Keeping your desk in order is more than a point of personal comfort and pride. If you’re working from home, freelancing, or looking for work, the chance of a Zoom meeting could mean that your messy desk becomes not only a hassle but an indication of your inability to organize! To keep things tidy, get a grip on Messy Cables.
How do I hide and organize Messy Cables?
Your computer likely has a port for cables. Whether or not you have a real computer desk or an old door on top of file cabinets, there’s a spot for your cords to dangle. In addition to having a spot for cords, make sure that you have a logical location for your power strip. If possible, mount your power strip to the underside of your desk, or set up a shelf under the cord hole for it, to avoid having multiple Messy Cables coming out from under your desk.
You’ll need a cable sleeve with some flexibility; if it’s too tight or takes forever to apply and remove, you won’t use it and your cables will remain a mess. If it’s too constricting, you may damage gear when you move a tablet only to hear your extra monitor sliding away.
How do I clean up my computer cables?
In addition to your computer power cable, you likely have an additional monitor cable, and this will also need a power cable. You may also find that you have multiple items being charged at your desk at any one point. This can include
- your tablet
- your eReader
- your phone
- a brick charger
Whenever possible, consolidate. Invest in a multiport USB charger that can serve as a surge protector for your multiple USB devices.
How can I hide my cables from my desk?
Consider setting up a small shelf under your desk, or dedicate a lower drawer in a file cabinet for everything you need to charge. When not in use, you can keep a surge suppressor mounted to the side of your desk support and the drawer closed; just loop all of the charging cables in cable organizers and leave them hanging under your desk. When it’s time to charge things up, pull the loop over to the shelf or the drawer and hook up all your electronics.
In addition to a charging drawer or a shelf, set up a disinfecting station near your charging spot. Keep sanitizer, wipes and sealable bags close by. Before you put your items on the charger and set them in their spot for powering up, wipe them down and discard the wipes in sealable bags for your safety and the safety of your household.
What is the function of Cable Sleeves?
A quality cable sleeve will keep all your cord together without strangling them. Yes, it’s nice to have them bundled, but it’s also nice to have a little give in the sleeve if you need to move something. Velcro ties can easily be over-tightened, meaning that all the cables move in a big knot. Most of the time this works, but it can be frustrating if you need to move a monitor or a laptop to a new location.
A good cable sleeve will also prevent long cables from laying on the floor where you can unhook things with your foot or run over it with a vacuum cleaner. The beater bars on vacuum cleaners are especially hard on audio cables, so make sure that your headsets and other fragile cables are given some protection from the housekeeping staff at your office or from yourself at home.
You need a cable sleeve that is quick to apply and easy to get out of if you need to change your layout. With cable organizers that include a zipper, you can quickly remove it for washing or vacuuming as necessary if things get dusty or if something is spilled.
Conclusion
Keeping your cables in order and your desk tidy will reduce your stress and make your job, your freelance side hustle and your life a bit easier to manage. Whenever possible, route all cables through a single hole and zip them into a zippered neoprene wrap for easy cable management and control.
