A change in approach can do wonders when youre trying to “tame the paper tiger.” Maintain a positive attitude, and visualize breaking big projects into smaller chunks. Organizing your office will become much easier when youre able to recognize that overwhelming assignments can be turned into smaller, more manageable tasks.

Be honest with yourself about which tasks should take precedence, delegate the work you can, and set aside the items that are less important. Make a list of the tasks that need to be accomplished immediately and get to work on them. Start keeping schedules, set deadlines and continually evaluate your productivity to make certain that your priorities are in order.

Look around your office. If it’s filled with half-full coffee mugs, piles of folders you’ll never review and post-its you’ll never read, then you seriously need to learn the art of this valuable technique. Pick up something once, and do not put it down until you have determined its worth, its priority and “where it should live” in your office. Make an Action List instead of having a zillion post its (they have their place but its not all over your office); create a “Go” spot in your office and put everything there that needs to walk out the door with you; store extra supplies in a closet or other room, and only keep what you use daily in a visible spot; be liberal about what you toss, when you finish with something it should either go into a file or the trash.

If youre a chronic people-pleaser its easy to accept projects that may wind up lingering on your desk. As the old adage goes, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Before accepting yet another task, first think through your priority list and schedule. If you can’t fit it in with ease, then say so.  If it’s a directive from your supervisor and you can’t turn it down (but you know it’s going to tip you over the edge), then be certain to let them know that you can only give it priority by stepping down the importance of “this other task” on your plate.  Then let them make the choice of which task is more important, or whether they need to give another employee the project. Your desk is your castle. It’s not just where you do your work, it’s where you create your concepts, prioritize your job and your life.  Keep it clean and clutter free and you’ll find your brain a lot less stressed, and more capable of quickly completing important projects. Alice McCoys father was a long-haul trucker and since childhood shes been fascinated with that life. Though currently a virtual assistant and blogger, she stays involved by keeping an eye out for CDL jobs and writes about topics like commercial truck insurance quotes. One day she hopes to have her own rig.

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