At the end of your nine-to-five day, you wind up frantically composing the e-mail you meant to send in the morning while simultaneously wondering what to make for dinner. Experts recommend this remedy: Spend the last 15 minutes preparing for tomorrow. It sounds simplistic, but writing down your plan for the next day gets things off your mind, says Marcia Ramsland, a professional organizer and the author of Simplify Your Time (W, $15, www.amazon.com). You�ll walk out the door (or away from the corner of the kitchen that passes for a home office) feeling collected, and walk back in the next day with purpose. Here�s how to make a graceful exit.

Composing a to-do list is a no-brainer, but instead of writing it on random Post-its, keep it in a notebook so you can refer to the list later, says Laura Stack, author of Find More Time (Broadway, $13, www.amazon.com).

List the e-mails you need to send the next day. Too often you get caught up in just responding to e-mail, so making your list will put you in a proactive mode, says Ramsland.

File away as much as possible. Create a system that functions like a calendar, with 31 folders for each day of the month, and sort papers by the date you need to see them again. Now you�ll be ready when the phone starts ringing and the e-mail starts pinging, says Stack.