Don’t be meek. Say no directly without excuses. Excuses make you appear as if you aren’t in control of your decisions. If you say “I’m sorry but…” this only weakens your stand. If you have decided saying yes is not in your best interest, no apology is necessary.

What if they won’t take no for an answer? If someone won’t take no for an answer, repeat your position. Maintain your stand and don’t allow yourself to be manipulated or strong armed. No means no and you have right to stand by your choice. Feel good about your decision to say no Feel calm, confident, and comfortable with your decision to say no. Be secure knowing it’s enough to say no simply because you just don’t want to.

Remember, learn how to say no is a win-win situation for everyone.

- Things to take care of now - Things you will deal with later - Things to file away for reference

Then utilize following organizing tools:

- notebooks - file folders - boxes - drawers - cabinets - briefcase

Use these organizing tools to create a place for every item on your desk. Everything should have a place, and everything should be in its place. Your desktop is place for only one thing, one thing you are working on this instant. The most important organizing tool is one listed below:

- trash can

Some people hang on to things forever because they think they may need it at some time in future. Study item you are hanging on to. What are odds that you will need it some time in future? None to zero? In slim chance that you do need it in future, is there some other source for it?

Some people keep things related to active assignments on their desk so they won't forget about what needs to be done. Instead, keep a prioritized task list. A prioritized task list is great for workers who constantly get interrupted. If interruption is your boss, show them your prioritized task list and ask where new assignment fits in. If interruption is not your boss, show them your prioritized task list and tell them you'll check with your boss as to where their chore fits into list.

The reality is that some people are never going to get organized. They believe that any other activity has a higher priority than organizing. The story about my co-worker indicates that being disorganized is not a reliable indicator of a deficient employee. But if you have a cluttered desk, that's how you will be perceived. If you can't use tools described above (boxes, drawers, cabinates, etc.) to organize your cluttered desk, then at least use them to hide clutter.

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