Introduction to, CAARDS
CAARDS is an acronym that stands for:
- Carry - Consciously coordinate.
- Analog - Tangible tasks, at-a-glance.
- Arrange - Prioritize with your agenda.
- Routine - Reminders, not vibrations.
- Direction - Do the thing.
- Save - Store your completed tasks. Not delete.
CAARDS is the core that slots inside of any Papr Companion. I start off with a set number of cards, but I often change them depending on what I need.
Setup
You'll need a few cards to work with, blank index cards work just fine, but you can always cut your own down to size with any paper you have on-hand. Consider upcylcing scraps you already have!
Here are some primary cards that help focus on different areas:
Today, Next, Someday, Brain Dump
Papr Companion on average can hold about 20 cards depending on how thick the cards are, or how you built your PC. On average I find a week's worth of storage is fine before needing to archive older cards, and make some new ones.
With this in mind you'll need at least 7 Today cards. One card for each day of the active week.
I'd say keep at least 1 of each of the remaining cards, as those help with non-today related tasks, and ideas.
Today cards
About 365 cards, one card for each day of the year.
Unlike the 2min rule by David Allen, which I do believe is extremely helpful- I also think it can be very useful to maybe start with these small tasks especially when starting out and building your own productivity flow. Eventually the smaller tasks become easier to do without needing to jot them down or record them anymore. For example brushing your teeth in the morning or before bed. At some point this becomes routine, and not something you need to write down anymore.
Next Cards
Next and Someday are not the same. However not everyone will needs these options. Next similar to how David Allen expresses in his GTD framework, would be any tasks or “projects” that require an additional step, or waiting part. You can break this down however you like, that's what's nice about personal productivity as we tweak existing frameworks to fit our needs.
For an example: ”Walk the dog” might be a task on your Today card. However I wouldn't break it down into my Next card by adding “atomic” tasks like:
- Get the leash
- Plan a route
- Wake up dog
- Check the weather
Of course if that's what works for you, go for it. However Next cards might be best suited for slightly bigger tasks or projects with multiple steps, that cannot be done in one single day, and might be more time sensitive.
Example: Planning a birthday party. This might be your main task for the day to plan everything out. Now you can pair this with your Next cards which are not dated, and you can make an additional list there:
- Order the cake
- Order the balloons
- Hire a clown
- Setup the tables
See how maybe this might take more than a few days to tackle? As you tackle tasks on your Next card, feel free to add an additional breadcrumb by dating the task itself on the day of completion at the end. This is so you have context to your future self. I have found this to be very helpful when flipping back in my archived Today cards which point me to my Next cards.
This also shows you that Next cards can be transferred into next week or even next month depending on how you log all your tasks.
Someday Cards
Loose plans that you might want to do one day. Someday. These sit here and if you think you might make something here actionable, feel free to migrate it onto your Today Card, or Next Card and schedule it.
Examples:
- Go on vacation
- Start a new project
- Visit family
- Buy birthday gift for friend
Brain Dump Cards
Arguably my favorite cards so far. These are exactly what they sound like. Anything you need. Wild cards really! These do not have to have tasks, and can have anything you want, even drawings if you want. I have always found it helpful to have a loose card like this on hand, whenever I have an idea I don't want to forget, I can jot it down here. I can also use my phone if I can't use my PC, but overall it's a freebie.
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