a pile of clutter? You know the ones, the successful executives, the movers and shakers of the important business deals. You have, well trust me, they are the exception and not the rule.

Believe it or not, how your workspace looks reflects how others view you. And a cluttered untidy space can cost you some embarrassing and needless titles.

May it be the official office slob title, a promotion you have been expecting or just the understandable daily stress in not being able to find important papers, documents etc., in a reasonable amount of time. The fact is, workspace clutter cuts down on your productivity, along with creating a great deal of confusion and set the scene for others to make uncalled-for snap judgment about your ability to stay in control and getting the job done. Consequently in the long run, all this evidence of clutter, can hinder your climb up the proverbial ladder. Chances are if you don't have control of the clutter around, there is a strong possibility you are not in control of the job, and the job is controlling you! This could be the reason behind your business deadlines not being met, tardiness to meetings and missed appointments.

I can still recall Granny saying "My dear child, sticks and stones...names will never hurt'' but name calling does hurt and I think she was only trying to shield us from the vicious people we are bound to encounter through our life paths. Not to get you paranoid, but have you ever walked up to the water cooler and all conversation comes to a complete halt or you encounter some of your colleagues laughing and when you ask them to share the joke they blush and say "oh it wasn't that funny'' or "I don't want to repeat it now.'' There are the "brazen few'' who will come right out and pass insulting remarks regarding your sloppy workspace either to your face, or sometimes inadvertently in front of other colleagues and/or superiors.

Although this can sometimes seems maliciously intended, and however you choose to deal with the "brazen few'', the whispering or laughing co-workers, along with taking into heart the well intent in some, if you have the slightest inclination you exist in the midst of mess, you must make a reality check into your workspace! Try to take an objective approach to your situation. Remember, the true friends are the ones who will say to you, "I love you dearly but your area is messy, you have a problem...'' With a messy workspace the best place to start is with your desk. To organise your desk area remove everything from it. Your desk should provide you with a home for things such as equipment, mail, files and papers, personal items and supplies.

Desk equipment is the telephone, an adding machine (if necessary), computer and any other equipment you need to use in your daily work. If you are right handed place your telephone and adding machine on your right -- visa versa for the lefties. Computers and typewriters should be on a stand either behind you or to the side so that your have a separate work space.

Bills being paid late and incurring sky-high late charges are most times due to incoming mail being lost amongst piles and piles of paper. This sometime is also the cause for important correspondence not being answered on time. To reduce the aforementioned stress, have a specific space set up for all incoming mail. For your outgoing mail you may want to set up a spot you designate as "to go'' and the best spot for this is near where you exit the office or near a light switch you have to turn off before exiting. If you have an in-house mail delivery system have two trays distinctly marked "IN ONLY and "OUT ONLY''. With papers and files on your desk, there are basically four things to be done with them: to do, to pay, to file and to read so place them their appropriate basket (and yes, I prefer the wire ones preferably).

Keep personal supplies to a minimum. Perhaps a nice plant, a photo or two but no more than two of your family, pets or friends. Set aside a place in one of the drawers for personal items such as keys, aspirins, and limit yourself only to that space for truly necessary personal items. Place all awards on the walls not on the desk. Take home all the extra pictures of the children, pets, executive toys, nail polish, dental floss, etc. Toss the ink-covered plastic forks.

Gather up all the supplies and trash the ones that don't work. The ones you don't use give away or place in storage area. Old business cards, stickers, stamps, pens, stationery and everything that doesn't work should be tossed out! Get a small desk organiser to house your basics such as scissors, writing pens and pencils, paper clips, stapler and remover, and tape. Place all the extras in supply cabinet.

A picture says a thousand words. Take a before and after picture to remind you of where you were and where you are now, that your area is organised. Try to resist the temptation of going back to your old habits. Take five at the end of the day to replace and put everything in its place. Put the first order of the next day's business in tile centre of your desk, that way in the morning you will be ready.... Have an organisational topic you would like to see addressed in this column, please send it to my attention c/o The Royal Gazette .

*** Cindy Swan is a Professional Organiser and a member of the National Association of Professional Organisers.