When did you last see your desk? It's no trick question. Because 55% of PAs and secretaries questioned in a new nationwide survey admitted that they were unable to remember having a clear desktop space. Are you one of them!

According to research conducted for Avery Dennison Worldwide Office Products, less than 30% said they cleared their desk daily, with one in five doing so very occasionally and one in six only bothering when "the pile threatens to fall off the desk". And yet 82% of those questioned stated that "keeping my desk tidy would make me work more efficiently."

Stewart Murdoch, marketing director of Avery, who have launched a new web site (averyrefresh.co.uk) in a bid to bin bad habits and brighten up your life with good looking, colourful products ranging from files and letter trays to CD towers and bookends, says that the most common sources of clutter are acres of papers, files and other documents. This accounts for 92% of desk space. So how can you "refresh your desk" to maintain a high level of performance and motivation? Here are some basic rules:

• Tidy frequently. The more clutter builds up, the harder it becomes to face up to the challenge of imposing order on the desk top



• Try to keep on your desktop only those things essential to completing the job in hand. Everything else should be stored out of sight



• Use the circular "filing cabinet" at your feet frequently to get rid of unwanted material



• If possible, rearrange the physical items on your desktop, such as a stapler, pens, diary and filing trays, once a week. These small changes will encourage you to review the entire desk top with fresh eyes

It's also very nice to replace and renew - and there is no shortage of attractive desk top essentials being regularly produced to help make office life easier and work areas just that little more glamorous - and tidy.

Esselte, for instance, have launched a "Lagoon" range of co-ordinated accessories from Leitz that they claim brings a clear, refreshing addition to any desktop. In Atlantic Blue and Pacific Blue, clear heavy polystyrene the range includes everything from letter trays (£7.75) and staplers (£11.65) to a £7.98 pencil pot and £7.75 perforator. They have also come up with a series of A4 Desk Free Folders which, they claim, will help categorise and manage work in progress, while keeping paperwork in sight and workspaces tidy. Ideal for storing up to 40 printed out e-mails, memos, letters and notes which need to be referred to quickly. (esselte.com).

Acco, too, are on the desk management trail and have launched an interactive website (rexelagenda2.com) to promote and colour detail its innovative and attractive range of Rexel Agenda2 desk organisers designed to bring an end to desktop clutter. A modular system with matching accessories, the system stacks vertically to maximise space with a single stack able to consist of a wider-than-average letter tray (£9.79), mail sorter (£29.99), confidential tray (£6.99), desk tidy and pen cup (£5.99).

Also to tempt from Acco is the natty, upright, Rexel electric Punch Wizard (£12.99). Its see-through casing with eye-catching multi-coloured internal components co-ordinates with those of the company's Staple Wizard stapler (acco.co.uk).

Another attractive desk accessory is a label printer. Dymo have a snazzy, compact LabelMANAGER range targeted directly at the desks of PAs, secretaries and administrative assistants (labelmanager.co.uk or dymo.com). Avery, too, have a "funky" new Personal Label Printer that is light, small and easy to plug into your PC - perfect for those who only need to print out one or two labels at a time (avery.co.uk)

A pretty Letts or Collins desk diary is essential to every PA, as is a good notebook. None come better or more prestigious than a Black n' Red. Following their sophisticated Calculator Book with currency converter that set a new trend in the workplace (and still does) the company have now introduced a somewhat simpler but nevertheless attractive A7 lightweight notebook (£1.50) to their range that contains 90gsm plain paper and has an elastic closure to protect the note-taker's work (blacknred.com).

As, of course, are the handy and ultra efficient Lotus and Outlook electronic diaries and a Sharp electronic dictionary. Their newest PW-E300 (£79.99) will complement any desk. It combines the Oxford Dictionary of English with the New Oxford Thesaurus of English within one stylish handheld device that incorporates 355,000 words, phrases and definitions and 600,000 synonyms (sharp.co.uk ).

Black n' Red come from the large John Dickinson Stationery group, Britain's leading producer of quality envelopes, books and personal stationery, who have just gone into partnership with Nokia and Filofax to produce a new writing solution that allows users to write with a Nokia digital pen onto the Black n' Red Digital Notebook and Filofax Digital Organiser. As it is combined with PC connectivity, having this would really put your workspace on the map (johndickinson.co.uk).

Finally, for that little something extra - and special - London-based product innovation specialist Z List has produced a computer mouse "replacement" which, they say, no style conscious PC user should be without. Named "The Fish" (£19.99 plus VAT) it is a smooth and silky tapering handful just 4½ inches long and 1½ inches wide at its thumb and forefinger (zlistltd.com).

However you do it, make sure your desk gives out the right messages of professional calm and total control. Even if you don't always feel in control, you need to look like you are!