Sort the papers on your desk into five categories: shred, pay, file, read and deep storage. Tackle one stack at a time, and commit to sitting at your desk until you get to the bottom of any pile you start.

Set Up a Two-Basket System

Put one large basket on your desk for bills and another for general mail. Take time to streamline your bill-paying by calling creditors to request that all your bills be put in the same pay period. If all your payments are due on the 15th, for example, you’ll only have to tackle bills once a month. Set aside time each day to sort through your mail basket and file or toss the contents — don’t be afraid to throw out things you can easily find online, like shopping catalogs.

If you’re worried that putting something in a drawer means you’ll never see it again, file the document and then make a note on your calendar two weeks out reminding yourself to follow up.

Put a pen and pad by the telephone. Keep notes from conversations — directions, phone numbers, names of restaurants — and date each page as you use it. Your notes will become a record to refer to, not scraps of paper that get lost or cause clutter.