Our frontal lobes are crucial to our enjoyment, creativity, decision-making, problem-solving and attention, but they've been quietly hijacked in today's society. 

In the 1970s, people relied on their physical diaries for 'everything':
- 8am call Mum for her birthday
- 10 am meet Mrs Fox
- 2pm do a quote for Mr. Johnson

Our frontal lobes 'TRUSTED' that everything important was in the diary. However as life sped up, the repetitive task of rewriting unfinished tasks from one timeslot in the diary to another became cumbersome. So we started keeping separate written task lists, detached from specific time slots. Unfortunately, this caused tasks to lose their connection to our available time and was the the initial trigger for our frontal lobes to LOSE TRUST in our methods. Developers of computerized Calendars initially replicated this flawed approach by creating separate electronic task bars. Our frontal lobes became congested as they felt compelled to continuously merge meetings and tasks.

Over time, various other sub-lists of pending items festered:
- items in the in-tray from previous days
- post-its, SMS, voicemail
- emails left in our inbox

As our frontal lobes subconsciously got more and more congested merging all these loose ends, we adopted the "do it now" principle to avoid handling things twice. However, this approach proved futile due to the overwhelming workload, many life options, and limited time. Choosing where to focus our attention became increasingly challenging and mentally exhausting as our goals, meetings, and various to-do lists scattered. Our frontal lobes' capacity and abilities were hijacked, eroding our enjoyment, performance, decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, relax-time, and behavior. 

By liberating our frontal lobes, they can then operate optimally and our best qualities naturally flourish. Our frontal lobes simply need to have inherent 'TRUST' in our methods.

To 'ensure' it brings you more freedom, set-up a one-minute daily repeating appointment (with reminder) in your Calendar, near your daily finish time. You can just copy this title:

✅✅ #2ticks = Freedom 🕊

After checking your ✅✅ #2ticks each day, delete that day's individual occurrence of the appointment. This will give your frontal lobe a nice freedom feeling each time you do it, especially as you get complete trust in the all-encompassing design of the mere ✅✅ #2ticks, locking it all together with certainty. As you may know from other life experiences, there is a world of difference from 90% trust (incomplete trust = distrust) to 100% trust (complete trust). You'll enjoy how this tangibly liberates your mind and time throughout each day and night, so you're free to be 'you', more easily, more often.

The information within the PREVIOUS headings is all you need to know and apply to enjoy the core benefits of ✅✅ #2ticks. The following tips are non-essential and will sound like blah blah blah if not relevant to you. Personally, they help me be me, more easily, more often, so it's best to at least read each tip once, but use each specific tip (or your own variant) 'only' if it further benefits you.

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Filtering Appointments

For actual appointments with people (meetings, classes, training, doctors, etc), in person or online, I close them out promptly as they finish and capture any key matters (onto my action lists) 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. 

You've probably gathered by now that I'm a strong believer in the computerised Calendar, so if you're still using a trusted diary perhaps it's time to make the change, as most e-Calendars ultimately became awesome. I personally use Google Calendar, it's free, plus if I lost my phone and have to get a new one, then my Calendar magically appears on it. I can also access my Calendar from any of my other devices (laptop, tablet, TV, etc).

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Filtering Ideas, Irritants, Feelings

When I spend a minute doing my ✅✅ #2ticks near the end of my day, regarding the PAST is Filtered; It's easy for me to be certain with respect to ELECTRONIC, PHYSICAL and APPOINTMENT items, as I have simple visual triggers (that I can see at a glance) for them, but I always pause for COGNITIVE items, as they're not as easy to see. I'm excellent these days at capturing key matters from 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 and re-focuses me), but I still like to pause for a few seconds at days end and consider; "are there are any other irritants or feelings worth capturing 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 and filter it properly when I'm not driving.

If I have a potentially overwhelming personal matter (a serious issue with my own physical or mental health, or regarding close family or friends), then capturing the key personal matter, out from my frontal lobe and onto an action list, is a good step forward. Though if it is something that shouldn't wait, then I take action or seek help as soon as I'm aware of it. Pausing for a few seconds daily, as part of my ✅✅ #2ticks, helps.

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5 Minutes Filter

During the day, if a new matter arises and is only going to take me a few seconds to a couple of minutes, then often I just promptly deal with it, but I mostly 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 and 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. 

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Small Filter Area (chair width +)

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). That is; nothing except my keyboard and the current matter I'm actually working on this minute. This keeps me focused, plus ensures when I store things away from just in front of me, any key outstanding matters are captured beforehand. 

For example: 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 rear side of my desk (and on charge if need be).

For example: 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 from the notepad onto your Future action lists, then place the notepad back to the rear side of the desk.  Likewise with an e-notepad.

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Filtering Email Letterbox

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

• I personally use one big storage (archive) folder and utilise 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 and filter my inbox 2-6 times a day, 'between' (not during) meetings, key matters and projects. Before moving things outside my inbox, I capture succinctly any key outstanding matters onto my Future action lists and mention how to find the email if needed for further details, then store the email. 

• Some people leave everything in the inbox and have their own way of identifying key matters and 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.

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Smartphone Call Filter

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 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 benefits the rest of my life.

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The e-Calendar is my Centrepiece

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 the Calendar, rather than let it run over me. I do this by trusting my ✅✅ #2ticks to lock it all together. So with this trust, my mind can safely let my Calendar (and associated links) 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 with people (meetings, classes, training, doctors, etc). PLUS I ensure all my key matters are succinctly linked to my Calendar, usually GROUPED by similar nature, with a 'single' (NOT recurring) appointment to cover each whole logical group of matters. For example: A student may group matters by each course subject. The student may have a 'single' (NOT recurring) appointment (which is always being moved into the future) on the Calendar called "Advanced Marketing: see e-doc for key matters", with the numerous associated key matters on a computer document of some form. Actual lectures or classes for Advanced Marketing would also be on the Calendar as recurring appointments for their specific times for the term or semester. 

If I were to put all my key matters directly on my Calendar as individual appointments then I'd spend too much time juggling random items on my Calendar, hence one of the reasons I tend to group the matters logically. Though for a few very important matters that are worth a reminder for a specific date and time (whereby I'm prepared to stop and act when the reminder pops up), then I will put it directly on my Calendar, for example; "ring mum for her Birthday" (sitting at 8:00 am on her Birthday). 

Note:  ✅✅ #2ticks will benefit you even if you like keeping your Calendar meetings and key matters completely separate (that is; without any reference to key matters within your Calendar), as the 2nd tick refers to checking both anyway.

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Tweak each Group of Matters

For example: Some people might have a computerised spreadsheet set-up for their upcoming Wedding, with all key matters listed within it. I'd also have a 'single' (NOT recurring) appointment in my Calendar called "Wedding (fun and memorable); see e-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 and 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 my centrepiece and things like spreadsheets (or other documents/software) are where I store the Groups of matters (effectively linked to the Calendar via a 'single' appointment for each logical group of matters). 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 via an appointment for the very next time I intend working on each logical major group of matters. I'd keep moving the relevant appointment forward appropriately thereafter.

For each logical group of 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, so the right things tend to drift to the top over time. Plus I often put the main driving goal succinctly within the Calendar appointment subject.  Goals help me tweak what really matters for me to focus my time and energy on. 

Periodically (when I'm in the mood, or usually around the last day of each month, plus even more so at the end of each year), I 'delete' matters that never made it to the top of the list and are no longer important. Also, within the e-document that lists all my matters for a certain subject, I generally put a line gap between the top few matters that I will be focusing on next time, and the rest. This helps me feel not overwhelmed, plus gives me a sense of achievement when I take action on those few matters. 

Of course I have one coloured Calendar appointment called "Me (health and happiness; daily and long-term) " which branches to an e-document where I tweak my specific personal goals and matters.

For a logical 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.

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Tweak Wisely and Promptly

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 are:

• ✅✅ #2ticks = Freedom 🕊 - 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? I personally see life as a smorgasbord and I accept I can't eat it all, hence I have to choose. If you're struggling to make choices, firstly ensure your Past is Filtered (tick 1), so at least the zillions of things coming at you in life have been significantly trimmed and all key matters are captured. Then you're better placed to make choices or to chat to a friend, colleague, team leader, or expert regarding what is truly important to focus your time and energy on. They may also help fine-tune your goals, which in-turn will help you further refine your many matters. 

If you need to keep work and personal emails/Calendars separate, simply apply the ✅✅ #2ticks across everything. Also, If a personal matter (e.g. Doctor appointment) overlaps with work hours, add it to both Calendars to avoid conflicts. Perhaps mark it as private or name it "priority personal matter" in the work Calendar.

With the one-minute daily repeating ✅✅ #2ticks appointment that's in my Calendar, I tend to move the  individual occurrence to a time to suit a specific day, if different to normal. 

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Example Calendar

Following is a link to a totally fictional Calendar to give you a bit of a picture of how I run my Calendar, but it's important that you run your Calendar in your own way that best suits you. See: www.2ticks.org/example-calendar