Desk disorder can produce stress and shame. Why not get a handle on it? "Organization is about creating a simple system that works," says Barry Izsak, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers. "Being organized is not about looking pretty." Here are some tips.

STYLE YOUR PILES

You may let papers pile up in disarray on desktops, but piles aren't inherently a sign of chaos. Visual workers rely on piles to provide clues that trigger ideas and productivity, says professional organizer Stephanie Winston. Pile devotee? Put your day's work in a "hot" pile, which is cleared out before the day is done. And resist the urge to start a "miscellaneous" pile; you'll be stacking with no structure.

MAKE DECISIONS

How does clutter form? According to Winston, it's poor decision-making. Every paper that lands on your desk, and every e-mail you receive, needs a decision: trash it, refer it, act on it, or file it. Winston calls it her TRAF system.

TAME TECHNOLOGY

Much of the struggle against clutter has moved to the computer desktop. The problem, Izsak says, is that “most people use programs to 10 percent of their capacity.” Luckily, organizing virtual documents can be much less taxing than paper. Even unalterably messy inboxes can be tamed, using search folders. Desktops also can get cluttered with Web windows. Use tabbed browsing to keep your Web surfing on a single window.