The Method v0.1

The idea is to go through a controlled internal dialogue during a game. This is the one I'm developing to hone tactics, and when it has been so often repeated that the script plays automatically, a new one can be developed for other aspects of the game.

1. What are the targets?
   - Unprotected pieces
   - Immobile pieces
   - Overloaded pieces
   
   
2. What are the immediate threats?
   - Checkmates
   - Immediate captures
   - Forks, Skewers, X-Rays
   
   
3. What are the potential threats?
   - Possible checkmating positions
   - Pins, Discoveries, Double Checks, Overloading, Interference, Clearance, Trapped Pieces, Decoys, Pawn Promotion
   - Exposing the King
   

The exposed King is a special case of an unprotected piece. You have to defend / block (ideally with pawns) the squares around the King, not directly protect the King's square itself.
'Overloaded pieces' are those that have more than one defensive task, I'll try to elucidate that when I do the definition of overloading.
The purpose of the definitions is to ensure clarity about what is being looked for ("find an overloaded piece"... "sure, what does overloaded piece really mean?") and the tactics practice reinforces what it 'feels' like. Theory and praxis.

The list of motifs needs to be formalised; ie forks are really skewers by a Knight, discovered check is really just a special case of discovered attack.