OODA LOOP

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 “People, ideas, hardware — in that order.” — Colonel John Boyd


To be fair, this post isn’t actually about the importance of people — even though the quote suggests it. Instead, I’m talking about a decision-making model created by the same man (and truthfully, it’s much more than “just” a decision-making model, but let’s keep it simple for now).

To stay effective on my own path, I’ve been using the OODA Loop — especially for those moments when “life” throws itself into my plans and tries to knock me off track. OODA helps me reset fast, regain clarity, and avoid drowning in the noise that covers all of us daily.

So what is the OODA Loop?

Put bluntly, it’s a decision cycle created by the legendary U.S. fighter pilot, strategist, and one of the architects behind the victory in the first Gulf War — Colonel John Richard Boyd. Each letter represents a specific action:

  • O — Observe: Gather all information available. See and sense the environment (the “battlefield”) before the battle reaches you.

  • O — Orient: Analyze the information and understand how it affects your situation or plan.

  • D — Decide: Choose the best action plan for this exact moment. It doesn’t need to be perfect — but it can’t be delayed.

  • A — Act: Execute. Put the selected action into motion.

Let’s translate this into everyday life.

Example: you overslept a work. Instead of panicking and rushing out the door half-awake, you sit down with a cup of coffee and think through your options:

  1. If I run out the door right now and drive to work, I’ll hit rush hour, arrive just before lunch looking tired, hungry, annoyed — and I’ll probably be useless until afternoon.

  2. I can call my boss, explain the situation, and request to work from home today, which lets me start immediately and saves hours of wasted time.

You choose option 2 because option 1 helps no one. You call your boss, explain the circumstances, offer a solution. He’s slightly irritated you won’t be in the office, but he respects your cold-headed handling of the situation and agrees. You pour another cup of coffee, sit down at your computer, and start working — earlier than your coworkers, who are just now arriving at the office.

The key point: the OODA Loop must become faster and more precise over time. You always want to stay a step ahead.

Ideally, the OODA cycle is continuous until it’s no longer relevant — meaning the task is completed and the lessons learned. Before you even start working, you should run another loop:

  • Why did I oversleep?
    I stayed up watching a show with a beer, went to bed past midnight, and forgot to charge my phone — it died overnight.

  • What can I do differently?
    Option A: Go to bed earlier and plan the next day in advance.
    Option B: Keep the same routine but set two alarms.

You analyze:
Earlier sleep = more energy and productivity. The show wasn’t even that good.
Two alarms = practical backup.

So you choose a hybrid: plan your next day, go to bed earlier, set two independent alarms.
You implement it that evening and slowly turn it into a habit.

Technically, the OODA loop ends here because the behaviour adjusts and no longer causes problems. But here’s the nuance most people miss.

You could continue improving the process — making it faster, tighter, closer to perfection.
But you must ask:

Is it worth it?

Is the time and energy you pour into fine-tuning your morning routine equal to the value you get out of it?

If we’re talking about an aerial dogfight with three enemy aircraft, there’s no debate — the loop repeats until all threats are gone and you’re safely on the ground.

If we’re talking about preparing for the next workday, over-optimizing can backfire.
You might end up:

  • taking too much time

  • wasting mental energy

  • obsessing to the point where it harms sleep and focus

(“Am I sure I won’t oversleep? Did I check everything? Should I check again?”)

Still, using the OODA model in everyday life gives you a simple competitive edge over others — or, more importantly, helps you become a better man than you were yesterday.


Location: Estonia

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