Thread by @TheEmergMind

5 Critical Mental Models for Performing Under Pressure

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take these:

- The Yerkes Dodson Curve
- The ITSO Matrix
- The Wedge Model
- The Island Chain Approach
- The Prepare - Perform - Recover - Evolve Cycle

🧵+ Video ⬇️

The Yerkes Dodson Curve

Inverse U or Bell-Curve relationship between performance and stress.

Figure out and leverage your optimal amount of stress - not too little, not too much.

If overloaded ("right shifted"), deploy tactics to bring you back to optimal ("left shift").

How much stress is “optimal”?

What does being right shifted feel like?

What left shifts you back to center?

All these questions require experimenting on/with yourself - there’s no one-size fits all answer.

Start by looking inward: when you're overloaded, how do you know?

Side note - great recent thread by @SahilBloom on the YDC:

https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1558416108415238145

The ITSO Matrix

Performing under pressure is about *way* more than just what you personally do at the moment of performance.

The ITSO Matrix helps you see the whole picture:

I - Individual

T - Team

S - Structure / Organization

O- On or Off the X (moment of impact)

Most of us only focus on individual-level performance on the X.

But, there’s so much more out there.

For each cell in the matrix:

What is your group working on now?
What do the most elite teams do?
What do you need to start learning?
What could you start working on today?

The Wedge Model

The best way to learn and grow is by applying graduated pressure.

High Wedge: real-life or near it, ultra high stakes, lots of chaos + uncertainty

Low Wedge: friendlier environment, lower dimension problem set, safety bumpers

Learning a new skill for an emergency?

Don’t jump into the deep end - high probability you will fail without knowing why / what wen't wrong.

Instead, train it in Low Wedge environment before deploying it in a High Wedge one.

Start easy, then tune it up and add pressure.

The Island Chain Approach

In complex problem sets like a cardiac arrest, often too hard to find a path from A ➡️ Z.

Instead, think about a chain of islands:

A ➡️ B ➡️ C ➡️ … ➡️ Y ➡️ Z

Breaking it down makes it easy to start, and starting is often the hardest part.

For ex - during a #cardiacarrest, instead of thinking about everything you need to do to get #ROSC:

First start #CPR + gather help.

Then get BVM (or airway control), defib pads on, + iv access.

Then start running #ACLS etc.

See that end goal, but focus on taking the next step

The "Prepare - Perform - Recover - Evolve" Cycle

Beginners focus only on the moment of performance.

Experts understand the broader context.

How you go into, come back from, and learn with chaos makes all the difference to how you can perform while you’re in the thick of it.

There’s a fractal nature to the PPRE Cycle:

Micro scale applies to the moment of performing a single skill like placing a breathing tube.

Macro scale applies to a shift or run of shifts.

Cycles within cycles lead to an ebb and flow of attention and focus. ⬅️ Harness this.

Look for these mental models in action next time you’re performing under pressure.

Where do you see them occurring? Where are they more hidden?

What happens when they combine and interact?

What’s missing from this list?

5 Critical Mental Models for Performing Under Pressure

- The Yerkes Dodson Curve
- The ITSO Matrix
- The Wedge Model
- The Island Chain Approach
- The Prepare - Perform - Recover - Evolve Cycle

That's it!

If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow @TheEmergMind for more on performance under pressure.

2. RT the first Tweet in this thread to share with your audience