There's a huge (might not fit in int32) difference between my performance on a good day and a bad day, and I bet I'm not alone on this. I think there are many factors beyond pure problem solving skill / algorithms knowledge that determine how well you do on contests.

Of course there's the basic things: for example, if someone is hungry or sleepy, they probably won't do as well.

But beyond the basics, I bet there are lots of interesting ideas to explore. Does anyone here have thoughts on this? For example,

• What are some non-technical factors that affect contest performance?
• How can we improve in those areas (besides just participating in more contests)?