From The Straits Times    |
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Going to work doesn’t always have to be a drag when you have a beautiful and organised desk. The environment affects your mood and productivity, so it makes perfect sense to perk up your workspace with these purse-friendly tips – even better, you won’t feel the pinch at all.

Transform old boxes into shelves

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Remember those luxe mooncake boxes with their intricately designed towers of drawers? If you can’t bear to throw them away, they’ll definitely come in handy on your office table, as they’re a good size to hold smaller items like a coin pouch and post-it notes. With the lovely oriental designs, you’ll always be ready for Chinese New Year, no matter the year. You can also put used tissue boxes to good use by cutting off the top and painting or wrapping them in decorative paper to make a beautiful container for your knick-knacks.

Decorative bookends

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One easy way to add character to your office table is to use decorative bookends, which are not only pretty but super functional to boot. Bookends have virtually no restriction when it comes to length and width, so you can place them as far apart as needed to hold your growing collection of books, files and documents in place.   

Keep things you’re unsure about in a box

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Stash stuff that you’re hesitant about throwing away in a labelled A4 paper box and stow it under your table. If you want to “pimp up” your box, try wrapping the exterior in recycled Christmas wrapping paper, or just plaster the sides with pages torn out from your favourite magazines. Be sure to review the box once in awhile and clear out the things you truly don’t need.  

Small plants

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Liven up your table (quite literally) by introducing some low-maintenance plants in the form of succulents and cacti. These hardy troopers only require watering once a week, and will be your faithful companion through the good and bad days at work. To amp up the cute factor, consider getting marimo balls, which are little squishy balls of algae that look like moss. They grow only 5mm a year, but are said to last for more than a century with proper care.  

Small old plate

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It’s time to show some love to those forgotten small plates in the recesses of your kitchen cabinet. We often have accessories we want to easily reach for in the office, and throwing them onto one of those old plates is a neat way to keep them in plain sight. Choose a plate with an interesting texture for added #hipster points.     

Cork board and washi tape

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Get a cork board and decorate it with washi tape, which is a form of patterned Japanese tape that instantly makes anything look more adorable. Cover the empty space on your cork board with vibrant images and inspirational quotes to give yourself that added push, and stick post-its onto the board for your daily reminders.

Binder clips

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Binder clips are extremely useful as they can be used in many creative ways. One hack worth trying is to clip them to the edge of your table and slide your cables through the metal wings so they don’t get all jumbled up. You can also try clipping it upright for a ready-made hook to hang anything from your earpiece to your necklace. Whip out that washi tape if you think the plain binder clips aren’t aesthetically pleasing.

For more lifestyle tips, check out http://www.herworldplus.com/lifestyle/how-to-perform-diy-feng-shui-your-home-and-office-time-chinese-new-year and http://www.herworldplus.com/lifestyle.

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