"Oh, I heard they were having computer problems again," you blithely explain. The real reason, you suspect, is the bill is somewhere in the swamp that used to be your desk.

Face it, you're overwhelmed and you can't put if off any longer--it's time to get organized. This realization is a good sign because now you can take action.

Let's organize the papers on your desktop. Stand in front of it with your eyes closed. What do you envision? Gleaming wood and aligned office supplies? Sleek executive gadgets? An assistant to do your "to-do" list? Now, mix a little reality with your fantasy. Your desk is a work area--work belongs on it. But it belongs in segregated areas defined by what needs to be done so the work gets accomplished more easily.

Start by getting four containers (boxes are fine) or setting out sticky notes to define the following categories: discard, read, do, and reference. Stick to these four categories, any more will just take you full circle. (I'll decide later is no longer a category option.)

Pick up one paper. Decide if you need it or not. If you truly need it, put it into one of the above categories. Keep at it one paper at a time! If it seems overwhelming set a timer for 20 minutes and plan a quick breather. Enlisting the help of a friend or professional organizer to coach and guide you is a great idea.

Keep picking up all the papers, pamphlets, business cards, meeting notes and whatever else is cluttering your desk until you have categorized everything. Arrange the tools you use everyday just within arm's reach. Admire your work area. It looks great doesn't it?

Now tackle the four piles you've just created.

Items in the discard pile go into the trash, to recycling or to charity. Don't second-guess yourself because you've already made the decision.

Reading material goes in a prominent and convenient spot, but not on your desk. Consider putting some in your car to read while you are waiting to at the airport or in another spot you'll know to look for your reading. The point is to whittle away at the pile and make decisions about the information you read, putting it into one of the basic categories: discard, do or reference.

The things in your "to do" pile can be further separated into to pay, to call, to mail, to revise and to delegate etc. Put them into appropriately labeled folders in a standup file on your desktop, credenza or at the front of your desk file drawer. They should be accessible from your chair because you'll refer to them several times a day. Plan to take care of the most pressing requirements first and don't neglect the rest. Remember--you've changed your habits.

Divide reference items into short-term and long-term storage by thinking about the frequency an item is used and ease of retrieval. Short-term reference items, which should be placed near where they are used, might include the current year's financial information, merchandise information books and forms that are needed often. Long-term reference items, like non-current employee pay records or real estate lease information for example, should be moved out of the main work area.

Schedule time to accomplish and maintain each phase of organizing your desktop and work area. Otherwise you'll have piles on and around your desk again.

And the next time you get a phone call like the one mentioned, because you're organized you'll reply, "I paid the bill on the correct date; the receipt is right here along with the company's phone number. The problem is on their end."

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