Who has time to create an organized office? Running your business is demanding enough. Gone are the secretaries and support staff of yesteryear, who were always on hand to file papers, answer your phone calls, and make (or break) appointments. "It's not unusual for even high-level executives to make their own travel arrangements now," says Standolyn Robertson, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers based in Glenview, Illinois, and founder of Things in Place in the Boston area. But not being able to find an important file, phone number, or email when you need it translates into wasted time and diminished productivity. If your office looks like it was recently hit by a tornado, it's time to grab that paper (not to mention electronic) tiger by the tail and tame it into submission. 1) Make it personal: There's no one-size-fits-all organization system, says Robertson. If clutter drives you crazy, use drawers, drawer organizers, and cabinets to keep it under cover. On the other hand, if out of sight means out of mind, use open shelving, pencil holders, trays and other accessories that sit on top of desks or shelves. Robertson advises creating a filing system that makes sense for you, whether this means filing things alphabetically or by subject.  2) Choose your tools: Robertson says a U-shape or L-shape desk that gives you more surface space is ideal. Save even more space by replacing a clunky desktop computer, monitor, and peripherals with a more recent laptop or flat-screen monitor, a CPU that fits under your desk, and trimmed-down versions of items like scanners and printers. Robertson likes file cabinets with drawers that extend all the way out and hanging folders with labels placed all on one side. "That way your eyes aren't zigzagging around across rows of labels," she adds. 3) Paper trails: Robertson suggests organizing papers, brochures, magazines, books, journals, etc. into three categories: action, reference, and archive. Action files are current projects you're working on now, reference materials are those you use regularly, and archived files are inactive projects from the past. Robertson says action and reference files are often piled willy-nilly on the desk because the archived information is taking up prime real estate in the nearest filing cabinet. She suggests finding another home for archived files—perhaps in a cabinet on the other side of your office or in the hall—so that now you'll be able to store your more important to-do work at your fingertips or within easy reach.  4) Virtual organization: Technology initially promised us the paperless office; instead, we seem to be using more paper than ever. Robertson says a filing system that you're comfortable with in the physical world will translate just as well to your hard drive. Rather than print documents to file, create file folders on your computer and store documents in the appropriate folders. Most email programs let you create folders to better manage email, and other software applications, such as word processors and spreadsheets, have shortcuts or preferences that let you specify where to store documents. 5) Decide on an exit plan: Don't let your archives get out of control. Choose a time period—say, one year—after which you can purge excess paperwork as well as electronic files. Ask your accountant how long to hold onto financial documents and tax records. 6) Ask an expert: A professional organizer can objectively evaluate your work style and use her expertise to help you find the best system. Robertson says pros typically charge from $60-$175 per hour or work on a per project basis, and the cost can more than make up for itself in terms of saving you time and frustration.