The Tickler File is a list that allows you to incubate those items you don’t need to think about until a set future date. Saving something to the Tickler File is like emailing yourself and having it arrive exactly when you need it.

It lets you focus on what matters now, instead of carrying tasks you can’t — or shouldn’t — act on yet. There are two types of items that you can effectively manage with the help of the Tickler File:

1. Matters that aren’t actionable now, but might become so later.
2. Future steps you don’t need to recall until the moment is right.

Uncommitted future issues

These are things that you have not committed to, but would like to consider again at the appropriate time. For example:

• An email advertising an event you would like to attend.
• An idea you have come up with that you can’t do anything about yet.
• Something you’d like to learn about, but now you have other priorities.

You can organize these items either in the Someday/Maybe list or in the Tickler File. If you use the Someday/Maybe list, include a date for reconsideration so it resurfaces during your Weekly Review near that date. If you use the Tickler File, the action will automatically surface on the indicated day.

It’s up to you which method you prefer. In any case, you shouldn’t put them on your Calendar — doing so mixes uncommitted ideas with committed actions, which undermines the purpose of the Calendar":https://facilethings.com/blog/en/basics-the-calendar.

t’s important to keep each list consistent. Mixing item types will make your system messy and cause you to overlook what matters.

Committed future actions

These are actions you’ve committed to, but can’t tackle until some future date. For example, congratulate someone on their birthday.

You can organize this type of actions in the Calendar or in the Tickler File. The Calendar could serve the same purpose, but using the Tickler File keeps undeliverable actions from crowding your Calendar and stealing your focus.

Saving things to the Tickler File

When you are Clarify an item, assign a “Start Date” and select “I will do it” to place it in the Tickler File. The item stays in the Tickler File until its date. On that day, it moves automatically — either to the Calendar (if it has a date) or to your Next Actions list (if not). Either way, it becomes active and appears in your Engage stage.

For example, if you have in your Calendar “Congratulate Michael on his birthday” on January 31st, you probably don’t need to see that item until that same day:

You can also use the :start inline command in the subject to send an item to the Tickler File, e.g. "Congratulate Michael on his birthday :day jan 31 :start jan 31".

You can also schedule recurring tasks in the Tickler File by using the ‘Inactive until’ field in the routine editor, setting the date you want them to appear:

Using the Tickler File this way keeps your Calendar and Next Actions list uncluttered. That helps you stay focused and avoid distractions. You can relax: items will automatically return to the proper list on the date you set.