You've cleaned, you've purged, you've filed. Now it's time to really get down to work

Most of you might be thinking that now that you have purged all the unnecessary stuff and set up your new home office space, you can sit back and relax. Guess again. The third and final part of the organizing process is the most important: maintaining your space.

If your office is like mine, more information will continue to arrive every day. Email messages come flooding in, the mail continues to arrive, and your co-workers carefully place the "important" items they want you to look at on your chair or inbox. There are messages on your voicemail and your To Do list continues to grow.

The most important skill that you need in order to maintain your organized space is the ability to manage your time well. Nearly every client I work with has trouble getting and staying organized because they don't allow time in their schedule for regular daily maintenance.

In addition to regularly scheduled maintenance periods during the day, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes at the end of your workday preparing for the next one. This process involves keeping your office tidy by putting items away that you are finished with for that day. The one behaviour that will sabotage you every time is thinking to yourself, "I'll just put this here for now." Now becomes forever and, before you know it, you're back to the mess and chaos you started with. You should also spend a few minutes reviewing your calendar and To Do list for the next day and deciding what your priorities are. You will leave your office with a clear desk and a well-thought-out plan for the next day.

Then there is the necessity of designing systems and creating new habits. This is often the key to maintaining successful organizing throughout your life. Regularly putting items where they belong, checking items off your To Do list, and answering email messages and phone calls need to become a mandatory daily activity just like brushing your teeth.

The idea of choosing support can be a powerful one. I have clients who have a regular appointment with me every month. The only way they can stay organized is to have me with them-who wants to process paper and email alone, anyway? If having a professional organizer come each month is not in your budget, enlist the help of a friend or colleague who is naturally organized to keep you motivated and on track.

You may decide to reinforce your new organizing efforts by repeating a positive statement to yourself every day such as, "I am becoming more organized every day." Your thoughts will affect your actions and you will be more likely to succeed in the long term.

Jane Veldhoven is a Certified Professional Organizer ® and owner of Get Organized! Professional Services.  For more information visit www.janetheorganizer.com.

Read the first part of Jane's home office tips here.

Read the second part of Jane's home office tips here.