Clear Before You Build

The other day, I was digging through my supplement cabinet at 6 AM, making a sound very similar to an angry Charlie Brown. I couldn't find anything. The cabinet was packed with random items that weren't mine.

Lori had seen my supplement organization and adopted it for herself—right next to mine. Pretty soon, my system was overrun. The cabinet had become a mess with my stuff buried by Lori's overflow from her own reorganization project.

We both do this. When one of us reorganizes, we don't get rid of what's not working; we just move it somewhere else. I’ll put an important stack of mail on a shelf in her office to get to later, and that frustrates her just the same (let’s not even talk about our basement). This time, my organized system became the landing spot for her excess. Her next project will probably absorb mine.

I took everything out, showed her the pile, and we fixed it. No big deal.

But as I drove to work, it got me thinking.

The Pattern I Couldn't Unsee

What I realized is that this isn't just about supplements or mail. It's about how most of us approach change: we don’t clear out the old system before installing the new one.

We update our systems constantly. New routines. New habits. New approaches. But we rarely get rid of the old one first. We just install the new system right on top of it.

You can't plant a garden on top of weeds.

You have to pull the weeds first. Clear the ground. Make space for what you're trying to grow.

If you don't, the weeds choke out the new growth before it has a chance to take root.

Clear first. Then plant.

Why Your New Systems Keep Failing

This explains why smart people stay stuck.

You know you should exercise more, budget better, or communicate more clearly. But when you try to implement these changes, they fail. And you blame yourself.

You're trying to run new software on an old operating system. The systems are incompatible.

You can't layer a new morning routine on top of a schedule that's already overcommitted.

You can't implement a budget on top of automatic payments you forgot about.

You can't practice better communication in a relationship where old resentments are still running the show.

The new system isn't failing because it's wrong. It's failing because you never cleared space for it.

We Stack Because Clearing Feels Like Loss

We invested in the old system. We built it. We committed to it. Clearing it feels like admitting we wasted time or energy. Getting rid of it feels like failure. So we keep it and try to build around it.

But here's the truth: Keeping what no longer serves you isn't preservation. It's just weeds you're refusing to pull.

What Clearing Actually Means

Clearing isn't dramatic. It's deliberate.

It's canceling subscriptions you're not using and redirecting that money toward what aligns with your values, or having the hard conversation about the dynamic that's not working instead of hoping it resolves itself.

It might be admitting the career path you've been on isn't where you want to go, even though you invested years building it. Clearing creates space. That space might feel uncomfortable at first. You might feel like you're doing less. Like you're giving up.

But you're not. You're making room for what you actually want to build.

The Truth

The life you want can't be planted on top of the weeds you have.

Not because the old growth was wrong. But because new systems need space, and old patterns don't surrender it willingly.

Most people skip straight to planting. They wonder why nothing takes root, why their efforts wither, why change feels impossible.

It's because they never cleared the ground.

Pull the weeds first. Then plant.

The life you want needs room to grow. And you're the only one who can make that space.

What old system are you trying to build on top of instead of clearing first?

This work is meant to be reflective and shared. If you enjoyed it, let me know. I read every response. If you think someone else will enjoy it, please share!

-Ricky