From episode 276 of Cal Newport’s podcast, Deep Questions. He talks about five things needed to “close the loops” (to use David Allen’s term) in your mind and have a clear head.

1. Calendar. Digital. Sync it with phone to have it with you at all times. Appointments and meetings go on there with relevant information.
2. Task/Obligation List. Write things down as they come up. Get them out of your head. Give a place to sort them and prioritize them.
3. Multiscale Planning. Develop a Strategic Plan for a few months (higher level goals and ideas). Have that plan inform a Weekly Plan. Reference Weekly Plan for Daily Time Blocking (giving every minute of the day a job)
4. Shutdown Routine. Have a routine where you capture all the open loops for the day, process them, and then shut down your work for the day. Keeps head clear. Better boundaries between work and home.
5. Autopilot scheduling. Set aside a recurring weekly block of time for recurring tasks. Set the when, where, what you will be doing at a consistent time. For example, every Tuesday from 10-11am I will write this weekly report.