The CORE Workflow: A Google-Developed System for Productivity

This video introduces the CORE Workflow, a productivity system developed and taught at Google to manage the four main types of workplace information: tasks, ideas, notes, and media. The goal is to create a reliable system that prevents information from being lost or forgotten, moving beyond reliance on willpower and motivation. The system is platform-agnostic, meaning it works with any set of tools (e.g., Notion, To-Doist, Microsoft suite), not just Google Workspace.

The Four Steps of the CORE Workflow

The workflow is broken down into four key steps, illustrated with real-world examples:

1. Capture: The initial step is to immediately get tasks and ideas out of your head and into an external system (like a task or notes app). The principle is that our brains are for having ideas, not holding them.
2. Organize: Once captured, information needs a lightweight structure to be processed later. This could be as simple as adding a due date to a task or a tag to a note.
3. Review: This is a crucial, often-skipped step. It involves regularly scheduling time (e.g., daily) to process your “inboxes” of captured information. During a review, you transform these items into concrete commitments, such as blocking time on your calendar or adding topics to meeting agendas.
4. Engage: This is the execution phase where you do the work you’ve planned and scheduled during your review sessions, closing the loop on the task or idea.

Key Principles and Conclusion

The video argues that relying on a system is more effective than relying on willpower, as systems support you even on unmotivated days. While adopting a new workflow requires initial effort, this short-term discomfort is far less than the long-term stress of disorganization and failing to make progress on important goals. The core message is that the specific tools don’t matter; what’s essential is the consistent application of the workflow: Capture quickly, Organize clearly, Review frequently, and Engage effectively.

Mentoring question

Looking at your current method for managing tasks and ideas, which of the four CORE steps (Capture, Organize, Review, Engage) is the weakest link, and what is one small change you could implement this week to strengthen it?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oO9GLC2iKy8&si=2BC5NXhQk2a7YF4k