The document discusses three common ways to improve performance of a MySQL database that is experiencing high load:
1. Upgrade hardware by adding more RAM, faster disks, or more powerful CPUs. This provides a temporary fix but can become exponentially more expensive and does not address underlying issues.
2. Change MySQL configuration settings like tmp_table_size or sort_buffer_size to optimize for specific bottlenecks shown in global status variables, but there are no "silver bullets" and misconfigurations must be addressed.
3. Improve indexing and tune queries by addressing issues like temporary tables on disk, full table scans, and lack of indexes causing full joins or sorting, which can have long term benefits over simply adding resources