Recently, as if by fate, an advance copy of a book arrived in the mail that is without doubt the most helpful tome for anyone with a cluttering tendency. It’s called “The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life” (published Tuesday by Rodale Books). It was written by Robin Zasio, a clinical psychologist, a star of the show “Hoarders” and director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in Sacramento.

I would say that Dr. Zasio’s book is about the best self-help work I’ve read in my 46 years as a health and science writer. She seems to know all the excuses and impediments to coping effectively with a cluttering problem, and she offers practical, clinically proven antidotes to them.

Unless you are an extreme hoarder (the kind portrayed on the show) who requires a year or more of professional therapy, the explanations and steps described in the book can help any garden-variety clutterer better understand the source of the problem and its negative consequences, as well as overcome it and keep it from recurring.

Though it is not possible here to include all of Dr. Zasio’s lessons, here are a few I think are especially helpful.

Perhaps most important is to tackle just one project at a time and stick with it until it is done. “Start with the easiest, and be proud of what you’ve done,” Dr. Zasio said in an interview. Then gradually move on to more challenging projects.

Schedule time for decluttering — say, an hour each day on most days, until you’re done.

There’s no question that parting with stuff you’ve collected and thought valuable can trigger anxiety. But, as Dr. Zasio says and I have found, the anticipated anxiety is usually worse than what actually ensues. Even if it is acute, the anxiety dissipates if you sit down or do something fun or relaxing until it passes.

Make three piles (or bins) of stuff: Keep, Donate, Discard. (Avoid my mistake of making a fourth pile called Undecided that you simply wind up moving to another part of the house.) Get rid of the Discard and Donate piles as soon as possible. Keep only those things that have a realistic “home” in your home.

Read the rest: NYTimes.com