Assessing a position

I'm lazy about assessing and evaluating a position.  Matthew Sadler has the following on training for relationships in a chess position in his Tips for Young Players, useful advice even for the not-so-young.  Set yourself three tasks: show which of your pieces are attacking the opponent's and vice versa; show for both sides which pieces are defending other pieces; show the squares that pieces are attacking or defending.  The more you practice doing this the quicker it becomes.  It highlights the little tactical opportunities in a position that help you work out what to do.  Sadler also says that you have to train your mind to approach positions in a consistently methodical manner rather than just trusting to luck that you spot the crucial points when they arise.  Chess is hard work. The successful players are those who can motivate themselves for sustained concentration