State Calibration Protocol
Briefly check energy, focus and bodily signals to adjust plans to what is realistically and safely doable right now.
What problem this protocol targets
Many ND people plan as if their energy and sensory environment were stable and predictable, then blame themselves when their actual state diverges from the plan. This creates a cycle of over‑commitment, crash, shame and avoidance.
State Calibration inserts a small check before committing to work or social plans: instead of asking "What should I do?", it asks "Given my current state, what is possible without harm?".
The core idea
The protocol treats internal state as a first-class constraint, not an afterthought. It uses a short sequence of questions and ratings to produce a simple profile of the current state (e.g. low energy, high mental speed, high tension), then adjusts expectations and protocol choices accordingly.
This calibration can run standalone, or be invoked by other protocols (like Dimension Reduction or Inner Council) as a pre‑check.
Step-by-step flow (research version)
- Quick ratings.
Rate current energy, focus and mood on simple 1–5 or 1–10 scales.
Output:metric_entityentries with timestamps. - Body and environment check.
Briefly note bodily signals (tension, pain, sensory overload) and environmental factors (noise, light, interruptions).
Output:c_notelinked to the metric set. - State classification.
Map the raw ratings into a coarse state label (e.g. "low energy, high mental speed, high tension").
Output: state tag attached to the current session. - Adjust the plan.
Based on the state, suggest which protocols and task types are appropriate (e.g. no heavy social tasks when sensory overload is high, more mechanical tasks when focus is low but energy is moderate).
Output: recommended protocol / task tags. - Optional: log post‑session state.
After a work block, log the same three metrics again to see whether the chosen protocol improved or worsened state.
Output: before/after metrics for longitudinal analysis.
Data hooks and schema
| Entity | Role in this protocol |
|---|---|
metric_entity | Stores numeric ratings of energy, focus, mood. |
c_note | Captures qualitative body/environment notes. |
tag_entity | Holds derived state labels and recommended protocol tags. |
Across time, these logs build a personalised map of "which kinds of work are safe and effective in which states", instead of a generic productivity rulebook.
The State Calibration Protocol is the research version of this: a minimal, schema‑ready procedure that can be embedded into different tools and experiments.
Research status
- Already used informally in ND co‑creation work as a pre‑check for sessions and experiments.
- Planned future work: use calibration logs to cluster common ND state profiles and derive state‑appropriate protocol menus.
- Over the next 2–3 years, I plan to use calibration logs to cluster common ND state profiles and derive state‑appropriate protocol menus that can be tested in tools and field studies.