I can organize pretty much anything. The exception are cords and cables for electronic and computer devices. It’s as though I have a mental block when it comes to turning that tangled mess beneath the desk. Usually, when I see chaos, I can’t wait to dig in, sort, purge and set up a nicely organized system. People I run into always ask me if my house is organized. Yes, I tell them, I do practice what I preach. Although, my secret to success is minimalism. I don’t have very much “stuff,” so I have less to organize.
However, the mess under the desk in my office is downright embarrassing. It’s one of those out-of-sight, out-of-mind places that I can’t seem to motivate myself to organize. I mean, really, who wants to crawl around under the desk, unplug all those cords, detangle them, wrap them nicely and plug them back in? Not me! Although, like any project you procrastinate on, I feel I must do something about it now that I’ve confessed to my mess. Darn.
To help myself and those of you dealing with a tangled mess beneath the desk, I did some research. I admit that I have organized cables for clients when necessary and often turn to my trusty cable ties. They come in all sizes, are inexpensive, and they really do take care of a mess. I also discovered these nifty reusable cable ties when I needed to corral wires for a client under her television.
Bread bag clips are a great idea for labelling your cords, or there are fancier-looking reusable, write-on tags. To attach cables to a wall, I use Command removable cable holders. They are small and clear, so they blend nicely into the décor. The other item I use is a cord channel to run wires under a desktop. You can use them for “hiding” cables running down your wall from a light fixture or television, but you can mount them under the desk. Just peel off the sticky tape, and voilà the tangled mess under the desk disappears in minutes.
There’s also the issue of the phone chargers and printer connection cables being all over the floor. Then, when you try to plug something in, you have to dig around looking for the correct cable. However, you can get a cord organizer that sticks to your desk to keep your cables handy.
If you use a power bar, use a rack to mount it under the desk. I’m a huge fan of getting things off the floor. It automatically makes any space look and feel tidy and makes vacuuming a breeze.
There are all kinds of other more expensive fancy gizmos for managing cables. Still, I think, like any organizing project, it’s not really about the fancy container but more about how you organize things and what you put in place to keep them that way.
How do you manage the tangled mess beneath the desk?