15 Awesome Gadgets That Will Clear Your Desktop Clutter

Most of the time my work area resembles my brain – overflowing with useless information and only slightly coherent. While I’m convinced my brain is beyond hope, technology is making it so my work area doesn’t have to be.

If your desk looks anything like the picture below, here are 15 gadgets that’ll make your life a bit less cluttered.

1. Binder clips

Now don’t expect to get recruited to the MI5 Double 0 branch for this, but it gets the job done. The idea is to use binder clip handles to hold your cables off to the side, within easy reach but out of the clutter area. For less than $3, you can pick up a box of binder clips from Staples… or you can raid the office stationary closet.
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2. Wireless Notebook Dock Cuts Cable Clutter

So, the Easy Dock puts the kibosh on cable clutter. Here’s how it works: you attach your monitor, speakers, mouse and keyboard to the docking station. Wifi transmits from the dock to a receiving stick, which plugs directly into your computer’s USB port. Price = $150.
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3. Install Belvedere for Windows users and Hazel if you’re on a Mac

Belvedere (for Windows) and Hazel (for Mac) provide the same function: they automate the process of de-cluttering your computer. Belvedere is free and Hazel offers a 2 week free trial, so for less than nothing you can get your virtual work space in order without a major time investment.

1. Move Common File Types to Appropriate Folders

This rule is a “divide and conquer” strategy, of sorts. Set a rule to allocate file types (.jpg, .pdf, .doc, etc.) to specified folders; this segmentation happens automatically and takes no thought or time investment. Folks that download from the Net to a single location (like the Desktop or Download file) will find this particularly useful.

2. Get Rid of Unnecessary Desktop Shortcuts

Most desktop shortcut icons are about as useful as a three-legged pack mule; all they do is clutter up your screen when most of us use 5 shortcuts daily… if that. Setting a rule to delete .lnk files as they’re created keeps the clutter in check.

4. Idapt i3

For technophiles the Idapt is a Godsend. There’s docking space for all your “toys” including your cell phone, iPod, GPS unit, etc. Three units can be charged simultaneously, while only adding one additional cord to the mix … giving you a less cluttered area.
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4. Super Cable

For 7 bucks you can make your own super cable, which pulls all those synch wires and charging cords into a single sleeved cord. It’s like hair gel for cables; use it and your power strip won’t look like it has “bed head”. Or, if you got money to burn, you can drop $60 on an Idapt which effectively offers the same level of de-cluttering.
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5. Google Desktop Search, Spotlight and Quicksilver

Search technology has made life manageable in today’s information drenched reality. Instead of drowning in a complex hierarchy of folders, simply use a tool like Google Desktop, Quicksilver, Mac’s Spotlight, or Window’s Search. With a few keyboard strokes any folder or file is within grasp faster than a New York minute.
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6. Awesome Homemade Desk that hides your gadgets

This layout reminds me of a server rack, except for your computer paraphernalia. The idea is to maximize the space you have, and you do that by mounting routers, hard drives and other unessentials below the desk. It does open up desk real estate, but it can get hot down there depending on your device mix.
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7. Gadget Basket

This photo is proof that you don’t need to be a brain scientist to keep organized. Step 1 – Find basket. Step 2 – Carve holes for charging wires. Step 3 – Drop in your electronic devices. Done.
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8. iPhone App – Notes

For the To-Do list fiends out there, Notes is the go-to app for keeping your day uncluttered. It puts most list-specific apps to shame in the ease-of-use category. Plus, it won’t cost you a dime and comes preloaded on the iPhone.
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9. Online Storage

At least when you’re cluttered you can find what you’re looking for… eventually. Not so if you have fry a hard drive, which is more common than you want to know. That’s where companies like Mozy, Carbonite and Box.net come in: for a monthly fee you’re files are protected –duplicated to secure storage servers – in the event that the worst-case situation becomes reality.
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10. Scan Important Papers and use a document management system

Now, as a forewarning, you’re going to need some initiative for this but the added space (and breathing room) is worth the effort. Drop your offline paperwork into your computer with a quick scan and save. Save them in PDF format, organize them as you please, and file away that mound of paper on your desk.
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11. Go wireless

These days, you can eliminate virtually all of the wires from your work desk. Everything from cell phone charger to mouse/keyboard cords to smartphone sync wires to the speakers… all the connections can be replaced with a decent router and WiFi ready devices. Give the Cisco Dual N Linksys router a peek – it’s 5 Mhz network capability, which is perfect for video streaming, has win written all over it.
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12. Wireless Charging

So, here’s what Wild Charge got right. They understood how inconvenient wires are in today’s quasi-Borg society so they alleviated some of the clutter with a wireless cell phone charger. Here’s where they went wrong. First, they price it at $89.99 and then they only support the first gen Motorola RAZR. Speaking of, is there anybody outside of Mali that still has a RAZR?
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13. Stardock Fences

Stardock’s Fences is the equivalent of a filing cabinet for your PC’s desktop. Each partition can be labeled for easy sorting, and then you can cluster related icons together. Definitely helps to avoid those “I hate my life” moments when you can’t find that particular folder hidden in the manila blur that is your desktop.
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14. Object Dock

Either you got a Mac or you wish you did (sorry… just stating facts here). ObjectDock is for those Apple Fanboys that haven’t come out the closet yet. You get the sleek dock-style interface Mac is known for woven into your PC desktop, effectively removing the brunt of the clutter. Hey, if you can’t eat filet mignon you might as well get the Salisbury steak, right?
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15. Keyboard Organiser

Sometimes my desk looks like the dance floor after a Dub Step concert. Dirty and disorganized is an understatement. That’s exactly why this Keyboard Organizer is at the top of my “must have” list – 20 bucks and desktop clutter becomes a nonissue.
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