Create a Filing System
	Start an effective filing system. Keep it simple. Create it so that anyone can find anything in your files easily.
	Do an inventory of what is on your desktop. Keep only the tools you need to effectively do your work: your computer, phone, calculator, pens and pencils, planner, clock, etc.
Sort Whatever You Haven't Filed
	Gather all of your loose papers in your work area into one pile. Sort them into three piles: FILE, FOLLOW-UP and TOSS. The first pile gets filed. The second pile calls for some sort of action: phone call, memo, meeting, etc. Make the appropriate notes in your planner. And the last pile is thrown out.
	Re-file papers you are not using promptly. Don't let them build up.
Sort Mail into a Waste Basket
	Sort your mail near a trashcan. Toss out what you do not need. Make a decision about each piece of paper, and then act on it.
Be Ruthless
	If you are still holding onto something after six months because you think you "might" need it someday, either toss it or store it away from your work area.
	Any completed work, any work waiting for further action, should be in an "OUT" basket, off your desk where it isn't a distraction.
Deal with Those Magazines
	Gather all of your magazines together. Skim through the Table of Contents of each magazine. Cut out any articles you find interesting and place in a "TO READ" file. Decide on what will happen after you have read the article: filed, forwarded tossed, etc. Throw out the rest of the magazine.
	Cancel subscriptions to magazines you rarely or never read. Get off the distribution list of reports you don't read or use.
Clean Up and Out Every Day
	Clean out one file per day. You'll be amazed how quickly this adds up!
	Invest 15 minutes at the end of each day clearing off your desktop. This gives you a ready-to-go neat and organized desk for tomorrow.