Often in life we can get bogged down in the everyday details and lose sight of the big picture. If you can switch between your vision and the details quickly, then you will be more likely to do the right things to reach the right goals.

3 Tools for Balancing the Vision and the Details:

1. 🛩️ O.O.D.A. Loop

US Air Force Colonel John Boyd invented a model for dealing quickly with uncertainty:

Observe- Collect data about a situation from as many sources as possible

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Orient- Analyze the information you have collected and use it to update your current understanding

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Decide- Determine the best course of action that is consistent with your vision

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Act - Execute the decision you made

🔁 Then repeat

John Boyd used these mental steps to win in battle, and believed the faster one could go through them the better the outcome would be. We too can apply these steps in everyday life to make small decisions that are consistent with our long term goals. This tool enables us to be proactive in life instead of passive.

The creation and history of the OODA Loop. 

2. ➕ Eisenhower Matrix

Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States during a difficult part of our history. He had to make difficult decisions everyday. To aid in making these decisions, he invented what is now called the Eisenhower Matrix.

Next time you have a challenging decision to make or are trying to prioritize tasks, use this matrix to determine what action you should take for each.

3. 🤔 Systems Thinking

This mental model is all about thinking at different levels. The most detailed level is at the bottom and then you work up one level at a time until you reach the desired goal or vision.

For example, if you are going to build a car you will need to use systems thinking. At the bottom level are small details like which size screws are we going to use to mount the license plate to the car body? Then the highest level is a beautiful car that provides transportation for people and goods and increased connectivity to modern society. Do you see the difference?

Each level you increase, the function and purpose change until each part adds together to accomplish the vision of what a car is and does.

Systems thinking can be applied to almost anything and helps our brains transition from detail thinking to vision thinking.

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Final Thoughts

What mental models do you use to zoom in and out between high level and low level thinking? Do you have any stories about where one of these models has given you a competitive edge or made you more effective? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Enjoy this? If so, please tell a friend about it.

Rock on,

Camden