Good Will Blogging: The Neat Freak's Guide to Gaining Mastery Over Cables

If you're like me, you've probably got a large collection of cables and cords for connecting gadgets to other gadgets, that have slowly accumulated over the years. You've probably also got them all mixed and tangled up in a couple of boxes somewhere in your house.

I've made several attempts in the past to "organise" my cables into some kind of order, but that can be like trying to herd cats. They are awkwardly shaped, some are soft and pliable while others are stiff and hard to bend, they are all different lengths, they have differently sized plugs at their ends, etc.

Wire ties don't help much, since they only keep one part of the coil under control, while the rest can still get messy. And they do little to stop cables from getting tangled up with each other.

The solution: Cling Wrap. Yes, the stuff you use in the kitchen to wrap food before you put it in the fridge.

Step 1: Fold your cable to the length you want to store, and lay it down on some cling wrap (without tearing off the cling wrap from its roll).

Step 2: Start rolling the cable forward, wrapping it in the cling wrap. Don't worry about squeezing the cable into submission before you start rolling. Once you have got one or two rolls done, the cable is trapped.

Step 3: Squeeze the cable inside the wrap as you roll forward. Try to make it as compact as possible, and the wrap will hold it in that shape. If you've ever seen a spider catching an insect in its web, you will know what I mean. Each roll makes it more impossible for the cable to escape the tight, neat shape you've squeezed it into.

Step 4: Tear off the cling wrap once your cable is tightly wrapped and can't escape its clutches. Tidy up the loose ends, and voilà! It's like shrink-wrapping your cables in a nice, neat tubular shape. If you want to make it easier to identify the cable inside, you can write on the cling wrap with a felt marker.

The beauty of this trick is that the cable is visible, so you know what it is, and the cling wrap can be easily ripped off when you need it. The cling wrap itself is almost worthless, so there's no qualms about wrapping and re-wrapping it again and again if you need to. It's also a lot easier to replenish your supply of cling wrap than those wire tie things.

Step 5: Get some shoe boxes or similarly sized plastic baskets. (Make sure they'll fit on your shelves or wherever you want to store them.) Categorise your cables to your heart's content by putting them in separate, labelled boxes/baskets. This will give you really fast access to cables when you need them, and keep them neat and tidy when you don't.