling.