Book 1 Workbook: The Human Edge

The end-to-end Practicum route for The Human Edge (Book 1 in the When Intelligence Became Cheap series). Version: 2026-07. This is a route through the contents. It takes you from value levers and a review of your week to a personal 90-day plan, one step per chapter. The individual worksheets still work as direct entry points. This workbook connects them into one path.

Your profession is the axis of this route. Volume 1 is organized around professions: you look at your own work. The business route is organized around company functions and lives in the second workbook.

Fill this in as you read. Each step asks you to bring one short conclusion here and links to the full worksheet. At the end, you will have a 90-day plan built from your own diagnosis. It is also a portfolio artifact for a professional: one page that shows the value you create, what you delegate to AI, what you keep under human control, and which next level you plan to take on.

There are two doors into the Practicum. Use this workbook to follow the book, or choose your profession if you want to start with "How will AI change my work?" You can use both.

Step 1: Which lever creates my value? (Chapter 2)

Worksheet: value-levers-filter.md · ⚡ three-lever filter (HTML).

Take one task apart. Is its value in sales and growth, savings, or attention and trust? Which part is becoming cheaper?

The main lever in my work: ____________
What is getting cheaper for me (output): __________________ · what remains mine (outcome): __________________

Step 2: Sort one week into baskets (Chapter 3)

Worksheet: week-inventory.md. Sort your week into 🟢 "AI alone," 🟡 "person + AI," and 🔴 "person only."

Share of 🟢 work in my week: ____%
The main 🔴 task where I cannot be replaced: __________________________

Step 3: Where am I on the ladder? (Chapter 4)

Worksheet: ladder-self-diagnosis.md.

Entry / middle / top: ____________ · one nearby handhold: __________________

Step 4: My usefulness level and a +1 move (Chapter 5)

Worksheets: usefulness-levels-self-check.md · plus-one-level-plan.md · the ladder in the language of your own work is in your profession card.

My default level (0 to 5): ____ · candidate task for a +1 move: ______________

Step 5: My personal system and the task-to-outcome map (Chapter 6)

Worksheets: task-to-outcome-map.md · personal-harness-builder.md · ⚡ harness builder (HTML). For a deeper look at how a personal system is built, see the Chapter 6 overview with harness level examples.

The weakest layer in my system: ____________ · what AI already does in my tasks: ________

Step 6: One skill that is becoming more valuable (Chapter 7)

Worksheet: five-deficits-audit.md.

The skill I will practice on purpose: __________________________

Step 7: Work with AI without building cognitive debt (Chapter 8)

Worksheets: ai-mode-audit.md · cognitive-debt-checklist.md · ⚡ cognitive debt tracker (HTML).

My mode (cyborg / centaur / self-automator): ____________
What I will do without AI once a week so I do not lose the skill: __________________________

Step 8: Bring it together as a diagnosis (Chapter 9)

Worksheet: profession-audit-integrated.md. Bring over the conclusions from Steps 1 to 7.

What is getting cheaper: __________________ · weak point: __________________
Value that will survive: __________________ · my +1: __________________

Step 9: Who am I when AI does my work? (Chapter 10)

There is no worksheet. This is a conversation with yourself. Rewrite how you describe your role. Move from "I make X" to "I am responsible for Y."

I am responsible for: ____________________________________________________________

Step 10: A 90-day plan (Chapter 11)

Worksheets: personal-90-day-plan.md · weak-multiplier-canvas.md. Bring everything above into one plan built around one task:

One recurring task for the next 90 days: ...
The old rule I follow now: ...
The new rule I will make standard: ...
The capability I will keep and practice myself: ...
A verifiable change after 90 days (it does not have to be public): ...
My next level of responsibility: ...
The repeatable working method that will remain (calendar time / template / check): ...

If you have several tasks, choose the one where other people will notice the improvement. The Weak Multiplier Canvas is only a supporting filter.

My one-page result

Put your answers from Steps 1 to 10 into one table. This is a profile you can print, show to a manager, use in a conversation about your role, or give to your AI assistant. A useful result does not say "I know how to use AI." It shows which work you now do one level higher.

Step	My conclusion
1. Value lever	`____`
2. Week by basket	🟢 `____%` · 🟡 `____%` · 🔴 `____%`
3. My place on the ladder	`____`
4. Usefulness level and +1 move	now `____` → next move `____`
5. Weak layer in my personal system	`____`
6. One skill that is becoming more valuable	`____`
7. My way of working with AI	`____`
8. Integrated professional diagnosis	`____`
9. I am responsible for Y, not for making X	`____`
10. 90-day plan	task `____` · new rule `____` · metric `____`
1. The main lever in my work	`____________`
2. Share of 🟢 work / main 🔴 task	`____ %` / `____________`
3. Place on the ladder + handhold	`____________`
4. Usefulness level + candidate for +1	`____` / `____________`
5. Weak layer in my personal system	`____________`
6. Skill I will practice	`____________`
7. AI work mode + safety rule	`____________`
8. Weak point / value that will survive	`____________`
9. I am responsible for	`____________`
10. One 90-day task + verifiable change	`____________`

For a second opinion, paste the completed table into an AI chat with this prompt:

Here is my profile from the Volume 1 Workbook for When Intelligence Became Cheap. It has 10 rows:
value lever, weekly baskets, ladder, usefulness level, weak system layer, skill, AI work mode,
diagnosis, "I am responsible for," and a 90-day plan. Check it for honesty. Where do the conclusions
conflict? Where am I flattering myself? Which step is the weakest? Do not rewrite the plan. Ask me
three questions that will make me want to improve it myself.
[paste the table]

Next, use the 30/60/90 check-ins in personal-90-day-plan.md. Return and check your own metric. Did it move? This closes Volume 1, from value levers to a first move. Volume 2, which covers teams, business, and the wider world, has its own Volume 2 Workbook.

To see a completed workbook, open the end-to-end marketer example.

Version: 2026-07-09. What changed: the final page is now a stronger portfolio artifact for a professional. The "My one-page result" table brings Steps 1 to 10 together with a prompt for review. Earlier, in 2026-07, Step 1 for Chapter 2 and the three-lever filter were added, and the later steps were renumbered. The public repository CHANGELOG keeps the history.