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Optimal Performance:
Regulating Cognition-and-Metacognition for better
Thinking to help you Learn, Perform, and/or Enjoy

This page builds on the foundation of a page-summary` and full-length page about regulating metacognition, especially the conclusion about "Skillful Performance" with factors (related to "Inner Game" approaches for learning-and-performing, and also other approaches) influencing performance:

For this "P = p - f" formula, let's look at each causal factor in the bottom row:

• Abilities that help you (to think, learn, perform, and/or enjoy) include multiple intelligences – Spatial, Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic – that are inherited or developed.  People who have an incremental theory of intelligence are more likely to believe they can improve their intelligences by development.

• Preparation is done with a goal of helping you perform better generally (in a type of situation) or specifically (in a particular situation).

• Interference is any distraction (mental, emotional, and/or physical) that decreases your ability to think, learn, perform, and/or enjoy.

Performance increases when you increase the positives you control (your developed Abilities, and Preparation) and decrease the negatives you control (the distracting Interferences you allow).

MORE - Here are ideas about "P = p - f" from other authors: Idea Sandbox - MindTools (search for "formula") - MarketingProfs - SongWriting Tips ("Self One" and "Self Two" are concepts from The Inner Game) -

Minimizing Interferences — IOU: This will be continued with a brief discussion here, and with more depth in Strategies to minimize Interfering Distractions.

Aware Observation of Actions & Results — Using Feedback

One perspective on "inner game" approaches to performing-and-learning (especially for mental-and-physical skills) is a thinking strategy of using metacognitive awareness without cognitive processing:  "metacognitive awareness [to make metacognitive observations] plus cognitive processing produces the metacognitive reflection" that often is valuable, but "sometimes raw unprocessed metacognitive awareness (to simply observe how you are thinking now, or were thinking in the past) is useful, by itself," without cognitive processing.   Actually, an Inner Game approach might suggest observing some aspect of the external situation (for example, saying “bounce” when a tennis ball bounces on the court) but not your own thinking.

I.O.U. — This page will continue to be developed-and-revised, maybe in late-October 2014.  It will contain ideas from teachers & coaches with a variety of views — including the "inner game" approach of Tim Gallwey (Inner Game of Tennis, Inner Game of Work,...- a summary) who recommends letting your body's inner resources “figure it out” when you try to optimize Learning & Performance & Enjoyment — in a mix that I think you'll find interesting and useful.   /   This page is closely related to Designing Strategies for Mental-and-Physical Skills.