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An overabundance of cords is one of the unfortunate side effects of working with technology. A wireless keyboard and mouse can help reduce cord clutter, but there’s no getting around the need for power cables and cords to connect other accessories to your computer. Because I write about technology and test dozens of home-office products every month, my desk is more often a wiry mess than the clean and organized one I’d like it to be.

I’d organized my desk before, in sweeping procrastination sessions, but afterward the wires seemed to multiply. What I really needed was a better system and better tools to tame the cables. So I reached out to friends, colleagues, and strangers on Twitter for advice on what they use for cord control. I then bought many of their suggested items and went to work on all the wires on my desk.

There are hundreds of items to help you manage cords, from cases and cable ties to cable sleeves and under-desk mounted options. I chose to focus on the cables sprawled atop my desk because I rarely look at the mess of wires beneath it.

If you have a desk that’s not up against the wall or that’s in a public shared space where you do see those under-desk wires, the JOTO Cable Management Sleeve was recommended by a few people. It’s like a zip-up leg warmer for power cords and cables. The IKEA Signum comes highly recommended too.

To corral the cords on my desk, though, I ended up using these tools to semi-permanently place cables exactly where I wanted them and where they were still within reach:

I also tried the Anker Magnetic Cable Holder, since I was attracted to its magnetic feature. But it seems designed only for very thin wires. Similarly, I was disappointed by the TAP-UP Cable Box, which promised a drill-free way to house cords beneath the desk. I had trouble getting the box to open once assembled, and I feared the cables might end up imprisoned for life.

It took the better part of an afternoon to get all the cables organized. If you don’t have a gazillion wires like I do, it might take you only an hour or so to wrangle the cords above your desk. And if you’re going to clean up the cables underneath your desk, it could take the same amount of time. It might also take you a few minutes to figure out which cable belongs to which device.

The first thing you should do is clear all of the accessories (and their cables) that you don’t use regularly off your desk. For example, I had a wire that charges my Bose 700 headphones lounging in front of my keyboard. Since the headphones don’t need to be charged that often, I tied up the cord and put it in a drawer.

Keep accessories you don’t use often out of your main line of sight. For example, my printer is off on a side table, rather than on my desk, and I moved a Fujitsu ScanSnap mobile scanner beneath my desk. External hard drives have been banished to a corner of my desk, behind a plant.

There are three cables that I need to never fall off my desk because they connect my laptop to power, my monitor, and a USB hub for all the other devices. For this, I use a long Twelve South Snap at the back of the desk to keep them secured.

My keyboard’s long wire will likely never need moving because the keyboard will always stay on my desk. So I use a small OHill’s disc to channel it along the edge of my monitor’s stand.

Deciding the layout for your cables is really the only difficult part of the task, and it’s not all that hard to do. If you change your mind, the organizers can be removed, though they might not be repositionable.

If you have a standing desk, don’t go too crazy tying up cables. Your power cords still need to reach an outlet as you transition from sitting height to standing height. An under-desk mount like the IKEA Signum might be the best solution if you keep your power strip in it, so there’s only one cord that needs to reach to the outlet, whether you’re sitting or standing.

For cables you might take with you to work outside your home, we like cable-organizer bags and pouches. And to keep cables and small accessories organized in a backpack or even a desk drawer, I also like the Cocoon Grid-It.

Melanie Pinola previously covered all things home office as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, productivity, and lifestyle/family topics. She’s thrilled when those topics intersect—and when she gets to write about them in her PJs.

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