December 2, 2025
Project Management
7
minutes reading
The First Productivity Framework That Won’t Make Your Eyes Roll
Notion, Asana, Jira, Obsidian — you name it. We all use them, and we all love and hate them in some way. I wanted to step back from all these tools and finally offer a productivity framework that’s easy to remember, easy to follow, not conditioned by any tool, and simple to implement and execute. With all that said — happy reading!
Disclaimer!
I think the connection between mindfulness and productivity isn’t mentioned enough. Many guides push you to be faster, more efficient, more effective, to do more. And all these mores can quickly spiral into feeling “not enough” if you can’t live up to these standards.
That is not what productivity is about.
Productivity is meant to give you freedom, control over what you want to do, and help you stay relaxed about responsibilities. Please approach any productivity topic with that in mind.
A massive (I cannot overstate this enough) prerequisite for being productive is being in a good state of mind. A productivity system should not make you anxious, it should help you feel free and on top of your responsibilities. A positive state of mind is beneficial for anything, but when it comes to productivity it’s extra important, because the feeling of failure can easily grow into negative consequences.
So just remember: productivity isn’t everything — you are.
You Don’t Have to Be a Racecar to Win the Race
Imagine a car. But not just any car. A simple, elegant model that reliably carries you wherever you need to go. It won’t get you there super fast, but it will get you there comfortably, without complications, and with a good quality of life.
Okay, enough with the car metaphor. CAR is an acronym for our framework because it’s simple to remember. What does it stand for?
Collection – the collecting phase, capturing what you want to do.
Action – the execution phase, there are no gains without action.
Reflection – an optional phase where you step back for a moment and evaluate whether you like what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. If not, you can change it. Don’t be afraid of changing things!
Pay attention to the fact that collection is a completely different phase from action. These two phases should be connected but mentally distant from one another — for a very good reason.
One problem I often hear from people overwhelmed by their tasks is that they decide to do something but don’t know what. And by the time they figure out the what, they’ve already drained their energy in the decision-making process, leaving no motivation to actually do the thing.
Frustrating, isn’t it? But logical. Their mind feels like the task has already been done, simply by acknowledging it.
The second common problem is the opposite: they know what they want to do, but never seem to have the motivation to start. Their tasks are usually too small, or there are too many of them, so… why even begin? Also very frustrating.
If only we had a system that allowed us to collect what we need to do beforehand and a way to make the decision to act easier, so we naturally begin.
Well, the CAR framework tries to do just that.
Collection
Let’s start with the collection phase. Collecting what needs to be done happens wherever the task or activity comes to mind (similar to the Getting Things Done framework). Whenever we come across a possible task or idea, we simply capture it into one of our preexisting categories. This reduces the cognitive load of remembering what we need to do. We know it’s there, we haven’t lost it, and we’ll get to it when it’s time.
I know — which preexisting categories?
The categories come from the action phase, which is next. So yes, we started with what seems like the second phase, but for the sake of the acronym it’s worth it. It will make sense, I promise!
Action
Now let’s connect the dots. In the action phase, the key idea is to focus on a category rather than an individual task (similar to the Eisenhower Decision Matrix). A category feels much more approachable than a long list of tasks, and it helps us start.
The well-known slogan “just do it” fits perfectly here: thinking only about the category lowers cognitive effort, making it much easier to begin.
A reasonable set of categories might look like this:
Administrative work
Home work
Business work
Exercise
Then we assign time slots to each category during the week. For example:
Business work → Thursday morning
Administrative work → every day after lunch
Exercise → Monday and Friday evening
Home work → Saturday afternoon
Now we simply follow the schedule just like in school, instead of chasing individual tasks one by one.
Reflection
Let’s make it clear that this phase is optional. Perfectionism helps no one. Reflection is simply taking time to step back and breathe. Things will go wrong along the way and that’s okay! What’s counterproductive is trying to perfect everything on the first try.
Your categories might feel off. You might change your mind about how you want to spend your time. Your task descriptions may be unclear, or your collection system might still be clumsy. All of that is fine.
Focus on the two core concepts — collect and act. Reflect only if you need or want to. You’ll refine the system eventually.
Common Pitfalls
I cannot get myself to write the task down.
Some of you might say: “Oh, but I cannot get myself to write the task down.”
Well, no system is bulletproof. Productivity systems rely on habits and discipline. Unfortunately, I can’t solve this fact for you (nor should I), because there is nothing wrong with your discipline in the first place. We all are simply different, have different backgrounds, opportunities, options and resposibilities. So, you just have a different view on this, but the fact that you are trying is enough already and will get you where you want to be!
Here’s a helpful tip to build the habit: remove as many obstacles as possible between you and writing the task down.
For example: I created an automation I can literally talk to. When a task comes to mind, I pick up my phone, open a saved tab, and say what needs to be done. The interface knows my categories, so with one click I choose where it belongs and with another I send it to Notion.
My biggest struggle was writing the damn task down, but now I just talk to my phone.
This might be overkill for some, or too complicated to set up, but the principle is what matters: make it as easy as possible to capture the task into the right category.
Carry a piece of paper in your pocket. Keep a notebook at your desk. Don’t worry about perfection. If something doesn’t stick, you can always reflect and adjust. Just be patient with yourself when building the habit of collecting tasks.
Got it — here’s a much lighter, minimal-change polish that keeps almost all of your original text and avoids adding stylistic dashes or extra flourishes. I only fixed grammar, clarity, and flow where strictly necessary.
But what if somebody wants me to do something now?
To prioritize well can be a tough problem even for some pros. Very few people know exactly what to do quickly and what not to waste their time on. They usually have good personality predispositions to be like that, and you might not. For the rest of us who struggle with setting our priorities straight, we can at least try to achieve sanity.
“Is this task you are asking me really that important?”
Rarely. But more often than not, it is presented that way.
Or even, but not recommended, haha: “Wasn’t it your bad planning in the first place?”
What I recommend is to try to stick with our categories and give a concrete answer.
If the task belongs to the admin category:
“I will take a look at it this afternoon (or today after lunch).”
If it’s some work sub-category:
“Hey, yes, I can look at it on Wednesday morning. Is it working for you?”
If it’s a matter of life and death, or any other equivalent of an absolute fiasco in your life, you should obviously try to attend to it right away.
End Note
There isn’t that much “innovation” here, but it all depends on how many productivity systems you’ve seen and how well you know them. The potential of the CAR framework lies in its memorability, its simplicity, and how it distills the most important concepts from its inspirations. The perfect 20% for 80% of the results if you will.
I know that having the discipline to write your tasks down, motivating yourself to start, it is hard. I’ve been there. But I wish for you to believe in yourself, try not to worry about mistakes too much, and think that you are 2/3 there!
Theoretical Mini Examples
Anna, a Freelance Designer
Anna often jumps between client calls, revisions, admin, and personal projects. Her main struggle?
Decision fatigue — constantly switching between tasks drains her creativity before she even starts.
When she adopts the CAR framework, her week transforms:
Collection
Throughout the week, ideas and tasks pop up constantly: new client request → message draft → invoice reminder → inspiration idea.
Now she instantly drops each one into categories: Admin, Client Work, Marketing, Learning. Instead of juggling mental notes, she trusts her inbox.
Action
She schedules categories instead of tasks:
Admin → every day 9:00–9:30
Client Work → block 10:00–14:00
Marketing → Tuesday + Thursday afternoons
Learning → Friday morning
When it’s Admin time, she simply opens the Admin category and goes through whatever’s there.
Less “what should I do first?” energy drain.
Reflection
After 2 weeks, she realizes she overloaded her Marketing block, so she adjusts it to once per week. No guilt, just refinement.
Result: She starts faster, worries less, and finally has structure without micromanaging herself.
Martin, a Corporate Analyst
Martin’s calendar is packed with meetings, ad-hoc requests, and unexpected “urgent” Slack messages. His main problem?
He feels reactive, not in control.
Collection
Instead of letting tasks pile up in his head, Martin drops everything into categories: Meetings, Reporting, Cross-Team Communication, Weekly Planning.
During meetings, he notes follow-ups directly into the right category, not into one giant list.
Action
He assigns time blocks to each category:
Reporting → quiet mornings 8:30–10:00
Cross-Team Communication → 10:00–11:00
Meetings → afternoon slots only
Weekly Planning → Friday 15:30
Now, when his Reporting block starts, he simply opens that category. He doesn’t waste time figuring out the next micro-task — he just begins.
Reflection
He notices some meetings consistently produce no tasks and asks for agendas in advance (small reflection → big impact).
Result: He feels in control for the first time in months, finishes deep work on time, and stops working late “just to catch up.”