How Empowered Women Are Redefining Decluttering

By Helena Zachariassen. 

When most people hear the word “decluttering,” they picture wardrobes being emptied, storage boxes labeled, or clothes folded vertically in tidy rows. And while these are satisfying parts of the process, they’re only the beginning.

I became a certified KonMari consultant because I deeply resonated with Marie Kondo’s philosophy of intentional living. Her method honours our belongings and invites us to keep only what sparks joy—a deceptively simple approach that has transformed homes across the world.

But even as I trained in the method, I already sensed its limitations. In my own life and in the lives of my clients, I saw that clutter wasn’t just physical; it was also emotional. It showed up as:

• Overwhelm in our schedules.
• Mental loops that never quiet down.
• Emotional heaviness we carry silently.
• Digital chaos and boundaryless communication.
• Even the pressure to keep doing, at the expense of simply being.

What I realised was this: decluttering isn’t just about creating space in your home. It’s about reclaiming space in your life—your time, energy, attention, and identity.

So I evolved the method. I still believe in thanking your socks. But now I go deeper into mental, emotional, energetic, and professional realms. This is holistic decluttering, and it’s how empowered women are rewriting the narrative around what it truly means to live well.

Beyond the Drawer: Where Clutter Really Lives

Let’s start with a truth many women already feel but rarely name: our lives are overloaded not because we’re disorganised, but because we’re stretched too thin across too many expectations. Many of my clients are brilliant, capable women; they are entrepreneurs, mothers, leaders, and creators. Their clutter isn’t always visible. It’s in:

• Their minds: where decisions, worries, and to-do lists stack endlessly.
• Their calendars: back-to-back meetings, little white space, no rest.
• Their inboxes and phones: constant alerts, mental fragmentation.
• Their emotional lives: carrying everyone else’s needs before their own.

When we discuss decluttering, we need to consider everything. Because what good is a colour-coded wardrobe if your nervous system is still in fight-or-flight?

Mental & Emotional Decluttering

We begin with awareness. What are you holding onto that isn’t yours to carry anymore? Mental clutter is often characterised by looping thoughts, perfectionism, over functioning, and a lack of clarity. Emotional clutter may manifest as guilt, resentment, unprocessed grief, or an over-identification with outdated roles. In my holistic sessions, we explore:

• What beliefs drive the accumulation (e.g., “I might need this,” “I should do it all,” “I have to be available 24/7”).
• Where these patterns come from and who they really serve.
• How to gently create new narratives that support aligned action and rest.

Often, it’s not the drawer that needs clearing; it’s the invisible weight behind it.

Energetic Decluttering

Spaces hold energy. So do we. Have you ever walked into a room and felt a sense of heaviness, even though it was tidy? Or opened a laptop and felt immediate dread - not from the device itself, but from the energy you associate with it?

Energetic clutter can accumulate in objects, rooms, routines, or even relationships. We work with subtle shifts:

• Removing or repurposing items tied to burnout, conflict, or grief.
• Using scent, light, sound, or movement to reset the energy of a space.
• Paying attention to flow—not just visual harmony, but emotional ease.

This isn’t “woo”. It’s the somatic intelligence your body already knows. When the energy of a space shifts, so do you.

Time & Schedule Decluttering

Time is one of the most precious (and most mismanaged) resources we have. And yet we often treat it like something to stretch, fill, and optimise, rather than protect and honour.

Decluttering your schedule is one of the most radical and liberating acts you can take, especially as a woman conditioned to do it all. We look at:

• Where you're overcommitted out of fear or obligation.
• What can be eliminated, automated, or delegated?
• How to build “white space” into your week - not as a luxury, but as a leadership tool.

This kind of decluttering enables your highest self to lead, rather than your survival mode.

Digital & Professional Clutter

For female CEOs and entrepreneurs, the digital world is often the most overwhelming of all. Notifications, messaging channels, DMs, calendar invites - it can feel like a full-time job just to manage it all. We approach this with structure and soul:

• Decluttering your digital environment: email, files, apps.
• Clarifying your communication boundaries: when you’re reachable and when you’re not.
• Auditing your work life: which tasks drain you, and which energise?

Professional clutter is often the accumulation of “shoulds” - roles you’ve outgrown, projects that no longer align, or systems that don’t support your current vision. It’s okay to evolve. In fact, it’s a necessity for growth.

Identity & Inner Space

This is perhaps the deepest layer of all: the clutter of outdated identities. So many of us unconsciously stay loyal to old versions of ourselves - versions shaped by people-pleasing, survival, or someone else’s expectations. But if we want a life that feels free, focused, and expansive, we need to release who we were in order to become who we are. That might mean:

• Letting go of your “always available” persona.
• Releasing perfectionism as a marker of worth.
• Choosing softness over striving.

This is the sacred work. It’s where true alignment begins. 

Decluttering as Self-Leadership

Holistic decluttering is no longer about having less for the sake of minimalism. It’s about creating space for more of what matters:

More clarity.

More vitality.

More integrity with who you are and what you stand for.

As a certified KonMari consultant who has evolved the method through years of work with real women and real lives, I know this:

A clear space is a starting point. But a clear, self-aware self is where your true power lives. And that’s the kind of decluttering empowered women are doing now.

Helena Zachariassen is a mum of 2, an expert in simplifying and home organising, and a lover of all things beautiful in life. A certified KonMari Consultant and Lifestyle Coach, she is the founder of Switzerland’s first KonMari and Lifestyle Coaching Consultancy - My Happy Home. She is passionate about empowering and inspiring people of any walk of life by organising their living spaces according to the KonMari Method by simply choosing joy.

Having her roots in Finland, the Nordic country of pure, quiet, and beautiful wilderness, and being deeply inspired by nature, beauty and simplicity, Helena lovingly encourages and supports her clients in transforming their homes into havens of serenity.