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July 19, 2025 48 mins
I want to delve deeper into a concept that listeners found interesting in a previous discussion: Commonplace Books. My goal here is to show you how a modern toolset, specifically Attention Compass, transforms the idea of a commonplace book from an overwhelming task into a practical and incredibly powerful exercise for the modern world. This is especially valuable for those of us who are knowledge workers, constantly learning and figuring things out as we go along, and trying to manage our personal information effectively.
 
You'll learn how implementing an Attention Compass can unlock significant benefits, solve common pain points, and truly enhance your ability to capture, leverage, and master your own unique knowledge. I'm all about human flourishing. I think a great way to flourish better is to cultivate great attention management. If you'd like some help with that or just a chat about it, let me know. larry@dobusyright.com or on LinkedIn.

Commonplace Books: A Modern Perspective

  • Historical Context:
    • Traditionally, commonplace books were bound physical notebooks.
    • Notable figures used them to capture tasks, thoughts and other information.
  • The Challenge of Traditional (Physical)Commonplace Books:
    • Overhead
    • Difficulty in Access and Organization
    • Limited Capacity

Introducing Attention Compass: The Modern Enabler

  • What is Attention Compass?:
    • A modern personal information management system.
    • The core technical advantage is that things can appear to be in multiple places at the same time.
  • How it Works (Tagging and Organization):
    • Process information by making meaning and assigning tags.
    • Information is associated with multiple categories simultaneously.
    • Information seamlessly accumulates, almost as if it's "magnetic".

Pain Points Solved by Commonplace Books (Enabled by Attention Compass)

  • Wasting High-Value Time and Attention Recreating Conclusions
  • Difficulty Capturing and Leveraging Learning Beyond Formal Education
  • Lack of "Textbooks" for Knowledge Work Improvement and Innovation
  • Fostering a Sense of Craftsmanship and Expertise
  • It Can Be Fun

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