While many of people in the workforce have been summoned back to the office, many are still working at home. If you've been holding off making your at home workspace a place where you actually want to work, these tips and products will help you organize the additional cables and equipment you now have to keep plugged in and charged.

Why a neat and tidy work space is important

Many argue that they have is an "organized mess", while that may be true, everyone gets to a point where it just becomes a mess - especially with things that are out of your control in terms of where you put them. Cords are one of these things that don't fit into the category of "organized mess". Instead they are either look "organized" or look like clutter. Whether you realize it or not, clutter can be stress inducing. Which means that neater cords means less stress.

Becoming a cable management pro

Cables running across and underneath your desk looks messy but can also cause a lot of problems if: a.) your space collects a lot of dust

b.) you use sharp objects like scissors with your work (i.e. creative work or you're child(ren) use your desk to do their homework projects.

c.) ZOOM (picture your desk on video)

Using a wireless mouse and keyboard is a very easy way to reduce cable clutter. You'll likely need to charge them at some point. So you'll need a plan for making your USB cables easily accessible. One tool that works well for me is using cable holders that stick to almost any surface. I've placed these cable holders strategically around my desk, my living room and my bedroom so that my chargers don't land on the ground.

Also your monitor needs power (if you use an external one). Likely, you're dealing with a variety of different cables like multiple USB's, docks, lights, mics, and maybe even webcams. So there's really no way to avoid the risk of cable clutter. For my desk I mounted 2 power strips (one on the bottom and one on the top) to the back and underneath my desk. I used one power strip to plug in things that I don't plan on unplugging regularly like my monitor, laptop charger (I have an extra one for when I travel), etc. The other I use for things like my light, additional phone chargers, and things that I may need to plug in temporarily. All of the wires are neatly hidden in a cable management box also located under my desk. I didn't want all of my cables and wires just hanging randomly so I collected them and wrapped them in a cord protector that extends from one end of the power strip to the base of where ever the cables are plugged in.

Another thing I purchased to reduce the amount of not only cables but the number of times I have to get up or wrangle a cable are wireless charging stations. I placed a dual charger on my desk to charge my phone, airpods and watch. I placed one in our bedroom and one on each side of the sofa for Mr. D J R and myself.

A few additional things that help keep your desk clean are compressed air and a good dust cloth. Dust has a way of finding you no matter where you are. Compressed air will keep all the gross much out of your keyboard and a dust cloth will keep surfaces like your mouse, trackpad and top of your laptop clean. I recommend using an antibacterial lens wipe too!