Journal

Cables…we bet you haven’t thought much about them, other than an occasional groan at their mess and inconvenience. They’re too long, or too short. There’s too many of them, and they’re all over the place. Sometimes, it’s best to shove them all in a hasty, tangled mess in the dark and pretend they don’t exist until we need to plug something in or out. 

Out of sight, out of mind, right? 

Wrong. 

You know deep down this clutter eats away at you every time you get a glimpse of it, every time you have to unplug something or re-adjust a wire. The thought of touching that dusty, unruly mess of cables…we wouldn’t want to deal with it either. 

Feeling annoyed at your cables? We got you. Block out a few hours in your busy schedule and roll up your sleeves, because it’s about to get organized up in here. Read on for 4 Cable Management Ideas to Complement Your Home Design.

Before We Start, Get Your Cables In Order

So, you’re motivated. Ready to go. Determined to tackle this mess of cables under your desk. But when you stare the mess down, you don’t know where to start. Don’t worry – we got you. 

The best way to tackle the mess is by starting fresh. That means unplugging every single one of your cables and laying them out one by one so you can see what you have to work with.  

There. Not so bad like this, are they? Straight and untangled cables. This is the dream. We’ll help you keep them organized and plugged in.

1. Tie Them Up.

Cables are loud and needy. They twist, get tangled and demand to be seen. No matter how much you try to shove them away, they just can’t take a hint. 

One way to keep them in check is to group them together. The easiest way to do that – using cable ties. Pick out cables that are connected to the same device or nearby devices, like your desktop and your speakers, tie the cables together and viola! Easy. You can choose to tie the cables together and keep them on your floor or on your work surface. But to take the organizing up a notch, you can tie the cables to the legs of your desk (check out how neat this looks in the image below). 

This simple hack can make a big difference to the aesthetic of your cable management system and is essential to keeping your cables from getting tangled up with the wrong company and causing unnecessary mess. The aesthetic benefit is obvious. But there’s also a functional angle – tying relevant cables together makes it easy and quick to identify which cables need to go where, so when you’re next trying to figure why something isn’t turning on, you can easily find the culprit. 

You can add creativity to the process by choosing cable ties that will complement your space. From various materials – plastic, leather, nylon, Velcro – to different colors – black, blue, yellow, red, white – cable ties allow you to manage your cables while keeping your space on brand and in line with the rest of your home décor. 

2. Label ‘em. 

Ever struggle to identify which cable belongs to which device? You try unplugging things, try to follow the source and yet somehow you end up picking the wrong cord? We’ve been there. 

Sorting through a bunch of cables that all look the same is a waste of your time, and can be easily avoided. 

Grab a couple of labels – color, shape and size are up for grabs – and spend some time making sure each cable has a relevant and clear label. Your future self will thank you! If you have kids, this is a great opportunity to get them engaged and doing some crafts. You can match the labels to your power strip, so that it complements the color and design. For example, think red square labels for our Apple Red JouleBar. 

Next time you’re scrambling with cables, it will be so much easier to differentiate between which ones do what. 

3. Take It Up a Notch. 

At Joule, we think outside the box. We push the status quo. And we know you do too. So why settle for organized cables on the ground or on your desk? 

You can take control of your cables by designing your very own strategy for keeping them out of sight, and out of mind. The actual implementation will depend largely on your home design and home set-up, but we have compiled a couple of kickass ideas for you to consider: 

• Run your cables through a raceway taped underneath your desk, on the leg of your desk, or on the floor. Imagine how neat that looks. 

• Use a fun, open accessory to keep your cables running underneath or alongside your desk, without completely pushing them out of view, so you can still easily identify them. 

• Set up a cocoon for all of your major device cables. Choose one that can handle the heavy stuff like power supplies for your laptop charger. 

Think of how much more clarity you’ll have without those pesky cables constantly being in your sight! Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your ingenuity made the problem go away. That’s what we call a win-win. 

4. Use A Secret Weapon.

You’ve got the team all lined up and ready to go, the energy is surging, and your adrenaline is running wild! It’s time for the star of the show…

Enter, Joule. A power strip designed to be seen. To stand out from the crowd and break the rules, unlike your regular ole power strip. To defy the norms and come up with a solution nobody thought possible. Just like you. 

Find a spot on your desk, front and centre to showcase your JouleBar. Plug your neatly teamed up, labelled cables in, and there you have it. The perfect cable management system. 

Follow our 4 Cable Management Ideas to Complement Your Home Design and you’ll see you’ll be thinking clearer, feeling better, and loving your upgraded home design. 

Show us how you’re implementing our cable management tips in your space! Tag us @hellojoule and #hellojoule. We can’t wait to see what you create!