If you're finding it very difficult to combine all your work and personal gathering points, should you keep trying? : While it's ideal to combine work and personal gathering points, it's not always possible. You'll need to adapt your system to what is appropriate for your situation. All work and personal gathering points must be combined to make this system work properly. It's not that important. Don't spend too much time trying to combine work and personal gathering points. Just do what's easy. If you find it difficult to combine work and personal gathering points, just give up and have two of each. 24,29 What is the most efficient solution to keep personal and work emails separate, even if they are in a single email inbox? : Use different signatures and email accounts for personal and professional emails. Use an attachment that denotes you will keep the email private even though it's from a work email account. Use different colors for the different bodies in each type of email. Use different email programs for each. All of the following are ways to consolidate multiple voicemail accounts, EXCEPT: : Eliminate the need for voicemail by having it forward as an audio attachment in an email. Check your office voicemail when you are at home. Set your work phone to forward to your cell phone if the call isn't answered. Delegate the responsibility of checking all voicemail to an assistant 26,29 You've learned about the six recommended gathering points. What should you do next? : Stop now and decide on gathering points for your unique situation. Make sure you have both a physical and a portable inbox. The rest can wait. Make certain that you understand how to use each gathering point. Calendar a future date to decide on your personal gathering points. A mind filled with tasks and to-dos is : a sign that you're getting too much sleep in a constant state of switching more productive more creative 28,29 : What would you tell someone who thinks processing is difficult and time-consuming? : : Tell them that you can start and stop processing in several short sessions throughout the day so that it's not overwhelming. Tell them that it's not for everyone. Remind them that processing is about making decisions, and they were already doing that before this course started. Tell them you can go faster if you handle two or three items at once