With each purchase of a new gadget comes a plethora of charging cables. It’s easy to absent-mindedly throw everything into a drawer to be sorted or used later. But that method inevitably results in a tangled mess of cables and cords that rivals that of Clark Griswold’s Christmas lights. Here’s a better way to stow away those extra cords so that the next time you need them, you won’t have to battle The Cable-Spaghetti Monster.

What You’ll Need:

  • Shoebox
  • Scissors
  • Tape (ours is fancy gold duct tape)
  • A pen/permanent marker
  • Cardboard roll (from TP, gift wrap, etc.)
  • Cables!

Step 1. Measure and Cut

Grab your cardboard roll and place inside your shoebox so that you can measure how tall to cut each section. We used a pen to mark the height. Once you’ve made your marks, cut away! Keep cutting segments until you have enough to fill up the inside of your shoebox. Ours took 4 rows of 6, or 24 rolls.

Step 2. Add Stability

Add tape to make your cardboard rolls sturdier. We used our tape to make pods of 4 rolls. Then, we attached our pods to each other to create one, large insert for our shoebox.

Step 3. Map It Out

The great thing about having a shoebox with a lid is that your cables won’t get dusty, and you can make a roadmap. Like a box chocolates, draw out where each cable lives. Future-You will thank you for this. Our shoebox had some extra room, which is perfect for bulkier cables.

Step 4. Get Organized!

And now, for the fun part. Place your neatly rolled up cables into their new homes. Close the lid, and you’re done. Out of sight, out of mind. And out of danger of getting into a tangled up mess!