Organizing your life can help you feel more in control and now may be a good time to start. The first step is to reflect on the changes you would like to make and prepare to follow through on them. Not surprisingly, each year "get organized" or "reduce stress" makes the top 10 on people's New Year's resolution lists.

Organizing your office at home or at work can help reduce stress and provide a better work-life balance. As one of the leading providers of home office and small- business solutions, HP offers the following tips to help get you organized and reduce stress:

Eliminate. The average business person can waste up to 150 hours a year looking for things. Take a moment to evaluate your workspace, including drawers and shelves, and determine what you need to save and what can be discarded. Most likely, if you haven't used it in over a year, it's probably not necessary to keep. If it is necessary to keep, you may want to consider archiving it digitally.

Consolidate. A desk with little to no free space can be depressing and stressful. Leave only the most essential items on your desk and store the other items in your newfound drawer and shelf space. Consider consolidating your printer, scanner, fax and copier into one. There are a number of affordable devices that do it all, such as the HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One. It not only maximizes productivity, it saves space.

Regulate. Create a system for managing and organizing your documents. Label and file hardcopy documents for easy access in a file cabinet when needed. Timely hardcopy materials can be filed on your desk in a rack. Consider scanning materials that are not needed in hardcopy to reduce paper clutter-digitizing your documents allows for easy access via your computer when needed.

Separate. Avoid distraction by separating personal documents and responsibilities from work-related ones. If you are in a home office, it may help to establish set hours for work-only activities to stay focused. Let personal calls go to voicemail and deal with personal items outside of the work hours you establish-it will help increase your productivity.

With just a little effort and some adjustment, you will be well on your way to achieving complete organization. Cheers to a Happy New Year!

The average business person can waste up to 150 hours a year looking for things.