Sorry, but you have an ugly office. (Not to mention the pea-green carpet and stained yellow walls that greet you each morning.)

Typically, I'd feel sorry for you. But an ugly office isn't necessarily a bad thing — especially right now — when it can win you a trip to Hawai'i.

The search is on for America's nastiest, most disorganized, chaotic and pathetic office. No surprise who is putting on the contest: Lincolnshire, Ill.-based ACCO Brands, a company that makes office products. It probably would like you and millions of other workers to buy its stuff to get your office organized and less ugly.

But, oh well. ACCO is offering a trip for two to Maui for the person who officially has America's Ugliest Office. So I'll take the bait.

"It's amazing how crazy some of these offices look," says Greg Pierce, vice president with ACCO, who admits he hopes the contest draws visitors to his company's Web site. And he is putting no limits on what is considered an office.

Perhaps it's your car, the mobile office. Perhaps it's a home office, including a desk loaded with fruit snacks and toys. Or, as the Web site for the contest shows, a desk with a toilet as a seat.

In any event, your disorganization, for once, may get you somewhere. To enter, upload digital pictures of your ugly office to www.americasugliestoffice.com with a brief summary of why your office is such a disgrace. Entries will be accepted through Oct. 15. Then, through Nov. 30, the public will vote for the most deserving 10 semifinalists. Winners will be announced Dec. 10.

In the meantime, after you take that pic of your office, how about sprucing it up a little? While the contest is a humorous look at today's mangled offices, a disorganized desk is no laughing matter.

"It creates a bad attitude and a drop in productivity," says Julie Mahan, a professional organizer and owner of Indianapolis-based Simply Organizing. "Disorganization and stress often run hand in hand."

Think about it. If you are getting ready to leave the office for a meeting and can't find a file, what do you do? Start shuffling papers and tipping over stacks, creating a bigger mess and feelings of anxiety. And then you run late for the appointment.

Mahan says it's not so tough to get things in line. Just think about your home. You have a drawer for silverware, a cabinet for glassware and a shelf for dishes. Designate a place for all the things in your office just as you would at home, she suggests.

She offers a few other tips for getting that ugly office organized: