Allow no interruptions. An Organized, Clean Desk Look at each piece of paper on your desk and make an immediate decision to keep it or throw it. Throw it if you can. You have just transferred all those piles of files into just one stack of papers. Don't use small pieces of paper.
Some people only move from piles of files to piles of little pieces of paper.
Your master list will now become your inventory of unfinished work and ongoing projects. You have automatically created a new follow-up system, one based on a list instead of a pile. Prioritize your list. Develop a filing system that is simple and very near your desk. Number the first thirty-one of them 1 through 31, for the days of the month.