Despite many things going wireless these days, we still have a bunch of cables and cords snaking around our offices. Whether in your company or home office, a sound cable management system can go a long way in making your workday more productive and clutter-free.
Why you should organize your cables
Our surroundings affect how we work. A messy office is likely not conducive to productivity and a pleasant workday.
- Safety. Unruly cables and cords can be harmful in a lot of ways. Torn cable coverings can cause electric shock and are especially dangerous if you live with small kids and pets.
- Durability. When cables and cords are well taken care of, appliances are less prone to damage.
- Time savings. Untangling and identifying wires every workday is a complete waste of time. Taking the time in a day to organize your cords and cables will save you time in the future.
7 Smart Ways To Organize And Manage Cables In Your Office
Here are a few ways to organize and manage cables in your office.
1. Stick them on the wall using coaxial cable staples
They go by different names: nail-ins, or clips, coaxial cable staples, cable wire clips, and plastic or polyethylene coaxial staples. These little fasteners are perfect if you don’t mind nailing things on your wall and know exactly where your cables should go. Some wires and cords go around window frames and doorways, and these nifty cable staples will keep cable work less of an eyesore.
2. Use command strips if you don’t like holes in the wall.
If you are not comfortable (or your landlord forbids you from) nailing things on the walls, command strips are a good alternative. They don’t damage the surface when you remove them and work the same way cable staples do. Another advantage is moving the cables around without removing the command strips.
3. Gather and bind your cables in zip ties
Identify the cords that will most likely stay together for a long time. Collect and tie them together using zip ties. A pack of a hundred zip ties is available for about $5, so they’re a cheap DIY solution to tangled and unruly cables under your desk.
There‘s a downside to them, though. If you need to remove one line from the bunch, you will need to cut them all loose. An alternative is to use velcro one-wraps instead – they’re reusable and also perfect for carrying around for phone and laptop chargers.
4. Shorten your cables
Some cords are too long and take up too much space in your office. An excellent way to address this is to loop them. You can make your cablebone to loop your cables around. All you need to do is draw bone shapes on a rubber mat, cut them out, and glue them together. The cablebone must be at least a quarter of an inch thick. Drill a hole on each end, where you can slip your cables in. You can find the complete instructions here.
5. Use tapes
You can use tapes if you don’t have cable ties or cable staples yet. Organize your cables by taping them at the back of your desk. Since this is an interim solution, don’t expect the tapes to hold together for a long time. Tapes will hold for a few hours or weeks, depending on the surface and the humidity where you are.
6. Label your cables
Use label makers to make tidy labels for your cords. A nice label maker costs around $30, but you can also opt for the top-of-the-line ones that would cost hundreds of dollars. When making your labels, you can type the text twice and put two spaces in between so that you can fold the sticker around the cable and attach the sticky sides. This way, you’ll have labels on both sides. If you don’t have a label maker and don’t mind the tags being in different colors and shapes, you can also use bread tags.
7. Store unused cables in shoe racks
If you have cables that you don’t use anymore but can’t throw away, you can use hanging shoe racks to store them. Each pouch is the perfect size for wound cables and other lightweight tools. Toilet paper rolls would also be an excellent way to organize unused cables. Slide your wound cords in empty paper tolls, then line them up in a shoe box for storage.
Safety first
The idea of managing and organizing cables is about safety first and foremost. Make sure that in sorting them out and keeping them out of sight, you do not put too much stress on the wires that may result in tears. Don’t bend them too tightly or repeatedly; keep outlets away from flammable materials like carpets and curtains.
Interesting read: The Benefits of Having a Mobile Office You Probably Never Knew About