Complete a Self-Assessment

Before launching an organizing effort, be clear about your challenges and goals by answering the following questions: 1. If you could achieve the level of organization you want, what would it look like? Be specific. What would change, both at work and at home? 2. What has kept you from achieving your goals? 3. Which of these obstacles are within your control? And what can you do to overcome them? 4. How motivated are you to make these changes? 5. How much of your time, money and other resources are you willing to invest in the effort?

I recommend: If you have the knowledge and resources to address problem areas on your own, create a short- and long-term plan.

Delegate as much as you can. Consider using a virtual assistant, real or computerized (www.callmykate.com).

Assess the tools you are currently using, including filing, tickler and calendar systems. What is working? What is not? Be sure to select tools that you will use. For some, paper calendars are the best (www.franklincovey.com, www.levenger.com). For others, PDAs are the right choice. No tool is right for everyone. Take time to choose yours well.

If you are unsure of your capacity to achieve your goals on your own, or have tried in the past and failed, get help from productivity and organizing experts 
(www.papertigerinstitute.com; www.napo.net).

It is common to go on an organizing binge and, shortly thereafter, be back at square one. A maintenance plan is essential. Identify tools that will support you. The ones I have found most useful are described below.

Take charge of your space.

It takes time to organize. It takes far more to live with disorganization. Our surroundings either support us or work against us. In the office environment, think of surface, filing and storage space as valuable real estate. Make sure you are maximizing the use of yours. Keep only what you need. Toss the rest.

I recommend: Schedule a full day to clear areas in your line of vision (e.g., desk, other surface areas). If it takes you less than a day, use the remaining time to tackle file cabinets and storage areas. Otherwise, schedule another time to work on those. If you have barely made a dent in your office after one full day, schedule another day immediately and/or hire an assistant to help you.

Determine what you need to keep and what you can toss with "The Art of Wastebasketry" (TM) developed by Barbara Hemphill, pioneer in the fields of productivity and organizing:

Does this require action?
Can I identify a specific use for it?
Would it be difficult to obtain again?
Is it recent enough to be useful?
Are there tax and/or legal implications?

If you answered "no" to each question, toss it. if you are still hesitant to part with it, think about the worst thing that could happen if you do? If you can live with the answer, take the leap and get rid of it. if you can't, scan it  (www.speedyscan.biz.

Organize Your Information.

Managing the ever-growing volume of electronic and paper information can be overwhelming. If that is the case for you, consider using one or more of the following tools.

I recommend: Paper Tiger (www.papertigerinstitute.com) offers, among other tools, software that is ingenious and user-friendly for organizing paper. It eliminates the guesswork inherent in alphabetical and heirarchical filing systems. Its search engine makes it possible to find any file in 5 seconds or less. 
 
With free Easy Reach software (www.easyreach.com), immediately find information on your entire computer, including emails, with a google-like search capacity. 
 
Neat Receipts (www.neatreceipts.com) scans business cards, receipts and other documents. It also allocates expenditures and prepares reports for tax purposes.

Speedy Scan (www.speedyscan.biz) is a low-cost, yet powerful, alternative to pricey systems for creating a paperless office. Scanned documents can be searched both by text and by using a customizable database. 

Manage Your Time

Most to-do lists cannot be completed in one day. Clearly identifying and scheduling tasks, and then setting realistic expectations for completing them, is challenging. Here are some tools and approaches that can help.

I recommend: Rather than creating to-do lists with multiple tasks, put each task on a separate index card (use pencil for reuse). Carry cards in a wallet or small case, such as the Levenger Pocket Briefcase, (www.levenger.com). When back in your office, staple each card to a letter-sized piece of paper and place it in a tickler file such as Swiftfile  (www.ThePaperTigerInstitute.com). Begin each day by looking at your individual tasks. Complete the three most important ones first.  If you find that you repeatedly reschedule a task, figure out why.

Group like activities (e.g., calls and emails). Check email infrequently. It has become our #1 distraction..

Get the most out of your exercise time. I recommend a program developed by a former professional football player called Fit10(www.fit10.com). As a fairly serious exerciser for many years, I have discovered that I can achieve, in just 10 minutes per day, the same results that once required at least an hour. The extra time has been a huge bonus.