Making Way for Clarity - Matthew Fisher

Clarity rarely comes from dramatic moments of throwing everything into the dumpster. And it's not usually something external you stumble upon.

Clarity is really about revealing what matters so the next step becomes unmistakable. It's about strengthening the signal that's already there beneath the noise.

This is the heart of my personal brand and the core of my work: making complexity navigable. For myself, and for anyone moving through their own inflection points.

These simple practices can help you find it: archiving, deleting, and refining.

Practices for Clarity

1. Archiving

Move it out of sight so you can focus on the signal.

Archiving gets things off your radar, out of sight but not gone, so your attention isn't constantly pulled by them. It reduces noise, protects signal, and opens space for clarity.

I first started thinking about this when reading Tiago Forte's Building a Second Brain. It inspired me with a systematic approach that's remarkably simple.

In my life-organizing Notion, I keep an archive as one of my core folders:

My primary structure in Notion with an archive folder

Archive the things you're unsure about—old ideas, paused projects, half-finished notes—so they stop pulling on your attention without disappearing forever.

Archiving is gentle. It's not "goodbye forever," it's "rest here and I'll come back if needed."

2. Deleting

Remove the non-essentials so the essentials can breathe again.

Deleting removes what no longer serves you. It's a bolder, more definitive action than archiving, but also more freeing.

I started paying attention to deleting after hearing Elon Musk talk about removing anything unnecessary.

When you design your life, notice your instinct when new information comes in. Is your default to add something? That's normal—almost everyone does it. But adding isn't always the best strategy.

Deleting applies beyond digital clutter: material things, commitments, even relationships that drain you can go.

It's not harsh; it's reclaiming agency and shaping your life intentionally.

3. Refining

Once the noise is gone, amplify the signal on your best work.

Refining takes the material you kept (the things that matter) and gives them a clearer, more intentional form. It sharpens both meaning and quality.

Refine the things worth keeping—great ideas, writing, habits, systems—by giving them sharper focus and a more intentional form.

My Personal Brand

I'm sharing these practices because I'm in the midst of clarifying my own personal brand, something long overdue.

At its core, my brand is about clarity, expressed intentionally.

My Offer

I build websites with high-fidelity communication for business owners. A simple next step for anyone who resonates with my work:

I also share stories from my travels and the lessons small moments reveal through blog, Getting Unlost:

Archiving My Own Work

I archived everything on this site that no longer supports my direction (and deleted a few things). The URLs remain the same, but they're no longer visible on the main blog.

Here's what's in the archive:

Archived Blogs

Archived Projects

Fluency Tools
Data Visualization Tools
Sound Data Solutions (redirects to Rooted Insight)
WordSnare
Borders to Bridges
Lucky Hank's
Flat Icons (platform discontinued)

A Final Thought

You don't find clarity, so you don't need to wait for it.

You create clarity by making way for it. Consistency creates it, not intensity.

Every time I archive, delete, or refine, I'm reminded that clarity isn't emptiness. It's space for the right things to come into focus.