Happy New Year! Can we still get away with saying that 2 weeks in? Considering this is our first tech tip of 2025, we think so. A new year signifies a new start for many; the perfect time to wipe the slate clean, figuratively or literally!
Perhaps you identify with the latter. You despair at the state of your desk. It somewhat resembles a junkyard, with all the devices haphazardly piled on top of one another. You are also at risk of being ensnared by the myriad of interlocking wires, like Frodo in Shelob’s web. Well despair not dear reader! This blog contains our top tips for making your tech look tidy.
Get rid of the old
Have you ever watched the TV programme “Sort Your Life Out?” In each episode, a team of experts help homeowners declutter their homes. To do this, they pack up all of the family’s belongings and load it into vans. It all then gets transported to an aircraft hanger and laid out on the floor in categories — usually filling the entire space!
The homeowners can then clearly see what they own and have two days to decide what they want to keep, recycle, donate or sell. Once all the decisions are made and their possessions drastically reduced in number, the items they are keeping are taken back home and arranged in beautifully organised, maintainable systems.
So, when it comes to tidying up your tech, we recommend emulating the “Sort Your Life Out” process. First things first, do an inventory or review of all your devices. If you have the room, lay all the technology you own out on a table or on the floor. That way, you can get a clear picture of everything you own.
It will be really easy to spot and get rid of any unnecessary duplicates. Obviously, you want to keep a reasonable number of backups in case of emergency. However, don’t go overboard. The whole purpose of this exercise is to create space and you want to be able to neatly store it all.
It is also a great time to test your cables and devices. If they are broken, they are just taking up valuable space and collecting dust — get rid of it! Not sure how? Have a read of our blog for tips on how to dispose of your old tech safely and sustainably.
Manage your cables
Now you have done your tech cull, it is time to arrange the items that made the cut. You place your monitor, devices and accessories on your desk. It looks super neat, Pinterest-worthy even! You resent having to actually plug them in. Cables don’t look pretty! There are a few cable management options you can use to tidy up your wires.
Cable ties or clips act a little bit like hair elastics. They gather all your cables together so they don’t get unruly. A step up would be a cable sleeve. It does the same thing, but encases the entirety of the wires into one sleek tube. Ideal if your desk doesn’t have a backing. Under-the-desk cable trays can hide a myriad of sins. You can even get really stylish storage boxes — which look sculptural or ornamental even — to fit the interior design of your room.
Whilst we are on the topic of organising your cables, we also suggest labelling them. If you have a lot of wires gathered together in one of the above cable management options, but you need to remove one, it is like removing a needle from a haystack. If you label your cables, you make your life so much easier and save time.
For a home office, you can DIY it. Simply grab some tape and a pen and label them. Want to go a bit more fancy? Use printable labels or shrink tubing. Use colour coding to make identification even easier. Within industry, there are cable labelling standards: BS EN 62491, BASEC Product Certification Requirements and BS 7671 Wiring Regulations. Click on the various links to find out more.
Create a charging station
Are you prone to losing your charger? If so, create a dedicated charging station so that you can trust you will always be able to find a charger in the same place. If you need to charge elsewhere, or work from various locations, keep a separate one in your laptop or work bag. But keep one in your main office and DON’T move it!
Identify a space to set up your charging station; one that is easily accessible, works for you and obviously has a power outlet nearby. Invest in a charging dock or multi-device charging station. That way you can get rid of all the bulky plugs and avoid having to use multiple extension leads. Your tech will take up way less space and look a lot neater. In the words of professional organizer Marie Kondo, it will “spark joy.”
Work outside in
Once you have physically sorted out your tech, follow it up with a digital detox! Remember, beauty also lies within. Start with an app audit. Delete any apps you no longer use.
Arrange your apps so that the ones you most frequently use can be quickly accessed.
Sift through your files and emails. Trash the ones which are obsolete, taking up valuable storage space. Arrange the remaining files and emails into an easily accessible and navigable filing system. Not sure how to do that? Appdrawn at your service. We wrote a whole blog on how to organise your files better.
At Appdrawn Software Development we are passionate about tech making our lives as easy as possible! For more tech tips, click here.