The Compasses are the instrument of containment through proportion; they define the circle — the scope, the boundary, the extent — within which the work will be done, preventing both overreach and unnecessary constriction.
The Lenses
- Intrinsic (Personal):The mental faculty that defines scope and boundary; the capacity to say what is inside and what is outside the circle of current effort.
- Extrinsic (Interpersonal):The relational practice of declaring scope clearly so others know what they are and are not being asked to engage.
- Integrative (Systemic):Systems fail from scope creep or excessive constriction; the compasses hold the work to the right size.
The ARAA Sequence
Awareness — When to Use This Symbol
When effort is expanding beyond manageable scope, when every new idea or obligation is being admitted without boundary, or when the work has no defined edge.
Reflection — Diagnostic Questions
- What is genuinely within scope for this effort?
- What am I including that should be outside the circle?
- What boundary would allow the work to be completed with integrity?
Analysis — Failure Modes
- Overuse (Overreach):drawing the circle too wide, making the work too large to complete with genuine quality.
- Underuse (Constriction):drawing the circle too small, excluding what the work genuinely requires to be meaningful.
Action — Use It Now
Define the boundary of one current effort; name three things that are inside the scope and three things that are outside, and hold that boundary for one week.
