Describe the top of your desk.  No, not what’s on it.  The desktop itself.
What do you mean you can’t see it?

If your desk is covered with so many piles you can’t remember what’s
there or where to find it, it’s time to get organized.  Here’s a sure-fire way
to tame the paper monster and take control of your time.

Label 31 suspension files from “1” to “31”, one for every day of the month.
Now label another 12 from “January” to “December”. File the daily files
at the front of a file cabinet drawer with the monthly files behind.

Next, prioritize every single piece of paper on your desk.  Sort them into piles.
The first is for truly urgent stuff.  Be disciplined here.  Only include stuff that
MUST be done urgently or dire consequences will follow.  The next is for
semi-urgent stuff.  This is work that must be done within the next week or so.
The third pile is for stuff that has to be done but can wait until you get around
to it.  Anything that doesn’t fall within any of these three categories, get rid of.
It’s a waste of time.

Now, look at your urgent pile.  Can you realistically accomplish all of it
today?  If not, divide it into piles, with as much as you can get done in one
day in each pile.  Now create a file in your word processor called “Diary”
and then make a stack of file cover sheets.  These should have space for
the file name at the top, and a two column table immediately below with
rows filling the whole page.  Fix a cover sheet to the top of each file.  In
the first column write the date you are going to action that file next.  In the
second column write what that action is.

Next, enter the file in the Diary document in your word processor.  Enter a
big capital letter for every letter of the alphabet and bookmark it so you can
jump around easily.  Enter the file name as it appears at the top of the diary
sheet and the date it is diarised for, then place the file in the suspension folder
for that day of the month.  Then do the same thing with all the other files in
your urgent piles.  Then go through the whole process again with your semi-
urgent files and finally with the non-urgent stuff.  Anything you’re not going
to work on until a later month file in the suspension folder for the month it
is diarised for.  Then when that month arrives place each file in its respective
day folder.

Now if you’re still waiting on someone else when the file falls due, you can
follow them up on that day and then rediarise for further action.  If someone
gets back to you before the file falls due, you can find it by looking up the
diarised date in your Diary document.  It’s also a great system for scheduling
all of your marketing activities.  For example, just diarise when your various
ads fall due and you will never have to worry about missing a deadline again!

By using this system you will always have a clear desk and won’t be tempted
to do only what you feel like doing.  Be disciplined about doing your “today”
stuff before you do anything else and you’ll find your business will just about
take care of itself!

_________________________

Elena Fawkner is editor of the award-winning weekly ezine,
A Home-Based Business Online, a down-to-earth publication
containing practical home-based and online business ideas,
telecommuting job listings, original articles, free e-books and
much more. She also runs the A Home-Based Business Online
website at at http://www.fawkner.com. You can subscribe to
her newsletter at the site.