What is Attention Compass - Workflows 1 & 2 - DBR 023

Do Busy Right

What is Attention Compass - Workflows 1 & 2 I want you to have information that will allow you to implement your own Attention Compass, if you want to do that. Attention compass needs some support and some explanation. Episode 22 discusses the big picture and how the tool works. I want you to have some guidance towards doing an implementation so you can understand what's going on. So you can implement Attention Compass for yourself, if you'd like. In the previous episode, we talked about the properties of a data storage tool for Attention Compass and briefly mentioned some the reasoning behind the workflows and some description of what the workloads are. In the previous episode I talked about the best way to manage information of the kind that we're dealing with here is to use a backlog metaphor. Here I'll discuss the first two workflows that maintain the backlog and keep it from turning back into a pile of information (that may be pretty useless). Three mindsets that support the workflows

• What's a backlog
  • Processes turn a list into a backlog
  • The workflows are intended to maintain the backlog
  • Farming the backlog
• Submarine analogy
  • Exposed is dangerous, but necessary
  • So with our attention – exposed is dangerous
  • Communication channels expose our attention
  • Hijacking and curiosity
  • But channels can absorb more attention than warranted
  • Quiet-chatty balance
  • Be on guard, your attention can escape you
• Constant capture
  • In order to reduce the most difficult form of wasted attention, distraction, we need to capture everything that we become seriously aware of
  • How capture keeps us away from distraction

The Capture workflow

• You’re already doing capture – we’re just formalizing it
• Aware of new or changed information
• Capture = Throw the info toward the backlog
• Quick and easy and back to work
• So capture is semi-continuous
• Capture can happen during other work
  • And during exposure to communication channels
  • ‘capture during other work’ is distraction and is expected to go away
• So we eject stuff from our skulls
• Good capture keeps stuff from lodging in our brains
  • The monkey brain slows down
  • Capture needs to be extra fast
• Good capture does two related things:
  • One: give us confidence that we’re aware of the stuff
  • Two: give us confidence that we don’t need to store things in our brain
  • Brain = workbench, so keep it clean
• Capture is a fundamental act and core workflow
  • There are times when we intentionally capture, as well

The Processing workflow

• The backlog has an intake
• Processing deals with the captured stuƯ from the intake
• and can help capture work better
• Processing on a routine, rhythmic basis
• Ideal workflow rhythm
• Aside on work blocks (a dedicated time period for focus)
• Back to the work rhythm
• First rule: process to empty
• ‘mechanics’ of processing: turn it into what it is and put it where it belongs
• Actionable vs. reference information
• Turn it into what it is
• We don’t know where it belongs until we know what it is
• Then we put it where it belongs
• In general, it belongs where you are confident you’ll see it again at the right time
• Processing to empty (or current)
• Recap: three things about processing
• Process in two layers
• We process the intake of our backlog
• The same mindset of processing applies to any information channel.
• Then we process our ‘master’ input channel – intake to the backlog
• The tool has to create new places where things may belong
• The tool must have certain properties
• One is support for an ‘emergent’ storage schema
• You have to create your own schema
• The tool has to have a few organizational schemas
• Actionable information requires a 'Reminder' schema = tickler system
• But it also has a reference information schema
• And a priority schema
• Data storage must support multiple different schemas for proper organization

Recap This represents a description and definition of the first two of the four workflows that Attention Compass uses. In an upcoming episode, I'll talk about the other two: daily review and weekly review.