Posted: Feb. 26, 2006 12:00 AM

After day-care provider Lori Jobe spent three hours searching office files to find a document, she realized that clutter was gaining control of her work life.

"I found grocery receipts and old papers that I didn't realize I had," she said. "I was tired of being unorganized."

Jobe hired a professional organizer to give her home office a makeover. Today, she is running a home day care and plans to purchase a preschool facility this year, a dream she didn't have time to pursue when she was trying to stay on top of her paperwork.

The irony of today's computer age is that it seems to have generated more paperwork.

"It's easy to get overwhelmed by what's on your desk," said Sue Zepeda, owner of Tucson-based We Organize It. "Controlling clutter is about gaining power."

Follow these suggestions from Zepeda and other professional organizers to tame the paper tiger at the workplace.

Write a "to-do" list. "As human beings, we have a tendency to do what we like to do, not what needs to be done," said Valerie J. Simpson, a professional organizer.

"Making a daily list of work tasks, in order of priority, gets it down in black and white. Plus, there's a sense of accomplishment when you can cross off an item."

Simpson, who started Phoenix-based A to Z Organizing Pros® six years ago, "still uses a daily list."

"It cuts down on stress," she said. "When it's on the list, it's out of my head. I don't have time not to make one."

Organize for your personality. "Neat and organized are not the same thing," said Karen Ussery, a specialist in organizing. "Pay attention to what systems and solutions make sense to you. If it's a fit for your working and thinking style, it will be easy to maintain."

Ussery is owner of Organized for Success in Phoenix and founder of National Association of Professional Organizers, Arizona Chapter.

Keep systems simple. "Binders are a perfect example," Ussery said. "They seem like a good idea, but if you have to three-hole punch everything, it becomes too much work. Office systems should support you in doing your work, not cause you more effort.

"It may not seem like a big deal to have to three-hole punch everything, but sometimes it's just that one extra step that makes it too bothersome to keep up."

Systems to store paperwork don't have to be elaborate or costly.

"I have a client who keeps a pendaflex folder in his filing cabinet labeled 'Vendors,' " Zepeda said. "It's simple, and that works for him." Creating easy-to-recognize files, such as "Items for Action," "People to Call," and "Pending," may be sufficient.

Your desk is prime real estate. "Things you use every day, like files, office supplies, computer, printer and fax machine should be within arm's length of your chair," Zepeda said.

The goal is to eliminate the "ups and downs" that create interruptions in the workflow.

"This doesn't mean you don't ever get up out of your chair," Zepeda said. "Schedule stretch breaks, or walk around the office every half hour or so. When you take a break, it's when you decide to do so; you're not being dominated by your unorganized way of work."

Do tasks in batches. Set aside blocks of time in each day to return phone calls, check e-mail, file paperwork, send faxes or write proposals. The jobs that get done are the ones that are scheduled.

"By checking my phone and e-mail messages at 8 a.m. and then at noon, I stay current without having compulsively to check the computer or phone," said Brenda Scagnetti-Clement, an organizer in Phoenix.

For Jobe, getting through her mail was an issue.

"I used to throw my mail on the kitchen table, and it piled up," Jobe said. "Now, I put it all in a folder and go through it once a week."

Jobe sorts through items that can be thrown away or shredded immediately, pays bills and puts other correspondence into "to do" folders to go back to her desk.

Take 10 to stay orderly. "Get organized" ranked as the No. 2 New Year's resolution this year, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers. "Once you've got your new system in place, take 10 to 15 minutes at the end of each workday to tie up loose ends" Scagnetti-Clement said. "When you get to the office the next morning, you can start fresh."

By Claire Bush, Special for The Arizona Republic

A to Z Organizing Pros®, a Phoenix-based firm that helps organizations large and small to find new ways to be more efficient and productive. We can be reached at . Visit us at www.AtoZOrganizingPros.com