{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/checkpoint-the-task-before-a-planned-interruption",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0463",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Checkpoint the task before a planned interruption",
  "summary": "The cheapest resumption work is done before you leave.",
  "kind": "protocol",
  "body": "Before switching, capture the current state, the exact next action and any fragile intermediate value or question. Stop at a stable boundary when possible. This differs from a generic to-do: the checkpoint preserves the mental state needed to resume the specific task.",
  "limits": [
    "Unexpected interruptions may prevent a checkpoint; use the existing restart-note practice afterward when needed."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-attention-offloading-interruptions"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-06B73D42C7B14628",
    "RS-21D82B8E0DAE2F6F"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "A systematic review and meta-analysis found that interruption-management interventions can reduce resumption lag and improve primary-task accuracy, with effectiveness varying by task and intervention type.",
      "source_id": "RS-06B73D42C7B14628",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "Most included studies were laboratory-based; workplace effects and implementation costs vary.",
      "locator": "Abstract"
    },
    {
      "claim": "A 2026 programming-task study found interruptions increased task-completion costs and additional information checking during resumption.",
      "source_id": "RS-21D82B8E0DAE2F6F",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "The sample was small and one task domain was studied.",
      "locator": "Abstract"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "You know you must switch away from a cognitively demanding task and will return later."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "Unexpected interruptions may prevent a checkpoint; use the existing restart-note practice afterward when needed."
  ],
  "example": "Before a meeting, note 'IDoc filter confirmed for channel 10; next compare channel 20 source records; query saved in tab 3.'",
  "check": "After the interruption, you can restart from the checkpoint without reconstructing the whole task history.",
  "steps": [
    "After the interruption, you can restart from the checkpoint without reconstructing the whole task history."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-06B73D42C7B14628",
      "title": "Effects of interventions to reduce the negative consequences of interruptions on task performance: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and narrative synthesis of laboratory studies",
      "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687021001538"
    },
    {
      "id": "RS-21D82B8E0DAE2F6F",
      "title": "Understanding user resumption behavior after task interruptions: An eye-tracking-based empirical study",
      "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141938226002817"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "from": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0463",
      "to": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0464",
      "type": "use_before",
      "url": "/knowledge/resume-from-the-saved-state-before-rereading-everything"
    }
  ],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-EDAA3E3B504F92AA",
      "title": "Protect attention while using external memory on purpose",
      "url": "/collections/protect-attention-while-using-external-memory-on-purpose"
    }
  ]
}