Cable Management
Checklist

Velcro ties (not zip ties)

Velcro ties can be reopened and re-routed. Zip ties are permanent and make future changes frustrating.

Under-desk cable management tray

The single most impactful product. Clamps under the desk and holds power strip, excess cable, and the USB hub.

Cable labels (or masking tape + marker)

Label both ends of every cable. Takes 5 minutes and saves hours of debugging later.

Surge-protected power strip (6+ outlets)

Everything goes into one power strip, which goes into the cable tray. One cable runs from tray to wall.

Measuring tape

Measure cable runs before buying raceways or cable clips. Most people buy too short.

Remove everything from the desk surface

Start from scratch. Trying to cable-manage around existing clutter never works as well as a clean slate.

Unplug all cables and group them by destination

Monitor cables together, peripheral cables together, power cables together.

Discard or store cables you no longer use

Old phone chargers, HDMI cables from previous monitors, and unused ethernet runs. Out of the drawer too.

Mount cable management tray under the desk

Position it roughly centred, leaving the desk surface clear. Clamp-on trays take 5 minutes with no drilling.

Place surge-protected power strip in the tray

This is your power hub. All device power cables connect here, not directly to the wall.

Install any desk grommets or cable raceway along the back edge

Grommets route cables through the desk top cleanly. Back-edge raceways hide runs along the desk perimeter.

Mount a USB hub under the desk or at the desk edge

A side-mounted USB hub reduces cable runs to peripherals significantly. Fewer cables crossing the desk surface.

Power cables first — run from devices to the tray

These are the thickest cables. Route them along the desk back or through a grommet, then into the tray.

Display cables second (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C)

Route from monitor to dock or laptop. Keep tight to the back of the desk.

USB hub cables from hub to devices

Keep these short. Buy the right length — a 1m cable that spans 30cm creates excess that needs managing.

Peripheral cables (keyboard, mouse receiver) last

Wireless peripherals eliminate most of these. If you're still wired, route to the hub, not directly to the laptop.

Bundle cables running the same direction with velcro ties

Group by destination, not by type. Cables going to the monitor travel together; cables going to the tray travel together.

Leave slight slack at connection points

Zero-slack setups are brittle — one desk adjustment and a cable pops out. A small loop at each end is fine.

Clip or mount cable bundles to the desk underside

Adhesive cable clips (Command strips + cable clips) route bundles along the desk underside cleanly.

No cables touching the floor where possible

Cables on the floor collect dust, get tangled, and look messy. The cable tray should eliminate most floor runs.

One cable from power strip to the wall outlet

The whole point of the tray. Everything else is internal to the desk. Only one wire exits to the wall.

Label both ends of every cable

Use masking tape and a marker or buy proper cable labels. "MON HDMI", "DOCK PWR", "KB USB" — whatever makes sense to you.

Photograph the final setup

A photo from under the desk and from above is invaluable when you need to add a cable or troubleshoot 6 months later.

Note which power strip outlet each device uses

Helps identify which device tripped a breaker or is causing a surge.

Re-route when adding new devices — don't just cable-gun it

One hastily added cable becomes the seed of the next cable mess. Spend 20 minutes doing it properly each time.

Remove cables for devices you no longer use

Dead cables in a managed setup are the primary cause of creeping cable clutter.

Annual cable audit: check for fraying, looseness, or unnecessary runs

Inspect every cable connection once a year. Frayed cables are a fire risk.