Route actionable items to your task system and reference…

When This Fires

• During inbox processing (Process inboxes sequentially top-to-bottom, never…) when deciding where each item goes
• When your task system is cluttered with non-actionable reference items
• When your reference system contains stale to-do items you keep stumbling over
• Complements Separate reference material (static lookup) from working… (reference vs. working notes) with the parallel actionable vs. reference routing

Common Failure Mode

The overloaded task list: mixing "Buy groceries" (actionable) with "Tax deadline reference sheet" (reference) with "Interesting article about productivity" (reference). The task list grows to 200+ items, most of which aren't tasks at all, and you can't see the actual actions through the noise.

The Protocol

(1) During inbox processing, classify each item: "Does this require action from me, or is it information for future reference?" (2) Actionable → route to your task management system (to-do app, project board, action list). Capture with a specific next action (Capture actions as specific next physical steps…). (3) Reference → route to your reference system (notes app, file system, bookmarks). Title for future search (Title reference items with the words your future self…). (4) If an item is both (an email containing a task and useful reference information) → split it: action goes to task system, reference information goes to reference system. (5) The inbox itself should contain neither — it's a temporary staging area, not a storage system. After processing, the inbox should be empty, with items routed to their proper destinations.