An unorganized work space has many disadvantages, and only serves to slow you down at work and make life more difficult. Most people would like to have a cleaner and well controlled desk to work at; however, they think it will take too much effort to rectify the situation. But, with just a little sorting, grouping and labeling, you can start to make your desk work for you, rather than it making your work more difficult. These three simple steps will show you exactly how to reorganize your work space, and tame that beast you call a desk.

• Remove and Clean. The first thing you should do to get your desk under control is to remove everything from in it and on top of it, unless it's your 50 pound computer monitor or something similar. Take this opportunity to clean your desk. You can use some cleaning solution, bleach water or even just plain water. You will also probably find some long lost artifacts during this process, which is always a bonus.

• Purge and Sort. After everything is out of your desk, you should gather a recycle bin and a trash can , and begin throwing away items. Be sure to follow your companies guidelines on how long you must keep documents, so you do not get in any legal trouble. You should begin sorting your desk contents into groups using common sense.

• Label and Reload. After you have sorted everything, it is time to put everything back into your desk. You should label your file folders so you understand exactly where to find something. If you have to thumb through your entire collection of folders every time to find something, then you need to work on your labeling. You should put items you use daily on top of the desk, or in the front of its drawer. Items that are used less often can be moved deeper into the desk. Items used very rarely can be stored somewhere else. Just because you have drawers, does not mean you have to fill them up.

A messy desk can make life difficult, and causes more work, which is the last thing you need at your job. Using a little organization and labeling, you can get your desk back in order. After you have reorganized your work space, you will be amazed at how easy it is to get work done, and you will wonder why you waited to clean it until now.