Dylan sent the following tips in after he figured out the best methods of shaping up his workspace.
- Use Blu-Tack – Like many computer owners, I have a laptop as my primary (only) machine, and it is stationed on a desk. I have a keyboard, mouse and printer plugged into the notebook. When I unplug everything so that I can take my laptop with me somewhere, the cords tend to fall behind the desk. This makes it a pain to find them – and untangle them – later on. To fix this problem, I put Blu-Tack wire on the back of the desk. It holds my cables for me so that I never encounter this trouble again. It works for lamp cords, phone cords and more.
- Photos – I enjoy having pictures of my family and friends on my desk. Due to lack of space, though, there aren’t many to be seen. A simple and inexpensive solution is to buy a clear plastic mat that is two layers. When you want to show off a picture, simply slide it between the two plastic sheets. The photo will be protected, out of the way and easy to look at anytime you wish.
- Hide those cables – If you’ve ever had a desk that doesn’t come all the way to the floor in the back, you’ve had to deal with a frightening cord mess that everyone who visits your space will see. This is NOT a pretty sight, folks. Why not buy a piece of material, a blanket or even pressboard to tack to the back of your desk? It will hide the cord mess, and make everything look nice and neat once again.
- We need light to see AND space to breathe. – I need a lamp on my desk in order to see properly without getting a headache. I never realized how much real-estate they took up on my desk until recently. I went out and bought an inexpensive clip-on lamp. It clips to the edge of my desk, taking up a very small amount of space. It’s brighter than my old lamp, and I can adjust it to project light anywhere I might need it.
- Wrap it up – In order to keep control of the various cords and cables under my desk, I bought a lot of elastic bands. Wires going in the same direction are grouped together, and held close by the bands. This can be done to keep things such as pens and rulers from being scattered around, as well.
How do you keep your office or desk space organized? DO you keep it neat and under control?
