You know it’s time to de-clutter your desk when there’s not even enough room on it for your morning coffee. And what about under your desk? Does it resemble a snake pit of cables and wires?

It’s not easy to work when you have to shovel past papers to reach your keyboard or when you have to knock away a pile of old magazines before clicking your mouse. Fortunately, there are simple ways to both reduce the clutter atop your desk and eliminate the sprawl of computer cables and wires under it.

First, tackle the wires. There are two good options here: one inexpensive, the other more costly. If you want to go the more affordable route, invest in a few large binder clips. These clips, of course, work great for keeping papers in order. You might be surprised at how effective they are for keeping computer cables under control too.

Simply clip your cables together with these binders. Before long, your mess of computer cables will be relocated to one central location.

If you want to go the more expensive route, consider purchasing wireless charging pads. These pads allow you to charge everything from a wireless mouse to a digital camera to your smartphone. No longer will you need dozens of wires to plug into your mobile and wireless devices. With a charger, you can simply connect these devices to one mat-shaped device, often called a powermat, to recharge them, again significantly reducing your reliance on computer cables and power cords.

Your desktop clutter, of course, is a different matter. The easiest way to reduce this mess is to rely less on paper. With so much business communication taking place through email, there’s less reason than ever to clutter your desk with printed memos and messages. Refrain, too, from printing out news stories, time sheets, and other business communication. The more paperwork that you store electronically, the less paperwork you’ll have to spread across your desktop.

For those papers that you absolutely must have, store them in binders or file cabinets and store them as soon as possible. The longer you wait to store such items, the more likely they are to become part of your desktop’s growing clutter pile.

Become good, too, at throwing things away. If a client sends you a sample of a book that you’ll never read, either pass it along to a fellow co-worker or donate to your local Goodwill. If you receive a memo that you know you’ll only look at once, recycle it. The quicker you move items off your desk, the less likely you are to clutter your workspace.