With many of us spending 40 or more hours a week at work, their office is almost a second home and nobody wants a messy home (unless you've appeared on A&E's Hoarders)!

Consider using the holiday downtime this year at work to tidy up, as professional organizer and FitPerez contributor John Trosko explains:

A lot of my clients tell me they have no time to spend “getting organized” at their jobs. With messy desks, cluttered credenzas, long-forgotten files, desktops littered with now-useless icons, they find their time these days are just spent putting out fires and trying to keep up. While there is no “best” time to get your office organized, there is a “better” time: December.

Unless you work in retail, most of American business slows down between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And for some, the time between Christmas and New Years is dead quiet. Why not spend some time each day this month to catch up, clear the clutter, and start the New Year fresh? Here are some easy, simple 15-minute mini-projects to do around your office, home office or cubicle this month of December. What projects can you think of?

Décor - re-evaluate and (if necessary) remove old personal memorabilia, toys and knick knacks
Desktop - remove anything that you do not use every single day and place away from your workspace
Storage – use containers to house infrequent extra supplies or tools
Cleaning - Wipe down your desktop, phone and keyboard
Delete – Clear old files, pictures and projects from your computer desktop
Dated - Clear 2011 announcements from your bulletin board, move dated files
Return it - Review and relocate unnecessary supplies back to the supply room
Purchase – Shop for a new 2012 desk calendar
Scan it – Consider what can be scanned for easier access

How are you using December to get yourself organized for the New Year? Tweet your answersto @johntrosko or visit John’s blog OrganizingLA.

Tags: cleaning, december, desktop, downtime, holidays, john trosko, new year, office, storage, thanksgiving, tips, work