Ex-Googler’s 4-Step CORE Productivity System

I’ve always struggled with those brilliant ideas that pop into my head at the worst times, only to completely vanish by the time I’m at my desk. It turns out our brains are for having ideas, not holding them.
I just stumbled upon a video from a productivity expert who spent nine years at Google teaching this exact principle to over 6,600 of his colleagues.

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This innovator developed a system called the CORE workflow, and I was blown away by its simplicity and power. It’s a framework designed to handle the four main types of information we deal with at work, including Tasks, Ideas, Notes, and Media (files), so that literally nothing ever slips through the cracks again.

The Key Idea: A System for Everything

The entire philosophy is built on the fact that relying on motivation or willpower is a losing game. As the creator points out, we don’t rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems. The CORE workflow isn’t about adding more work. It’s about redirecting the mental energy you’re already wasting trying to remember everything into a reliable process that works even on your worst days.

The system is broken down into four simple, logical steps: Capture, Organize, Review, and Engage. What makes this so effective is that it creates a closed loop, taking an idea from a fleeting thought all the way to a completed action without you having to stress about forgetting it.

Deeper Dive: The Four Pillars of CORE

After watching the creator’s breakdown, I’ve pulled out the most important insights. Here’s a deeper look at how it all comes together.

Pillar 1: The CORE Workflow in Action

The magic is in the sequence. Each step flows into the next, creating a foolproof assembly line for your thoughts and to-dos.

• Capture: The first rule is to get information out of your head and into an external system immediately. The mind behind it gave a great example: his VP asks for slides while he’s at lunch without his laptop. He pulls out his phone, opens a task app, and jots it down: “Schedule time for Japan market data.” It takes ten seconds, and his brain is now free.

• Organize: This step needs to be nearly frictionless. For the task he just captured, organizing was as simple as adding a due date of “today.” For an idea, he might add a simple tag like “#thoughts” in a notes app. The goal isn’t complex folder structures; it’s about adding just enough context so the item can be processed later.

• Review: This is the step most people skip, and it’s why other systems fail. The creator schedules three 30-minute “review sessions” into his calendar every day (morning, post-lunch, end of day). During this protected time, he processes his inboxes. That task to “schedule time” gets converted into a two-hour block on his calendar. An idea about a pay raise negotiation gets turned into a calendar event to prepare and an agenda item for his next 1-on-1.

• Engage: This is simply about doing the work. Because you’ve already scheduled the time during your review step, there’s no decision to make. When the calendar block arrives, you just execute. That fleeting request from a VP is now a completed slide deck, and it all happened systematically.

Pillar 2: The Philosophy Is the Foundation

Understanding why this works is what makes it stick. The person who shared it emphasizes that this isn’t just another productivity hack; it’s a fundamental shift in how you operate. He explains that the initial discomfort of adopting a new routine is always less than the chronic stress of feeling disorganized and not making progress on your goals.

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Pillar 3: It Works With Any Tool

I think this is the most brilliant part. So many people get stuck wondering if they should use Notion, Todoist, Obsidian, or Apple Notes. The post’s author makes it incredibly clear: the tools do not matter. The workflow is platform-agnostic. You can capture a task in the Microsoft To Do app, review it later, and block time in Google Calendar. You can capture an idea in a physical notebook, review it that evening, and add it to your project plan in Asana. The principles remain the same:

1. Capture Quickly: Use whatever is fastest for you.

2. Organize Clearly: Add a due date, a tag, or move it to a specific list.

3. Review Frequently: Schedule and protect this time on your calendar.

4. Engage Effectively: Do the work during the time you’ve allocated.

This approach frees you from endlessly searching for the “perfect app” and empowers you to build a powerful system with the tools you already know and use.

This is one of the most practical and realistic productivity systems I’ve come across. The expert promises that it becomes second nature after just two weeks of practice.

Check out the full video from this talented creator to see detailed examples and a step-by-step walkthrough of how he applies it using Google Workspace tools.

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