BLOOMINGTON -Clutter clogs lives. "Clutter is postponed decisions," said Stephanie Calahan, a professional organizer.

But that doesn't mean a home or office or garage needs to be magazine-cover ready. Some people "look for Martha Stewart perfection - she has thousands of people to make her look perfect," said Calahan, an organization consultant with local and national corporate clients, home-based businesses and homes. She heads Calahan Solutions Inc., Bloomington.

Reality can be much different. She speaks compassionately of a much-loved relative who died-but whose home was so full it took 2½ years to empty it. The family took an amicable "scavenger hunt" approach. The woman lost loved ones over the years and clung to material things, even those of no value. Her relative, who grew up during the Depression, became psychologically incapable of throwing away anything and also hid money. "We had to open every greeting card and shake out every newspaper," Calahan recalled. They found $8,000 to $10,000.

"Organization is 90 percent emotion and 10 percent skills," she said, adding clutter is a problem for many people of all ages for many reasons.

Going out and buying items to help organize is fine - but pare down your stuff first. She stressed organizers which might work for one person won't work for another - it is a very individual choice.

Look at what you have and why you have it, she said. Numerous studies on organization show American women wear only 20 percent of their clothes and shoes. The other 80 percent swallows space.

But the 20 percent rule doesn't just stay contained to the closet. It generally applies to every possession Americans have in their office, garage and every other room of their home. "It always comes back to the 80/20 rule."

So people need to get rid of what they don't use. For an adult, taking pictures of items with sentimental value and writing down memories might work. For children it is different. Calahan said when her son was younger, the Sesame Street character Elmo stuffed toy was her son's constant companion. When he outgrew him, Elmo was relegated to the cold lonely basement. "How do you think Elmo feels?" she asked him. Elmo went to a younger child who wanted him.

She often finds busy couples who think their spouse wants to keep something-but she finds neither wants it. And of someone is not physically able to haul things to a thrift shop, she suggests hiring a responsible young driver who'd relish making a few extra bucks.

Unlike Martha Stewart, Calahan does not have people to make things look perfect. She and her husband Marlon have a son, David, 7, and a dog, Danny, 2.

Some ways she organizes at home include:

w Mugs, coffee, tea, etc. are in a "hot drinks" cupboard along with a little plastic container for throwing away empty paper sugar packets and the like, since paper litter was not making it six steps to the waste can.

w Her husband always left his cell phone, pager, keys etc on the same place in the kitchen counter when he got home. She cleaned out a drawer right underneath the spot for his stuff.

w A bi-fold closet door which was not getting closed was replaced by a curtain.

w Her son comes home from school and everything needed for school the next day goes in one place instead of expecting a coat to go in one place, a schoolbag in another etc.

She said people often complain about lack of storage space-when it is already there. They use the clothes bar and the shelf in the closet, "but there's four feet between the shelf and the ceiling."

"Storage space is so important," said John Flynn, sales associate at Menard's, 900 Greenbriar Drive, Normal. He suggested installing standards-the long pieces of metal with slots-so brackets holding shelves can be moved to accommodate changing storage needs. "It gives you more versatility," Flynn said. He said people sometimes make the mistake of installing lightweight shelves with 'little plastic anchors" and then loading them with heavy stuff.

"Like books add up weight real fast," he said. Flynn recommends sturdier shelves with more substantial anchoring to walls.

Little things-like toy parts-can get aggravating. For weary parents, Calahan recommends Box 4 Blox, like a large coin sorter where you shake the Legos and they are sorted by size.

Clutter eventually affects loved ones, since no one is immortal.

Calahan speaks to various groups about getting organized and cutting clutter. What she often hears is: "When I die, my kids can deal with all my stuff."

That often means tons of work for family and friends coping with thousands of items. That upsets her. "There is an element of selfishness to that."