Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

There is no better excuse than this official day to clean off your desk! Here's a step by step guide to help get you started:

• Find a nice large garbage can/recycle bin that you can easily toss papers into.

• Take a 30 second gaze over your desk and toss what you can.

• Gather the papers right at your fingertips into a pile and stack them.

• Collect pens, pencils and office supplies and put them into the drawers, or the supply cabinets they belong in.

• Start going through the piles you've created, one sheet at a time. Determine what can be tossed, what can be delegated and what can be filed.

• Create files for all the papers you intend to save. It's much easier to retrieve from a file that from a pile.

• Once the main paper pile you've created has been cleared, journey out into the other piles on your desk, credenza or on the floor using the same process.

• Keep empty files and post-it's handy to create temporary files. Stick the post-it on the folder's label, it's a great way to get a good filing system started with flexibility.

• Once you've finished all the papers around, you'll need to go into the filing cabinet and clear out that.

• Expand your thinking on files, they're not just for old papers you'll never look at. Files should be for current projects, bills to pay, things to read, etc. They should be easily accessible and useable.