cables

If all of your desktop cords refuse to magically become invisible as you secretly wish they would, then you can at least put them in their place with these cable holders from Bluelounge. The adhesive Cabledrop organizers ($10) are just the thing to keep your power, Ethernet, firewire, and usb cords all in one place — and not fall behind your desk — while you stay mobile on your laptop, or keep your desk neat while you work on your trusty desktop.

Coming in a pack of six, the CableDrops aren't just limited to your peripherals — you can use them to wrangle your electric cords, pens, and even secure your headphones to your monitor so you don't lose them to the depths of your desk drawer.

Saying I have a lot of cords, chargers, and headphones is like saying Fab has a lot of shoes or Bella has a lot of moisturizers. Naturally, I collect gadgetry and along with it, miles upon miles of wirey goodness. There are plenty of innovative devices and tips for controlling cord clutter, but at the end of the day, the most basic wins in my book.

I purchased a set of pretty craft boxes from West Elm a while back and have devised a fool-proof system: I only keep the items I use weekly in this box. That way, I know my camera cord and charger, extra computer power cord, shuffle cord, iPhone cord, travel BlackBerry charger, and an extra USB cord are in the same place when I'm running out of the house. It has saved my sanity more than a few times.

Beads make everything better! Check out these radical wooden bead-covered extension cords, found on a French blog.

Their French nature means they won't work in US outlets, sadly, but I'm thinking DIY. With snap-on beads, maybe? I'm looking into it.

Although I've scoured and searched for the best cord management system possible, the reality is, you just gotta work with what you got. Take this Wolverine Mighty Mugg my boyfriend has sitting on his desk at work. Every other day, it's just been a simple toy taking up space, but today, it turned into a genius way to manage his iPod cable when not in use.

And really, for 15 bucks (or so), you won't find anything that satisfies your inner child, cable management OCD, and urge to help the planet at the same time — according to Hasbro, these babies are made from 100 percent recycled awesome. Nuff said.

Is it bad (or over the top geeky) that earphone cord holders excite me? I guess I'm guilty of always having cords that get twisted, knotted and end up in a big messy ball. Who needs some elaborate contraption to keep them organized when there are some great tiny yet effective inventions on the market. Two of my favorites include the
Sombrero Spools and the adorable bunny and cube cord organizers, and now I've got two more to add to the list!

The Belkin 3-Pack TuneTie ($14) lets you feed your cable through the figure eight and use only the length you need while the Earbud Yo-Yo keeps your cord nicely wound. The Earbud Yo-Yo, which you can personalize with various designs, will debut (with a price tag) at CES in January.

It's not easy to keep USB cords in order, but the 88 percent of you who like creative organizers will probably agree this USB multiplug ($16) looks like it could help.

The device was designed by Theo Williams and features three sockets and four LED lights to denote connectivity. I like that it airs on the subtle side of cord management and doesn't involve a complicated wall mount or cartoon-like coverage. I also like that it looks a wee bit like the cord base that came with my old iBook.

Check out this video from DLTV's latest TiVo Cast of the best-managed cord situation in a desk that I have ever seen. Man, if I could do this, I think I would even begin sleeping better. It's that good.

The cords have disappeared! Think you could DIY something like this?

Not impressed with Real Simple's sock tip to gather your cords? I know what you mean, because if you have to see the cords, you don't also want to see an old partnerless tube sock.

The Cable Box ($30) comes in handy because if the part of my cords I want organized is visible and even gathered in those little tubes, I'm not happy. The Cable Box gathers them up, including the power strip, and holds them in an inconspicuous box. It's available in black or white, so you can match it with your other gadgets.

Honestly, I wasn't as impressed until I saw the before and after shot of the Cable Box in action. To see it, just read more