What does it really mean to get organized at work? Let's break this down:

First, the bad news:

You actually have to deal with everything that shows up. You can't ignore anything (papers, emails, phone calls, tasks).

What happens when you ignore stuff?

Work (literally) piles up
You piss people off -- "Why didn't you respond to my email/phone call?"
You lose people's trust -- "She never gets back to me, I'll ask someone else."
You miss opportunities -- deadlines, events, meetings, etc. due to poor scheduling, but also the opportunities that flow from showing up in the world focused and ready to go.

Now, the good news:

You don't have to DO everything. You just have to decide what needs to be done (and then do some of it).

Getting organized really means:

Getting in touch with all the "incompletes" in your universe.
Deciding what to do about each incomplete -- it could be "do it," but it could also be "give it to someone else to do," "delete it," or "defer it until I have more time/information/resources."
Capturing your "incompletes" in a system (calendar, online to-do list, pen and paper) you trust and like to use.
Reviewing and repeating, on a regular basis, the three steps above.

This, at its essence, is how I understand Getting Things Done. It's no magic bullet, but it's a great place to start.

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