1. Start at the beginning. Remove everything from your desktop. Put back only the necessities and keep a large clean space for current projects. What are the necessities? Phone, notepad, calendar, step file organizer, current project. Keep the cutesy items in sight but off your desk.
2. Place your phone. Place your phone on the left side of desk if you are right handed and on the right if you are left handed.
3. Keep a spiral notebook by the phone for messages. Start with the date each day. By doing this, you will have reference info when you need it.
4. Keep or delete? If you use something every day leave it in your desk; if you use something once a week, you should be able to reach it from your chair; if you use something once a month keep it in your office or work area. If you use something less than once a month, keep it elsewhere.
5. Look for ways to daily improve your life. Www.ineedmoretime.com offers various organizing services and products to help you have a better quality of life.
6. Keep your office supplies in one drawer. Keep only the supplies you use frequently in your desk. Do you really need 25 pens and 15 packages of salt?
7. Sort through your desk files. Keep only personal files and files that you refer to weekly in your desk drawers.
8. Look around. End each day (or at least each week) by tidying up your desk and returning everything to its place. (Yes, everything should have a place.)
