The debate continues on whether the poor economy of the past fewyears has turned the corner. While this dispute has not beensettled, there is one thing that most Americans agree on – thedesire to work hard and stay productive has not slowed. About 70percent of workers either work more than 40 hours a week, on theweekends or through their lunch break to get the job done,according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

The commitment to getting the job done goes beyond putting intime at the office. While some are sacrificing their free time towork or volunteer, others are reaching into their own wallets tohelp those around them. Teachers, for instance, spent an average of$398 on school supplies and an additional $538 on instructionalmaterials – nearly $1,000 – last school year according to the 2010National School Supply and Equipment Association retail marketawareness study.

With this in mind, ACCOBrands, a leader in office products through industry-leadingbrands such as Swingline(R), GBC(R), Day-Timer(R), Quartet(R),Wilson Jones(R) and Kensington(R) among others, launched theEveryday Heroes contest. The contest shined a spotlight on thosethat are working overtime, double-duty or using their own resourcesto stay efficient and productive. A preview of the three winnerswho were voted on by the public in the home office, business andschool category are below. Read their full stories atacco.com/accoheroes.

* Home office hero: Michelle B. from Richland, Wash. iseverything one would expect when they hear the word “hero.” Livingin a perpetual state of motion, Michelle uses office products tostay on track while balancing care for her four children and workas a bridal store manager, secretary for the Autism Society ofEastern Washington and activities planner for her church.

* Business hero: Christine S. from Green Bay, Wis. is afundraising savant who relies on her binder and pocket folders tostay organized. As the co-founder of The Beacon House, a non-profithealth resource center, it is essential to stay organized andefficient to make the most of all efforts at the facility. Severalevents involve multiple players and take months to pull together. Arecent event, The Paws Parade of Hope, included a pet fashion show,pet adoption, obedience challenges, amongst other activities. Intotal, Christine helped raise $14,000 for The Community BenefitTree and The Beacon House.

* School hero: Joanna C. from Lewisville, Texas, a high schoolmath teacher, understands that just because students can’t affordcertain supplies doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the opportunity tolearn. When students enter the classroom at the start of the schoolyear, each desk has a bag full of office products – ensuring theirfocus stays on the books and not on worrying about getting thetools to succeed.

“ACCO Brands wanted to recognize individuals who make thesecontributions throughout the year and go unnoticed,” says KellieGlueck, marketing director at ACCO Brands. “While it requires hardwork and determination to be a hero, we are pleased to offerquality products and helpful solutions that make routine taskseasier and increase daily productivity and organization.”

There is no clear cut way to becoming a hero, but the EverydayHeroes emphasized simplicity to stay productive and achievesuccess.

Tips used by Michelle, Christine and Joanna to achievesimplicity:

1. Simplify your work style – Set a schedule of routine tasks toaccomplish each day. Instead of specifying “hour slots,” keep itsimple by breaking down your day’s activities into segments. Try tomaintain a regular pattern in the way you do certainactivities.

2. Simplify your workspace – Cut out the clutter by taking alook around your desk and removing any supplies or materials thatyou don’t need regular access to. Organize your desktop to haveonly what you need in front of you, and put the rest away in adrawer or cabinet.

3. Simplify paper flow – Implement a system to manage paperflow. Make sure when paper comes in, it is dealt with, placed in apending basket, action filer or active project file, or put it awayin a binder. If the paper has no value, shred it with an automatedor jam-free shredder.

4. Simplify productivity – Break down each big task into a listof smaller, bite-sized tasks with priority ranking. An organized”to do” list can sort out priorities and help focus on handling thetasks that need attention. Consider organizing by productivitysegments (administrative, projects, operations, etc.). Write adaily list from your master list on a whiteboard or planner,listing only those tasks that can be accomplished in a day.

5. Simplify future goals – Do you know what you’re doing nextweek? Next month? Next year? Write a plan and know what you’redoing. Try to keep big-picture and long-term goals in mind, butbreak them into manageable and realistic steps to get there.

More tips andinformation on the ACCOBrands Everyday Heroes contest is available atacco.com/accoheroes.