{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/keep-the-break-free-of-the-same-cognitive-demand",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0800",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Keep the break free of the same cognitive demand",
  "summary": "Changing tabs can preserve the demand.",
  "kind": "heuristic",
  "body": "For a recovery break, stop the task-related information stream. Stand up, look away, get water, walk briefly or do another low-demand activity. If you choose another cognitively loaded task, call it a task switch rather than recovery and do not expect the same reset.",
  "limits": [
    "Break preferences differ, and short breaks do not guarantee better output. The goal is recovery, not a ritual."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-preparation-rhythm-and-load"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-CE807CD43EB49340"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "A meta-analysis found micro-breaks were more consistently associated with lower fatigue and higher vigor than with universal performance gains, and demanding cognitive tasks may need more than a tiny pause.",
      "source_id": "RS-CE807CD43EB49340",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "Break content, duration and task demands vary; there is no evidence for one magic timer.",
      "locator": "Results and discussion"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "A five-minute break from study becomes work chat, technical news, another tutorial or an AI conversation about the same problem."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "Break preferences differ, and short breaks do not guarantee better output. The goal is recovery, not a ritual."
  ],
  "example": "After a hard mock section, a short walk is a break; reading assessment advice on the phone is more preparation.",
  "check": "The break contains a real drop in the demand you are trying to recover from.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-CE807CD43EB49340",
      "title": "Give me a break! A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance",
      "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9432722/"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "from": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0800",
      "to": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0801",
      "type": "use_before",
      "url": "/knowledge/match-the-reset-to-depletion-not-a-magic-timer"
    }
  ],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-08B8471D3822CE7C",
      "title": "Build a preparation rhythm that survives cognitive load",
      "url": "/collections/build-a-preparation-rhythm-that-survives-cognitive-load"
    }
  ]
}