Was just reading an article by a veteran crane operator who compared urban lifts to chess, needing to anticipate three moves ahead while blocking out the chaos below. He talked about a strict pre-lift ritual that includes silent focus time, almost like meditation, to lock in the task ahead. That mental zoning out from distractions seems crucial, especially with pedestrians and traffic creating a constant low-grade stress. The article emphasized simulating worst-case scenarios during training so your response becomes automatic, not panicked. Seeing a smooth operation like you described probably means that op has drilled those mental models until they're second nature. It's a level of professional discipline we don't appreciate enough, frankly.

Try escaping to the mountains... only to find your stress packed a bag and came along.