Yes, it's true my desk can get a bit messy from time to time. There are times when I am busy with too many projects that I have taken on all at once. I believe it happens as I tend to find so many points of interest I want to take up as I work to get two businesses off the ground simultaneously.

So, you may ask, how do I keep it under control, even if it's not always perfectly organized?

Well, to get started I separate my tasks into categories based on their urgency and their value. My own
creation of what I call Tiger Tables, which is based on the Time Matrix concept, works great for this task and lts me see where everything stands at one quick glance.

Then to supplement this I keep ongoing lists, such as "to do today, to buy, backburners and goals." I flex between these tools based on what I have going on at the moment and things that I want to possibly work on in future.

As well, in my personal finger ready system, which consists of a very handy portable document holder with document pockets, I keep the papers and information for the things on my lists and I also separate some tasks based on their "IPA" status. (IPA; meaning Income Producing Activities.) I have to thank my Mary Kay Director for that one, when I heard that expression I loved it.

The truth however is, that I don't always get to everything on my list. Some things just have to stay on backburner or get crossed off the list as I go, and that's fine with me. Yet, thanks to my weekly calendar planner and my lists and holders, I know my true commitments and where I need to be and when, and I very rarely lose anything of value.

When it comes to the paperwork and where to put everything, I have enough sorters and planners to hold everything and everything has a place. So even if it's not in its place all the time, when the time comes to quickly clean up, I can do it with relative ease.

So there you have it, my confession, my office space is not always tidy and I don't always get everything I want to do done. My systems are however functional for me and I know where things belong. To me, keeping it manageable is important.

Now when it comes to the rest of my home, this area is a little easier for me to stay on top of because past experiences have really helped me live as a minimalist. Such as when my fiancé and I staged our home recently and had to weed out just about everything we didn't need immediately at hand.

Another aspect which helped me keep down the physical clutter, especially clothes, shoes, trinkets and more is the fact that not too long ago in my life I worked very hard to get out of debt. This meant when my pay check came it when right into my debt not leaving any room in the budget for things I didn't need.

As well, when I was young I moved around a lot which meant I was always going through my possessions and didn't necessarily want to drag things around with me unless I really needed and used them. That has helped make it easier for me not to get stuck on too many physical possessions.

So, that's my reality and my wish is that in sharing it with you, you'll know that us organizers are people too and not perfectly organized all the time.

Ok, I can't speak for my fellow professionals yet I suspect many would agree that perhaps for some of us, although we have this passion for organizing and the mere sight of clutter gets us motivated there is always the need to apply these skills to our own lives and possessions as well.

Even a Rose Garden needs weeding once in a while.