Agency
The means to act.
The capacity to respond.
Agency is the usable capacity, resources, and support you can bring to an activity. An optimal MIND state matches these means to what the situation asks.
The benefit: meaningful, effective action with choice and reserve. The risk: relying on means you cannot access, pushing beyond available capacity, or using effort in ways that undermine the outcome.
When does Agency help?
Explore four everyday parts of Agency. Choose a view to change the explanation on every card.
Optimal fit means using suitable means and effort for this task, in this setting, at this time.
Make action possible.
Supply & Power · Capacity, means, fuel, and ability to do
Optimal fitUse what is actually available.
Check that the tools, information, ability, and help needed for this activity are usable now. Add support or adjust the task while keeping the person’s own choices in view.
Ask: What would make my next step possible?
Give action a beginning.
Valence & Energy · Felt value, impetus, and capacity to act
Optimal fitChoose a meaningful, feasible start.
Make the first step clear and small enough to begin. Consider how the activity feels, while checking what you can actually sustain. Enthusiasm and available capacity can differ.
Ask: What matters to me, and what can I start now?
Match the degree of effort.
Force & Magnitude · The amount of effort or influence used
Optimal fitAdjust to the response you see.
Use enough effort to serve the purpose while maintaining accuracy, flexibility, and participation. Change the pace, method, or support when more effort is making the result worse.
Ask: Is this amount of effort helping the outcome?
Leave room for what comes next.
Supply & Active Recovery · Buffer, reserve, and restored access
Optimal fitCheck capacity now and later.
Keep room for the next demand. Choose a tolerable pause or adjustment, then check whether useful capacity has returned. A completed task or an elapsed break does not by itself show recovery.
Ask: What will this leave available for later?
How does Agency fit the whole MIND?
Experience
What do I encounter, and what registers or stays with me? Agency provides means to engage; it does not guarantee what I take in.
Awareness
What gets my attention, and how do I understand the situation? Check what matters before deciding where to put effort.
Dynamics
What is the Load, and what Agency is usable now? Match demand with means, effort, reserve, and recovery.
Performance
What do I actually do, and how do I do it? Check whether my chosen method produces a useful result at an acceptable cost.
What would help right now?
Think of one activity. Choose the description that fits best.
Right now…Keep your choice:
Check the fit:
A reflection guide, not a score or a measurement of brain capacity. Your entries stay on this page and clear when it is reloaded.