I really appreciate readers that take the time to stop me in the street to comment on the columns or to e-mail with particular questions and to make a request regarding future topics. Especially a now Member of Parliament, who goes out of the way to encourage me to keep the column going and to further confer how much all this "free advice'' is helping organise a new business.

No matter how inconsequential you may think your particular needs are, please continue to ask your questions, send your e-mails, and make requests. But most important keep on reading. Today's column is a reiteration for all those who expressed concerns with getting their desks in order and are planning to conduct their own "Clean Off Your Desk Day'' campaign.

As I mentioned, don't procrastinate. Make a commitment today by setting up an appointment to start. To recapitulate: Begin by taking everything off your desk then get five boxes and label them: 1. To file 2. To do 3. To Read 4. Catalogues/Magazines 5. Contact and of course have several large trash bags nearby.

Once you have completed the sorting out, tackling the boxes won't be such a difficult chore. Try not to be too sentimental. When you encounter an item you find difficult to part with, take a deep breath and answer honestly in no longer than thirty seconds, why do I need such and such.

When tackling the `to file' box ask yourself the following questions. Do I really need this? Will there be any serious consequences if I throw out this document? Can I find this document elsewhere? Try to make a decision and not put the paper/document aside. I strongly suggest to clients, to try and not use a miscellaneous file. Making immediate decisions avoids having an overflow of the homeless papers.

Your `TO DO' box is probably quite full, but don't let this overwhelm you, just start sorting it out piece by piece. Sorting out this box will take up most of your allotted time to organise your desk. With each piece of paper/document as yourself: It is too late to act on this? Do I need or want to do this and in addition, what will the consequence be, if I don't? Here you have two choices with any yes answer. You can either deal with it immediately or place it in your desktop file/tray. If you don't have one, I suggest you create one. Buying the wire ones allows you to see exactly what needs to be done; nothing gets hidden in those see through wire file trays and baskets.

Get a large wire basket and place all the materials you need to read. For articles you need to keep, you can place them in your `to file' box for future reference.

When clearing our the magazines/catalogues box briefly look over each issue and ask yourself: Is this magazine/catalogue out of date? Do I really need to read this and/or do I have the time? For issues you absolutely need to have, purchase an inexpensive magazine holder. These magazine/catalogue holders can be placed on top of your filing cabinet or creatively on spare walls. Tear out articles you need to read and throw away the rest of the magazine. These articles should be placed in a manila envelope and kept at hand in your briefcase, diary, filofax, or pocketbook. This will help you endure those inescapable long appointment waits or whilst riding the ferry or bus home. Some experts suggest using rides home or when stuck in traffic to read these articles. With Bermuda's roads being extremely narrow and with very few traffic signals, I firmly advise against any type of reading for the designated driver.

Articles in your contact box should be dealt with last. If your allotted time is running out, make an appointment with yourself to tackle this chore another day. Go through each item, asking yourself, do I need this number? Will I ever again refer to this business card or do I use their services and if your answer is no, toss it out immediately! To be really organised, before you start placing names and phone numbers in your contact Rolodex, weed through and delete all those unwanted, unused names and addresses. On your Rolodex, don't bother to write in names and address, simply staple the business card onto a blank Rolodex card. After having completely organised your contact list, try to keep it up by maintaining a specific spot to place any new contact information. Try to update your Rolodex weekly. This is a great task to do when on hold or speaking with boring long-winded individuals.

In cleaning off your desk, you may find others' belongings, or items borrowed that were never returned. Now is the time to return those items to their rightful places and/or legitimate owners.

When your task is completed, you should be able to retrieve any document on your desk within one minute. Taking just a few minutes daily to put your desk back in order will avoid having to repeat this time consuming task. If not, unfortunately you may need to schedule a monthly appointment and start from the beginning. As I mentioned above, this article is for the individuals who needed help in how to clean off their desk. To them, I suggest highlighting pertinent parts, cutting it out and filing it with your other necessary reading materials.

*** Cindy Swan is a Professional Organiser with over 20 years of office administrative managerial experience and a member of the National Association of Professional Organisers. Cindy Swan answers questions only through the column. Address inquiries to Cindy Swan, PO Box 304 St. George's GEBX or emailher at bermudagolf yibl.bm