For appointments (including meeting, classes, training, Drs, in person or online), I close them out promptly as they finish and capture any key matters that are not already captured. On my computerised Calendar I then change the old appointment's colour to grey, so at the end of the day I can see at a glance that all meetings have been closed out well. If you can't change the colour (or don't have a similarly effective visual solution), just mentally close it out for a few seconds and move on. Perhaps ask me for ideas based on your specific Calendar software type.

When I spend a minute doing my 2ticks near the end of my day, re the PAST is filtered; It's easy for me to be certain re ELECTRONIC, PHYSICAL & APPOINTMENT items, as I have simple visual triggers (that I can see at a glance) for them, but I always pause re COGNITIVE items, as they're not as easy to see. I'm excellent these days at capturing matters re my ideas and chats throughout the day, plus sometimes I can pick up irritant type things during the day and fix or capture them (which calms & re-focuses me), but I still like to pause for a few seconds at days end and consider; "are there are any other irritants right now?"

When an irritant or idea  comes to me whilst driving, I ask my phone's voice assistant to send myself an email, so I can revisit & filter it when I'm not driving.

During the day, if a new matter arises and is only going to take me a few seconds to a couple of minutes, then usually I just promptly deal with it, but I draw the line at five minutes. If a new matter arises (from any source) and is going to take me longer than 5 minutes to deal with, then unless it is clearly more urgent & important than all else on my plate, it's usually best to promptly capture the matter and store the email or paperwork. These 5-10 minute matters can often become 15-20 minute matters and can be numerous within a day, stealing your day away from you.  Just because they're new key matters, they should not automatically be more important than all else I already had on my plate for today. Quite often when I later revisit my captured matters, I realize that something in the interim has caused the matter to change, or even sort itself out, so I feel great that I didn't waste 20 minutes on it initially. 

I like to have a clear area just in front of me (a tad more than the width of my chair, through to my computer screen). Eg no loose paperwork except for the current matter I'm actually working on this minute. This also ensures when I store things away from just in front of me, any key outstanding matters are captured beforehand. 

Eg: Even my mobile phone; when I come back to my desk I put it right in front of me briefly, to promptly process any potential loose ends from SMSs etc. Then I put my phone to the side of my desk (and on charge if need be).

Eg: If you use a physical notepad, you might grab it when you're on a phone call and place it right in front of you to make notes on. After the phone call, it's best to capture any key outstanding matters then put a strike through the note and place the notepad back to the side of the desk, so at a glance you know it has been filtered.

It doesn't matter where you store your emails, so long as you can find things promptly. Plus if corporate policy requires it, client & project files should be utilised.

• I personally use one big storage folder and use the great search tools available these days to find things in an instant. I treat my inbox like a letterbox, with nothing in it older than 24 hours. I turn off reminders for emails and only proficiently visit & filter my inbox 2-6 times a day, between (not during) meetings, key matters & projects. Before moving things outside my inbox, I capture succinctly any key outstanding matters and mention how to find the email if needed for further details, then store the email. I apply similar principals to paperwork & in-tray.

• Some people leave everything in the inbox and have their own way of identifying key matters & tasks. This is fine too, so long as it's manageable and doesn't cause you or others stress. If you want to try the email letterbox (clear) approach but have thousands in your inbox: quickly scan your inbox and capture 5-10 of the most important matters, then make an email folder to store everything, then highlight all your emails and move them into that folder.

• I personally keep most emails (unless absolute rubbish). It's quicker to spend 1 second flicking it to storage, rather than 3 seconds deciding whether to delete it.

This tip is definitely not suitable for everyone's situation. Non-contacts who call my 'personal' mobile are automatically (using a specific Block Call setting available on most phones) sent to my message bank to hear this message (said cheerfully by me):

• "SMS me please. I don't listen to voicemail or return missed calls, unless you SMS me to prove you're not spam, then I always get back to you. "

• I started this in 2021 and it works great. Genuine callers always SMS me and are impressed with my filtering technique.

• I started this because my two lads have special needs and I like to be as present as possible when I'm with them, plus I found it also benefitted the rest of my life.

Overall I personally use my computerised Calendar as the centrepiece to a great life, full of fun, achievements, creativity, endorphins & rest etc. Though I run it, rather than let it run me. I do this by trusting my 2ticks to lock it all together. So with this trust in 2ticks, my mind can safely let my Calendar (and associated) effectively collate all my key matters, rather than my frontal lobe being subconsciously congested trying to collate things. My frontal lobe is freed up to make choices (tweak), enjoy the moment, be creative etc. Within my Calendar, of course I have my actual appointments (meetings, classes, training, Drs), PLUS I ensure all my key matters are somehow mentioned (so they're interactive with my available time), usually GROUPED by similar nature: eg a student may group matters by each course subject. The Calendar is effectively the trunk of my tree, with branches coming off it.

Eg: Some people might have a spreadsheet set-up for their upcoming Wedding, with all key matters within it. I'd also have an appointment in my Calendar called "Wedding matters (see spreadsheet)", which  would be sitting in the next timeslot on my Calendar for when I intend to work on those matters on the spreadsheet. So if today was a Tuesday and I'm busy with other work or personal matters, then I can focus on those knowing that any matters re the Wedding can generally wait until Thursday when I've planned to work on them next. After working on Wedding matters on the spreadsheet on Thursday, I then move the Wedding appointment on the Calendar to the next appropriate day & time. I personally would also make the Wedding appointment a different colour on my Calendar, so it stood out from standard meetings. The Calendar is the trunk of the tree and things like spreadsheets (or documents) are branches (effectively connected to the tree via an appointment). 

You can use similar principals with project management software or client databases, or any task management lists that you already use to manage the myriad of related matters. Some of these may already interact well with your Calendar, but if there is no time actually allocated on your Calendar, then I certainly would do so for the very next time I intend working on each major group of matters. I'd keep moving the relevant appointment forward appropriately thereafter.

For each group of logically related matters, I always highlight a key goal or two at the top of the page of the document, spreadsheet, or software that is managing the related key matters, plus I put the main driving goal succinctly within the Calendar appointment subject.  Goals help me tweak what really matters for me to focus my time & energy on. 

Of course I have one coloured Calendar appointment called 'Me' which branches to where I tweak my personal goals and matters (especially focused on my health, happiness, family & friends).

For a specific group of matters that may have only half a dozen issues, some people use bullet points within the message body of a Calendar item. This can work well, just keep in mind that sometimes there are synchronization issues with mobile phones, plus it can get messy and awkward to manage if numerous issues.

My 2ticks are effectively in place a number of times throughout the day. Hence, when significant important changes need to take place within a day, I can flex wisely and promptly if appropriate to do so (but not just because something is new or loud). To help me with this, my first 2 icons on my bookmarks bar as are in this order:

• ✅✅ 2ticks - It's a subtle prompt for me to be running my day, not letting the day run over me. 

• Calendar - It's a wonderful tool and major centrepiece to my daily life's enjoyment.

Too much on your plate? Accept life's a smorgasbord and you can't eat it all. If struggling to decide, firstly ensure your Past is filtered (tick 1), then you're better placed to decide or to chat to a friend, colleague, team leader, or expert. They may also help fine-tune your goals, which in-turn will help you refine your myriad of matters.

Lastly, if you like/need to keep work and personal emails/calendars separate, simply apply the 2ticks across everything. Also, If a personal matter (e.g. Dr's appointment) overlaps with work hours, add it to both calendars to avoid conflicts. Perhaps mark it as private or label it "priority personal matter" in the work calendar.