Popular blogger tries to take the anxiety out of spring decluttering

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ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - It's about time for spring cleaning, but the thought of tackling the clutter in your house may be filling you with dread.

If you're not ready for a Marie Kondo-style purge, we found a blogger who offers a way to start small.

Downsizing, decluttering and simplying are popular themes these days. Ann Marie Heasley, owner-creator of the White House Black Shutters blog, says it doesn't have to be stressful. 

"A lot of those methods can cause anxiety.  It's a lot thinking about declutter your whole home," Heasley says.  

The mother of six launched the 40 Bags in 40 Days decluttering challenge in 2011 as a way to tackle a home one bag at a time. 

"One day that could be a drawer, it could be your car as you're sitting and filling up with gas, and then you could work up to maybe taking a week to clean up your garage or basement."

She recommends starting with a simple plan, and offers a worksheet on her blog to help her followers focus. 

Heasley says many people tell her getting rid of things also changes what they bring into their homes in the future.

KMOX's Megan Lynch will see if she can make it the full 40 days of the challenge! You can follow her progress on Facebook and on Twitter: @MLynchOnAir