Studies show that the clutter underneath your desk is to blame for all the failures in your life! Okay, so maybe that statement is completely false but it is a fact that clutter can lead to issues. One way to combat these issues is to head in the polar opposite direction by practicing some extreme OCD clutter control under your desk!

You honestly won’t believe the intense satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment when your friends and loved ones see how neat and tidy the space under your desk really is! Of course, you may be criticized for wasting time that could be better spent on your business or with family and friends. However, such criticism is simply due to the fact that they are jealous of your mad decluttering skills and probably have a tangled mess of power cords and cables living below the surface of their desks! Anyway, eliminating the clutter under your desk is simple and easy, just follow these examples…

The Closet Entrepreneur’s Home Office Desk

What self-serving megalomaniac blogger wouldn’t start by showing off his own decluttered setup first? To be honest, my setup isn’t as nice as the other setups shown below, but there is a reason why I’m including it as an example. The issue with my Palermo desk (by Cost Plus World Market) is that it has a sliding shelf that holds the keyboard and mouse, so mounting anything to the underside of the desktop is nearly impossible. To get around the issue, two “L” brackets and plywood strips were used to mount a piece of pegboard below the sliding shelf unit (click on the photos to see notes on the installation). Seven and three quarter inch nylon cable ties attach the power strip, backup hard drive, and power brick to the pegboard; there is also some spare room on top of the pegboard for additional items.

Adhesive backed nylon mounting bases hide all cables from view, while wire loom is used to gather all cables running to the computer tower into a single unit. By the way, all the cable organizing accessories were found at The Home Depot and Fry’s Electronics, but you can easily find them on Amazon and other online retailers.

Blupics’ Two Person Work Table

Blupic’s immaculate setup uses Macessity and Sonnet under mount brackets to mount the Mac Minis and Mac Pro to the underside of his Andover dining table turned 3-person work table. Obviously the Mac Pro is visible, yet all the power strips, power bricks, power cords, and network cables are completely hidden from view. The power strips are held in place by double sided tape and plastic desk grommets allow cable access from the table’s surface.

**By the way fellow closet entrepreneurs, take note of the cool business idea that under mount brackets and cable organizing systems could make for desks and offices.

Van Mardian’s Decluttered Computer Desk

Van Mardian’s decluttered desk uses an ingenious solution to mount pegboard to the underside of his IKEA JERKER desk (that’s the name of the desk – I kid you not). Instead of using brackets or adhesives, he uses Stanley Safety Hasps [Part # 81-1800] and wooden dowel segments to securely mount the pegboard. Wire is used to attach components to the pegboard, and the assembly can be easily removed in case any components need to be added or removed. In my opinion, this is the most versatile and useful solution for aspiring decultterers to take advantage of in their own home.

Merchandc’s Custom Built Home Office Desk

Lastly, we have merchandc’s custom built home office desk that uses a cabinet to hide all cables and peripherals. The cabinet also acts as a printer stand and storage for the printer paper. The power strips are glued to the underside of the desk and cabinet using Liquid Nails; it may not be the most technically savvy solution but it gets the job done. To finish things off, wire loom and nylon wire ties organize and hide all the power and network cables.

In Conclusion

Whether you’re embracing your decluttering OCD, or simply looking for a way to prevent electrical shock hazards under your desk, the setups shown in this post provide several useful examples for tackling the mess that lies under your desk. And if you’re still not convinced that people have taken such organizing to heart, or you need some additional inspiration and ideas, then check out the following setups:

• Lifehacker – Hack Attack: The Cordless Workspace (sort of)
• Declutter Your Desk (see reader submissions near the end)

…and more inspiration on Flickr…

Know of a setup I missed or have a setup of your own that you would like to share, then please leave some info in the comments section!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Post Scriptum: A huge “thank you” goes out to Unclutterer for their Workspaces Flickr Pool!

» This entry was filed under Advice and tagged with: Inspiration, organizing