I've listed some of the resources I've found helpful, either for myself or when helping others. Please contact me if you have a recommendation, or would like to comment about something on the list.

Books
Websites
What to do with the left-overs

• Donating
• Recycling/Discarding
• Selling

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life, Judith Kolberg, Kathleen Nadeu. Ms. Kolberg is a professional organizer who specializes in working with chronically disorganized clients, and Ms. Nadeu is a renowned expert in Attention Deficit Disorder. The two have teamed up to write a book full of great information and organizational strategies that are useful for anyone, but especially those with ADD.

Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding, David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to understand more about hoarding. The authors are the preeminent experts in the field, yet they managed to leave out the clinical jargon and present the material with elegant simplicity and clarity. The information alone is reason enough to read the book, but it is also a workbook for people to use as part of a treatment program to manage their hoarding behaviors.  

Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time to De-Junk Your Life, Don Aslett. Anything by Mr. Aslett is a good read and provides a fun kick in the rear for those who need the motivation to get rid of clutter. Not necessarily a good approach for those who are truly struggling with emotional or psychological impediments to letting go of their stuff.

Confessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncluttering Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life, Deniece Schofield. The first organizing book I ever read, and still a good one.

Conquering Chronic Disorganization, Judith Kolberg. This is a great book for those who have tried and failed using conventional organizing strategies. Ms. Kolberg specializes in innovative approaches for those who find organizing to be a true challenge.

How to Get Organized Without Resorting to Arson: a Step-By-Step Guide to Clearing Your Desk Without Panic or the Use of Open Flame, Liz Franklin. The rest of the book is as humorous as the title. Geared more for the workplace or home office, yet still of value to anyone interested in getting organized. Ms. Franklin uses a fresh approach to classifying organizing styles, and offers different tips for each style.

It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff, Peter Walsh. Mr. Walsh encourages you to imagine the life you want to live, and then to use that vision as the guide for letting go of clutter and organizing your home to support and reflect the activities and passions that truly matter.

Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You-and What to Do About It, Cindy Glovinsky. Written by a professional organizer who is also a psychotherapist. This is a good book if you’re getting stuck letting go of your things and you suspect you may have some emotional issues to work through.

Messie No More: Understanding and Overcoming the Roadblocks to Being Organized, Sandra Felton. Ms. Felton is a reformed messy person who has written several books with practical, realistic help for those who are not naturally neat or organized. Many of her works include a spiritual component.

Organize for Disaster, Judith Kolberg. Pertinent information to get prepared for just about any conceivable disaster.

The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School and Beyond, Donna Goldberg. Written by a parent who clearly understands the complexities of the parent-child relationship, this is an excellent guide for helping your kids to be more organized at school and in all aspects of student life.

Organizing for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals, Dorothy Lehmkuhl and Dolores Cotter Lamping. Discusses the differences between right-brain dominant and left-brain dominant organizing styles and provides useful organizing strategies for right-brained people. Also an excellent resource for those who are left-brained and want to understand their right-brained house mates or coworkers.

Organizing for Your Brain Type: Finding Your Own Solutions to Managing Time, Paper, and Stuff, Lanna Nakone and Arlene Taylor. Ms. Nakone has worked with a brain researcher to identify four different organizational styles. She provides questionnaires to help you decide which one applies to you, then describes each one in detail, and provides appropriate organizing strategies for each brain type.

Organizing from the Inside Out, second edition: The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life, Julie Morgenstern. My all time favorite organizing book. Ms. Morgenstern gives you a basic formula to follow that will work for most people, yet still allows room for individualization.

The Organizing Sourcebook: Nine Strategies for Simplifying Your Life, Kathy Waddill. An excellent guide with simple strategies that improve the function and flow in your home. Ms. Waddill is expert at reducing things to the simplest of solutions that make you say, “Why didn't I think of that?”

Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding: Why You Save & How You Can Stop, Fugen Neziroglu, Jerome Bubrick, Jose A. Yaryura-Tobias. Another great resource for understanding hoarding behaviors. The authors provide a concrete, step by step guide for addressing severe clutter.

Clutterers Anonymous; http://www.clutterersanonymous.net A twelve-step program for clutterers and hoarders, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. Information about local meetings and phone-in meetings. 

FlyLady.net; http://www.flylady.net Many swear by FlyLady for being the one thing that gave them the structure and motivation to get their homes clean and organized and more importantly, keep them that way.

Get Organized Now!; http://www.getorganizednow.com Lots of organizing information for both home and office. Active message boards.

Messies Anonymous; http://www.messies.com Sandra Felton’s web site. Similar approach to FlyLady.net, but toned down for those of us who are easily over-stimulated. Offers specific steps to get started and links to various Messies Anonymous Yahoo support groups, as well as lots of other good resources.

National Association of Professional Organizers, http://www.napo.net Information for the general public about the organizing profession, including what organizers do, what to look for when considering hiring an organizer and a referral form.

National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization; http://www.nsgcd.org Primarily geared toward organizers and related professionals who are committed to working with the chronically disorganized population. "Publications" and "Resources" pages contain information for the general public.

OrganizedHome.com; http://www.organizedhome.com Articles, tips, recipes. Wide breadth of information for everyone from super-organized neat-niks to the organizationally challenged messies among us.

San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers; http://www.napo-sfba.org Similar to the national site, but specific to the Bay Area. Good resource for finding a local organizer that meets your needs.

San Francisco Bay Area Internet Guide for Extreme Hoarding Behavior; http://www.hoarders.org Lots of information for clutterers and hoarders. Everything from self-help to legal and mental health resources.

Squalor Survivors; http://www.squalorsurvivors.com If you are feeling desperate or like nobody else could possibly understand, please visit this site. It was built by others who have been where you are. *IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT* The squalor survivor "community" section will be closed in June 2008, but there are links to a new community forum that was started to continue the support network. If you can't find the links, email me and I will send them to you. 

You Are Not Alone; http://compulsivesaving.proboards57.com/index.cgi An online community for those who compulsively save or have the tendencies. The contents of the almost defunct Helping Hoarders.org have been transferred to this message board format. The site is a bit tricky to navigate, but if you take the time to explore, you'll find links to everything from other self-help resources to scholarly articles. 

Bay Area Resources for Extreme Hoarding Behavior; http://www.hoarders.org/dps.html  A list of agencies in the Bay Area that accept donations of used goods.

Community Wishlist for San Mateo County; http://communitywishlist.org Lists of specific items that are needed by various support agencies in San Mateo County.

Craigslist; http://sfbay.craigslist.org Post your items here for sale or to give away. Your leftovers may be someone else's treasures.

Freecycle; http://www.freecycle.org/groups/uswestcoast  These are Yahoo groups where you can post your items to give away for free to anyone willing to come pick them up. There are several Bay Area groups, so be sure to scan the list carefully for the group in your area. You'll need to register with the Yahoo group and be approved by the moderator before you can post.

Goodwill; http://www.sfgoodwill.org  This site includes a handy list of suggested values to assist you if you itemize charitable contributions for tax purposes. Goodwill accepts computers and TVs. 

PARCA; http://www.parca.org/pickups.htm Call to get on PARCA's list for its regularly scheduled pick-ups. You will receive a post card every 6 - 8 weeks telling you when the truck will be in your area. This is a great motivator to do regular decluttering. You can also call for an individual pick-up if you can't wait for the next scheduled neighborhood pick-up. 

Peninsula Humane Society; http://www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/volunteer/wishlist.html 
A unique list of items that other organizations often don't take, such as large shoe boxes and untreated wicker baskets. Does not do pick-ups, so you'll have to be willing to take items to the site, which is just south of San Francisco International Airport. 

Salvation Army; http://www.satruck.com This site also includes a valuation guide. 

St. Vincent de Paul; http://svdp-sanmateoco.org/donate_goods.html (San Mateo County) or http://www.svdp-sf.org/donate_inkind.htm  (San Francisco)

Bay Area Resources for Extreme Hoarding Behavior; http://www.hoarders.org/disp.html A list of local organizations that will haul away trash.

Baywise; http://www.baywise.info Information about how to properly dispose of things that ought not be flushed down the sink or toilet, such as expired medications or cooking oils.

GreenCitizen; http://www.greencitizen.com  Accepts all forms of ewaste. Some items require a small fee ($10 or less in most cases), but this is the only organization on the peninsula that has signed the Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship, which ensures environmentally responsible disposal of all wastes. For $30, GreenCitizen also offers hard disk erasing and destruction, with a certificate of hard disk destruction when the process is complete.

RecycleWorks of San Mateo County; http://www.recycleworks.org/index.html In addition to information about recycling and reuse programs, this site has information about disposing hazardous wastes, reducing junk mail, living green and much more. Also includes links to curbside garbage and hauling services in the county.

SFGate:  http://tinyurl.com/24avs4  An excellent article with several resources for finding a hauler that will attempt to dispose of your belongings in an environmentally responsible way. 

SF Environment; http://www.sfenvironment.org/index.html  Information about household hazardous waste disposal as well as other environmental programs in San Francisco. 

SF Recycling; http://www.sunsetscavenger.com/sfhhw Recycling and trash pick-up options for San Francisco residents.

Craigslist; http://sfbay.craigslist.org Online classified ads. No charge to post an ad. Requires frequent reposting to keep your item near the top of the list.

eBay; http://www.ebay.com Online auctions. To bring the best price, post pictures of your item and be as descriptive as possible.

Garage Sales; I have to admit that I have never had a garage sale, but this site looks like a good place to start: yardsalequeen.com. It's quite comprehensive, but a bit chatty and may be hard to wade through (gee...as my husband would say, I think I resemble that remark ;-) ). Here are some other sites that are a bit more concise for planning and advertising a sale.