Cleaning up your workspace for about $25

So last week I came across a couple posts on Lifehacker, which is one of my favorite websites:
Hack Attack: The Cordless Workspace (sort of)
DIY $8 home network rack

The cables behind my desk were getting completely out of control. I forgot to take a photo immediately before ripping everything out, but I have one from back in January that should give you an idea of what I was dealing with.

Some of the things you see in the picture have been removed since this was taken, but pay attention to cables behind the desk. That's the important part. One thing you can't see is the network equipment that's hiding behind the computers stacked on the lower right shelf. I have a cable modem, wireless router and a network switch all hiding back there. Something needed to be done, and I found my inspiration on Lifehacker.

Here's what I used:

• "J Channel" from Office Max - $12. This item is not available on their website, so here it is from Overstock.com so you can see what it looks like.


• 4 Rubbermaid letter trays (model 74095) from Office Max (they come in 2-packs) - $4 x 2 = $8. Again, not available on their website. Make sure you write down the model number, as Office Max carries many different sizes of Rubbermaid letter trays.


• Velcro cable ties from Office Max - $4.50 for a 50-pack. This is available on their website for $4, but in-store was $0.50 more. (Item # 20822371)

Total Cost: $24.50 + tax

Here's what I did:

• Step 1: Rip everything out.
  
  I had to disconnect everything. I took all the computers out of the room so I had space to work. After this I had a pile of cables that you wouldn't believe. I wish I had pictures of it.


• Step 2: Setup my $8 network rack.
  
  Using the DIY $8 home network rack post, I setup my very own $8 rack. Here's what it looks like:
  
  The whole thing is pretty much self-contained. All of the power supplies for the various devices are plugged into the power strip on the bottom rack. Only the power strip needs to be plugged in to power all of those devices. If the rack needs to be moved, on a few network cables and USB cables need to be unplugged.


• Step 3: Attach the "J Channel."
  
  In the Hack Attack: The Cordless Workspace (sort of) post, they used a cable basket from IKEA. This posed a few problems for me. First, we don't have any IKEA stores around here and IKEA.com wanted $20 to ship a $12 item. Second, I didn't have a good place to attach that basket. I used a $12 "J Channel" from Office Max instead. I used a hacksaw and cut the "J Channel" into two pieces. My desk didn't have a convenient place to attach the whole thing, so my wife suggested cutting it.


• Step 4: Put all the cables back.
  
  This step was a lot of work. I ran all the cables up or down the posts on the desk until they reached an entry point to the "J Channel." There were a few cables that weren't long enough the run all the way, so you can kind of see them sticking out. I might replace those in the future, but they're fine for now.


• Step 5: Tie everything up with velcro ties.
  
  I used the velcro ties from Office Max to tidy everything up. The 50-pack at Office Max contains 25 black and 25 gray ties. I used the gray ties to clean up the cables running up or down a post. Since the posts on my desk are gray, they matched well. The black ties were used to tie cables together that were on their way out of the "J Channel" or to clean up cables that had too much slack.
  

After completing this project, I am extremely happy with the result. I now have a very clean and comfortable workspace and I don't have to cringe every time I need to get under my desk for some reason. I highly recommend you do this if your workstation looked anything like mine. My wife definitely approves. Here is the final product: