With the new year approaching, we enter that home run stretch where the work just piles up all at once. It's true when they say that your desk is a reflection of your state of mind. Are you overwhelmed with your never-ending tasks? Do you have a lot of unfinished business and a list of half-done tasks? This often translates to the state of your desk.

While it is common sense to declutter, this is easier said than done. So we’ve compiled a few home office décor hacks to improve and maintain your study, or even your professional workplace.

Functional furniture

Let's face it, transformable furniture is fun. You'd rather be excited to come into work, and we underestimate how our surroundings can affect our mood. There is a science to how restaurants pick furniture and even paint their walls to influence the behaviour of their customers, such as how long they will stay to eat or how calm they feel.

From a practical perspective, multifunctional furniture is a logical decision especially if your office is a small space. Modern space saving furniture are often office staples with an added function or benefit. A noise-cancelling chair is a perfect example!

Psychological effects of a cluttered space

The negative effects of clutter are more than physical. A messy workplace signals 'mental clutter', or the danger of the latter developing. A person with this state of mind is inefficient at filtering what is irrelevant, causing a slower rate of thinking and processing of information.

Sometimes you just need to let go of clutter you do not need. In this case, getting yourself to clear your desk regularly is also a way to train your skills of filtering in general, and that includes your mind.

Designating a clear work zone

Sometimes a desk that houses a lot of material does not necessarily count as 'clutter', so long as the space is well organised and there is a system in place.

Take a trip to the stationery section at your local department store and choose desk organisers that suit your tastes. Making organisation appealing to your eyes will help maintain the tidiness and will feel less like a chore.

Planners and calendars are essential to creating a study space. You may have apps on your phone, but this provides the danger of potential distractions. Hardcopy planners can be easily glanced at and serve as a constant reminder, so go the extra step and select an eye-catching planner that is pleasing and not simply a dry table of unattractive information. A whiteboard and colourful markers are an environmentally-friendly alternative to reduce the consumption of paper.

Design is not just presenting a nice aesthetic – good design is arranging with deliberation. To designate a good study or work environment, you want to ensure that you are physically removed from distractions.

Now that you have the know-how, it’s time to put these principles into action and get to work!