Uproot the weeds in your mind

Hey all.

It’s been a crazy week, let’s just put it that way.

I’ve been out of town since Monday, spending some time up in Oregon with my extended family. They’ve been in the process of moving up there from Arizona, and they enlisted my help to accomplish the move in its totality.

I’ll be moving in with them at some point in the near future, but for now, I’ll head back to Utah on Monday evening.

As I’ve been lending a hand with things, something has been nagging me in the back of my mind.

With all this moving and rearranging of items—big and small—I’ve been reminded of something I haven’t yet fleshed out in my journal or personal notes.

So, I figured I’d write about it here.

Lucky you.

The new house was cluttered, as most are, when you’re moving your entire life to a new location.

And for a little while, it was starting to kill me.

Boxes stacked against every wall.

Trash bags lined up, waiting for next week’s pickup.

Kitchen items were scattered across countertops, sitting wherever they could fit.

I’m the type of person who loves having a clean, tidy space to work or relax in.

I cannot stand clutter.

When I was younger, I didn’t really understand why it bothered me so much. I just knew it did.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized it’s not just about aesthetics or wanting things to look nice.

Clutter has a mental weight to it.

It’s not just the physical mess that gets to you—it’s the way it seeps into your mind.

Now, I’m not saying that a messy house will ruin your life. But I am saying that clutter, whether it’s in your physical space or your mental space, can have a bigger impact than you might realize.

When the space around you feels chaotic, it’s hard to focus. Your brain starts picking up on all the little “to-dos” that the mess represents. You see the pile of papers on the desk and think, I really need to sort through that. You notice the dishes in the sink and feel a pang of guilt for not getting to them yet.

Even if you’re not consciously thinking about it, the clutter is still there, quietly pulling at your attention.

It’s like trying to walk through a garden that’s overgrown with weeds. You can’t see the full beauty of the garden clearly. Your vision is cluttered with dandelions and vines and roots. It’s hard to enjoy the beauty of the space when it feels like chaos is closing in on you.

This week, as I helped my family unpack and organize their new home, I felt that same sense of overwhelm creeping in.

At first, it was just a low hum in the background. But after a few days, I started to notice how much it was affecting me. I was out of the loop at work. My thoughts felt scattered. Even when I wasn’t actively helping with the move, I couldn’t fully relax.

That’s the thing about clutter—it doesn’t just stay in the physical world. It spills over into your mental and emotional state.

And the worst part? You don’t always notice it right away.

Cluttered spaces lead to cluttered minds.

When your environment is messy, your brain has to work harder to filter out distractions. It’s like your mind is constantly running in the background, trying to make sense of the chaos around you.

This doesn’t mean you need to be a minimalist or throw out everything you own. (Although this can be very useful.) But it does mean that creating a clean, organized space can do wonders for your mental clarity.

When you clear the clutter, you make room for focus. You make room for creativity. You make room for peace.

Clearing physical clutter in your workspace can do wonders for the body and mind when you need to lock in and focus.

But something else that I’ve learned, is that it doesn’t always solve the problem.

Sometimes, the mental clutter can be the result of physical clutter.

But other times, our mental spaces can get cluttered with thoughts.

For example.

Yesterday, I had absolutely no clue what I was going to write about for you today.

Part of that was the house's physical condition, but the majority of the clutter prohibiting me from writing this, existed in my mind.

I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. My life, my trajectory, my business, my health, and all the other things that I’ve pushed to the side in the past few weeks.

This isn’t healthy.

And I think that is why many entrepreneurs stress the importance of journaling.

It’s a space to clear the mental clutter.

A place where everything that is currently swimming around in your mind, can find its home on paper.

I never understood why all the great entrepreneurs journaled.

Until I saw this one video that explained why it is so important. (Even if you’re not trying to start or run a business.)

If you want to see the best video I’ve ever seen on why journaling is a great practice for everyone to practice, check this out.

Anyway.

Give that a watch and let me know what you think.

This week reminded me of the importance of being intentional about the spaces we live and work in.

Life is messy, our minds are messy.

But the more we can create order in our environments, the more we can create order in our minds.

Take a look around your space. What’s one small thing you can do today to make it feel a little lighter, a little calmer?

Sometimes, clearing a single countertop, organizing one drawer, or getting all your thoughts from the week down onto paper is all it takes to feel the difference.

Because when you pull the weeds, your garden has room to grow.

Much love, talk soon.

-H