November 3, 2026
This weeks newsletter was written with the help of Claude. I am telling you because I think you deserve to know, and because pretending otherwise would be the least caveman thing I could do. The story behind it, however, is entirely mine — and it is about the one framework I built that I forgot to apply to myself.
Full transparency before we go any further: this caveman ran out of time today, and Claude has helped write tonight’s newsletter. The story is real. The honesty is mine. The coffee was also mine, and I burnt my tongue.
Here is what today looked like. My son is buying his first house, which is one of those moments that stops you mid-work in the best possible way (solicitor paperwork and checking his workings). My daughter came home from university today and immediately consumed every edible item in the house (it is a good job she does not read my posts). My car, which has been through a full engine rebuild, is still not running as it should, which is testing my patience, but I will not go into that here. The speaker enquiries and booking requests have been coming in at a volume, for which I am genuinely grateful for — and behind on. So by early evening it is of no surprise that I had nothing left.
Now, here is the thing. I have a framework for exactly this moment. I built it. I teach it. I have delivered it to rooms full of people who nodded along and said “yes, that is exactly what I needed to hear.” It is called the CNW Framework — Capacity, Need, Want — and the idea is straightforward: before you commit to anything, you run it through three questions. Do I have the capacity? Is this a need or a want? Do I want to do it and what happens if I do not do it?
Capacity is not about willpower or motivation. It is about what is available to you in a given moment, after everything else that has already drawn on your energy, your attention and your time. The caveman brain does not distinguish between a stressful meeting and a threatening situation — it registers load, and when the load exceeds capacity, it starts making poor decisions, cuts corners, and simply shuts down. Today, my capacity was spoken for before I opened a single email.
Need versus Want is where most people get mixed up with themselves. The newsletter is a Want — I want to show up, I want to keep the connection with you going, I want the consistency that I believe matters for the kind of work I do. But the newsletter tonight was not a Need in the way that my son’s news was a need, or being present when my daughter needed picking up from the coach stop with a broken arm (that is another story) was a need. When you are honest about the difference, the decision about where your remaining energy goes becomes considerably clearer.
Which brings me to the third question, and the one that matters most when capacity is low: what happens if I do not do it? In this case, the honest answer is “not much”, in the short term. You would not have received a newsletter this week. The world would have kept turning. My son would still be buying his house. My daughter would still be in the fridge.
So I made a decision, I did not skip the newsletter, because showing up matters to me and I did not want to let the week pass without something reaching you. Instead, I handed off the drafting to Claude, kept the story and the thinking as my own, and gave myself permission to be human about it.
The CNW Framework does not tell you to stop. It tells you to be honest about what you have, what you need, and what you are choosing to want — and then make a decision you can stand behind. Tonight I am standing behind this one.
If the CNW Framework is something your team needs right now — because the load is high, the decisions are coming fast, and nobody has been honest yet about who has what capacity — I would love to bring this conversation into your next event, meeting or training session. Let me know, or book in for a 15 or 30 minute Teams call: www.carljones.org
Caveman Thought
The caveman who knew his limits hunted again tomorrow. The one who didn’t, didn’t.
Parting Question
If you ran your own week through the CNW Framework right now — Capacity, Need, Want — what would it tell you that you have been choosing not to hear?
As always, be the tribal member you are meant to be. It makes for a much easier and simpler life.
Your friend,
Carl – The Caveman.
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that might help you;
- You can book me to attend your next event as a Keynote Speaker.
- Want to take a FREE personality test? Check out The Caveman Principles Tribal Sorter.
- Check out my theories – The Caveman Principles and The SLAP Technique
- Grab a copy of my book The Caveman Principles, directly from my printing agent.
- You might want to sign up for one of my eLearning courses to help you master a new skill.
- Or, if you have time and want to schedule a Caveman Teams chat (with virtual coffee) for a discovery call, do it here.