I read this when you published it, and my initial reaction was “How is some sort of psychological calculus about OODA going to help me with any of my real problems?”
Yet OODA crept into the back of my mind. And I started to notice, over and over again over the coming days, how many of my issues come down to a failure to complete an early step before proceeding to the next. In particular, I often fail to deeply observe before I attempt to orient on a problem.
This has led to some concrete changes.
When I work on homework problems, I don’t leap straight into attempting to solve them. Instead, I read them carefully, noting the details, re-writing them, connecting them with material in the textbook. It’s a slower and more relaxed process. As a consequence, I feel better and do better on it.
I try to budget more time in between activities. For example, if I have two calls with friends lined up for an evening, I’ll make sure to schedule a 15 minute break in between. One benefit of the break is that it lets me reflect on my recent memories about the friend I’m about to speak with (observe) and think about what I’m looking forward to talking about with them (orient).
My gratitude practice feels like a form of observation and (re)-orientation. If I’m walking around the neighborhood, I try to notice and mentally comment on the flowers in people’s gardens, the weather, and aspects of my life (observation), and make those comments positive and appreciative (orientation).
I’m in the middle of a budding romance. I am focusing on noticing the way we treat each other and how I feel in the moment (observe) and intuiting what would make that moment feel good for both of us (orient) before I decide on what action to take. On a larger scale, we are both taking our time to observe the way we connect on a daily basis and orient ourselves around what we want out of a relationship before we decide on whether to actually commit to a formal relationship.
What I think is valuable about OODA is that, at least for me, it isn’t a “straw vulcan” technique for rationally calculating my life. It helps me diagnose (observe) and alter (re-orient) my behavior patterns on an intuitive level in a way that feels user-friendly. I can put it away in the back of my mind when it’s irrelevant, and the concept seems to voluntarily pop into the foreground when it does apply.
I read this when you published it, and my initial reaction was “How is some sort of psychological calculus about OODA going to help me with any of my real problems?”
Yet OODA crept into the back of my mind. And I started to notice, over and over again over the coming days, how many of my issues come down to a failure to complete an early step before proceeding to the next. In particular, I often fail to deeply observe before I attempt to orient on a problem.
This has led to some concrete changes.
When I work on homework problems, I don’t leap straight into attempting to solve them. Instead, I read them carefully, noting the details, re-writing them, connecting them with material in the textbook. It’s a slower and more relaxed process. As a consequence, I feel better and do better on it.
I try to budget more time in between activities. For example, if I have two calls with friends lined up for an evening, I’ll make sure to schedule a 15 minute break in between. One benefit of the break is that it lets me reflect on my recent memories about the friend I’m about to speak with (observe) and think about what I’m looking forward to talking about with them (orient).
My gratitude practice feels like a form of observation and (re)-orientation. If I’m walking around the neighborhood, I try to notice and mentally comment on the flowers in people’s gardens, the weather, and aspects of my life (observation), and make those comments positive and appreciative (orientation).
I’m in the middle of a budding romance. I am focusing on noticing the way we treat each other and how I feel in the moment (observe) and intuiting what would make that moment feel good for both of us (orient) before I decide on what action to take. On a larger scale, we are both taking our time to observe the way we connect on a daily basis and orient ourselves around what we want out of a relationship before we decide on whether to actually commit to a formal relationship.
What I think is valuable about OODA is that, at least for me, it isn’t a “straw vulcan” technique for rationally calculating my life. It helps me diagnose (observe) and alter (re-orient) my behavior patterns on an intuitive level in a way that feels user-friendly. I can put it away in the back of my mind when it’s irrelevant, and the concept seems to voluntarily pop into the foreground when it does apply.