How To Manage Your Cables Without Ruining Your Desk

With more people working from home at least some of the time, setting up a quality home office space has never been more important. A significant amount of that office space will be dedicated to electronic devices, where are a necessity for modern productivity. This can pose a problem, however, because the more electronic devices you add to your desk, the more cords and cables will be an issue. At best this is annoying, and at worst it can seriously impact your productivity. It can even result in damage to expensive electronics or your desk itself.

Managing the cords at your desk can require some creative thinking and solutions, as you will want to come up with ways to manage the cables without ruining your desk or negatively affecting your productivity. Fortunately, there are a number of relatively easy fixes to better manage these cables that don’t require altering your desk.

Make Your Desk Productive

Start by considering which devices you use the most often and which you need to access regularly. Laptop and smartphone chargers, for example, should remain easily accessible because you probably need to remove and take them with you often. You might safely be able to remove some devices from your desk altogether and relocate them to somewhere else in your home office. For example, a non-wired printer might be better suited to its own small table across the room.

Identify The Cables

In order to make your desk more productive, you will first need to know what each cable does. Take the time to pull apart your desk setup if need be to identify each cord so you can rearrange them in a more efficient manner. Once you have them identified, it is a good idea to label them with tape or even store-bought cord labels so you will always know exactly what each cable is for. By identifying them, you will also learn which ones always need to be a part of your setup and which ones do not.

Hold Unused Cables in Place

Once you have all cables identified, you can safely store unused cables in a safe place where they will be out of the way. Any cables that you don’t need to move or change regularly can be tied, sealed, or taped down so they are no longer in the way of your workspace. There are a number of ways you can do this without drilling holes in your desk, such as by using clips or installing a wall cable channel. You can even bundle cables together using ties so they all run together.

Shorten Cable Length

Some cables you might not even need to hold in place. Long cables are far more likely to get tangled together and caught on things than short cables, so if you can, start switching out longer-length cables for shorter ones. Most types of cables come in different lengths, so in most cases you should be able to buy a shorter cable that does not have excess length to manage. Working with shorter cables can present the problem of where to plug them in, however.

Use the Power Strip and Plugs

A power strip is one of the most useful tools at your disposal for managing the cables around your desk. With a power strip, you can have all of your cables plugged into one place and easily accessible. Using power strips comes with the added advantage of being able to double as a surge protector, which is designed to safeguard your work and devices in the event of a power loss or surge. Power strips also help you save energy because they can fully turn off power to your devices, preventing them from drawing electricity when not in use.

Conclusion

You don’t need to damage your desk or constantly be fighting with a confusing, tangled mess of cords in your home office. For convenient access and a quality desk surge protector, consider the Blue Key World Desk Clamp Power Strip. This power strip is designed to be mounted on your desk for easy access. It also provides solid protection for your important work devices in the event of a power surge. It’s versatile too, offering two regular plugs, one USB port, and a USB-C port for maximum usefulness. Small upgrades such as this can make a big difference in improving your workspace. If you haven’t completely covered the cables don’t worry, you can always cover them with el wire and enhance the look of your table even more.