In a study commissioned by Professional Organizers in Canada, 7 in 10 Canadians who work say their workplace is disorganized, and disorganized Canadians report feelings of stress, frustration and failure.

Organize Your Desk Day, a yearly event on the third Thursday of Small Business Week, brings focus to the need for order in the workplace to indeed boost productivity, but also to improve disorganized Canadians’ peace of mind.

If you’ve been reading along over the past 10 weeks as we have journeyed the path to greater order, you’ll be celebrating an organized desk right now or be well on your way.  Congratulations!  Please feel free to share your story on www.facebook.com/organizeyourdeskday.  If not, I invite you to read through the previous posts to begin to create order in your workspace.  

A messy desk may be the most obvious sign of disorganization; it is however, not the only indication.  If you notice any of the following signs of disorganization, consider sharing what you have learned or passing along this series of articles to encourage others to become more organized and more productive.   Disorganization not only affects the individual’s work, it affects others – both colleagues and customers.

In addition to a messy desk, the following are signs of a disorganized approach to work:

1. Losing time hunting for misplaced items
2. Being late or missing appointments  
3. Missing deliverables or submitting incomplete or unprofessional work
4. Not spending time on the most important tasks
5. Suffering a work related repetitive strain injury

The impact of a disorganized approach to work includes:

1. Lower overall productivity and/or working longer hours
2. Lack of credibility within the company and with customers
3. Job dissatisfaction and other negative feelings 
4. Lack of career growth
5. Absenteeism from stress or injury

Getting organized is not about moving from procrastination to perfection. It is about being the most productive person you can be.   A sense of achievement is indeed what drives many of us. There is research to suggest happy people are more productive people. I suggest the reverse is also true - productive people are more satisfied people. 

Now, what will you spend all that extra time on?

ACCO BRANDS CANADA is proud to sponsor this 10 week series on organizing your workspace leading up to ORGANIZE YOUR DESK DAY on October 21, 2010. Get the tools you need to get organized from world class brands such as Swingline, Quartet, Day-Timer, GBC, Kensington, and Wilson Jones. Clare Kumar, founder and Chief Organizer at Streamlife, an organizing company, will take you on a practical and inspiring journey from chaos and clutter to productivity and peace of mind.