Mental model
Debrief template
Take a finished task, project or goal apart: what you meant, what happened, why, and one change.
Free. Works in your browser. No card needed.
What is the The Debrief?
A debrief, also called an after action review, takes a finished thing apart: what you meant to happen, what actually happened, the gap, and why. Then you sort what to keep, change and stop. PARADOX ends it with one change forward, written as a rule you can check.
When to use it
- A project, launch or week just finished
- Something went wrong and you want to learn from it
- Something went right and you want to repeat it
How the template works
Intended
What did you plan? As written before.
Happened
What actually happened? Facts only.
The gap
Where they differ. Be exact.
Why
Ask why until you reach something you control.
Keep
What worked. Do it again on purpose.
Change
What half-worked. Adjust one thing.
Stop
What cost more than it gave.
One change forward
If [this] happens, I will [that]. I check it on [date].
What you leave with
What actually happened, why it happened, and one change you carry forward.
More mental models
Eisenhower Matrix
Sort everything by impact and urgency, then find the one thing that makes the rest easier.
SWOT analysis
Map what helps and hurts you, inside and out, then make the four boxes talk to each other.
First principles thinking
Strip a goal, problem or skill down to what must be true, then rebuild from those pieces only.
OODA loop
See it, make sense of it, choose, act, and go round again before the situation changes.
Circle of competence
Map your edge, the edge of your competence, and what is not your thing. Then move one thing inward.
Brain dump
Get everything out of your head onto one page, then map it into a chart or a model.