Do you ever get the feeling that you’re drowning in cable wires and outlets? Do you wish that the electronic fairy would visit your office in the middle of the night and work magic on the mess? If so, it’s time to get serious about making your home office more manageable. Cutting down on clutter can help you feel better about working in your office environment. You can feel more productive, more organized, and happier about your surroundings. So where do you begin? According to the experts, there are basic steps you can take to clear your workspace of cable and wire chaos. In this series, we’ll outline some of those basic suggestions that can help you feel better about your office. Here are some of those tips: Defy cable chaos. Once you have more than one computer, printer, or fax machine, you find yourself faced with an amazing array of wires and cables. There are many solutions out there to help with this challenge, including what are called cable tamers, which consist of split tubing that can contain wires and cables neatly under your desk, clearing your floor space. Check with your local office supply store, or search the Web for cable management products that fit your needs. Tackle outlet clutter. If you have outlets on every wall of your office, you might be the perfect candidate for a desk outlet. These allow you to have your Rj45, Cat5, Cat6 and power outlets on in one place. You can place them on your desk or any place where you hold meetings, and you can get them customized to meet your specific needs. Weed out wires. One of the most basic and inexpensive solutions to manage your wires is to purchase cable ties or Velcro wraps in order to tame loose wires and outlets around your desk. You can place a Velcro wrap right on the back of a power surge protector, allowing you to stick it on the side of your desk or file cabinet. Use as many as you need, and you can hide those unsightly wires and gain order in your workspace. Gather the grommets. Some people find that cables seem to multiply on the top of the desk surface. One of the best solutions to this problem is purchasing desk grommets. The gadgets allow you to gather up your cords from the phone, computer or fax below your work surface, clearing up the space on top. Rely on raceways. If you have wires running across your floor from a remote outlet, you might be asking for an accident. Here’s where surface raceways come to save the day. These items are designed to organize and protect electrical cording. They are described as cable channels, and are made out of PVC, which can be painted to blend in with your office. In the next part of this series, we’ll offer additional home office tips to help with de-cluttering your office and gaining control of your workspace. | 
