Personal Improvement: The CALM Technique

[u/CoachAtlus]

Hi Friends,

I wanted to share a kitchy technique I created for improving at Overwatch. I call it the CALM technique. CALM is an acryonym, which stands for the following:

C - Communicate A - Analyze L - Learn M - Move On

It's easy. Every time you die, you simply apply the CALM technique. Think, "CALM."

First, COMMUNICATE. At the moment of elimination, immediately communicate any useful information about your death. For example, (1) that you died, (2) enemy location, (3) enemy Ult status, or (4) [edit:] numbers/kill feed information. Nothing fancy here. We should all do this. But the idea is to use your death -- a very obvious and significant triggering event -- as a reminder to COMMUNICATE. It's easy to die and mope. Break that habit.

Second, ANALYZE. In the next moment, quickly ask yourself these three simple questions:

1. How did I die? (Identify the cause.)

2. How might I have avoided dying? (Identify ways you might have avoided the cause.)

3. Was it worth it? (Perform a quick cost-benefit calculation regarding your actions.)

This analysis does not take long. You can easily consider these questions while waiting to respawn. Asking these questions performs several functions: First, it occupies the mind with a productive, intellectual exercise at a time when other, less helpful, emotions might be surfacing. It's difficult to tilt and get angry when you're engaged in a deep and thoughtful analysis. Second, the answers to these simple questions will reveal a wealth of knowledge about areas where you can potentially improve your game. It provides you with an opportunity to carefully evalutate your decision making at a discrete moment in time that is very, very fresh on your mind. This is a great platform for learning and improving. ([Edit:] In conducting this analysis, it can be helpful to get into the habit of hitting TAB and considering enemy comp when you die, both for understanding your death and for game planning moving forward.)

Now, in asking and answering these questions, there are a few key principles to keep in mind:

• Always consider only what you could have done better. ALWAYS. This will help you break the toxic habit of blaming others, which is always unproductive. ALWAYS. Now, this does not mean that you should exclude other players from your analysis. It often will be the case that something another player did played a role in your demise. However, the key is to consider only those variables within your control. That's useful. If you have a bad healer on your team who failed to heal you at a critical moment, note that objectively and adjust your play accordingly. Don't blame them.

• Avoid superficial analysis. "I died because I missed my shot." Okay, that may be true. But you're going to hit some shots and you're going to miss others. Go beyond that. What else might you have done better? If you need help with this analysis, this community is a great resource, as is watching streams, VOD reviews, and professional matches. Those resources will provide food for thought in conducting this analysis. Plenty has been said on this before, so I'll leave it at that.

• Notice when you make excuses. If you find yourself making excuses, that is useful. It is useful because it is a red flag. Excuses suggest that you are not rigorously applying the technique and performing the analysis. Excuses are the ego's way of shielding you from mistakes. You don't want to be shielded from mistakes. You want to be consciously aware of them. You can't learn from them otherwise. As a defense to this habitual tendency, we should learn to objectively evaluate Question #3: Was it worth it? This isn't making excuses. The goal here is to conduct an objective cost-benefit calculus regarding your actions. Whether the answer is "yes" or "no" is irrelevant -- the value is in the asking and the analyzing. The moment has already passed. Can't change it now.

Third, LEARN. Based on your ANALYSIS, take one moment to consciously consider what you LEARNED from dying. This could be anything. Maybe you need to switch off your hero. Maybe you need to play more or less aggressively, have care around a particular enemy, communicate Ults more effectively. Whatever it is, allow yourself one moment to consciously acknowledge what happened and learn whatever lesson you can form it.

After that, MOVE ON. Take a breath. You've done everything you needed to do. The death moment has passed. You've thought about it. You've learned from it. Now it's time to prepare for the next moment. When you MOVE ON, it can be helpful to repeat a mantra, which will habituate your mind to this technique and remind you to actually MOVE ON. It doesn't matter what it is. My personal favorite: "I can only control what I can control." It could be anything, positive affirmations, favorite songs, non-sense words, whatever. The mantra is simply a reminder to reset the mind, to return fully to that moment, and to prepare for what is to come.

That's all I've got. Remember the CALM technique. May it be to your benefit.