{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/match-the-reset-to-depletion-not-a-magic-timer",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0801",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Match the reset to depletion, not a magic timer",
  "summary": "The clock does not know how hard the last task was.",
  "kind": "principle",
  "body": "Use short breaks as a default checkpoint, then adapt. If attention, error control or mental state recovers, return. If a demanding block leaves you just as depleted after a tiny pause, take a longer reset or change to a lower-load preparation task. Do not force the same ratio across every activity.",
  "limits": [
    "Persistent severe fatigue, sleepiness or distress is not a timer-optimization problem."
  ],
  "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": [
    "You follow a fixed focus timer even when a difficult reasoning block leaves you depleted or an easy review block does not."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "Persistent severe fatigue, sleepiness or distress is not a timer-optimization problem."
  ],
  "example": "Two minutes may be enough after flashcard review and not enough after a full timed architecture case.",
  "check": "Break length responds to task demand and recovery signal rather than only a preset number.",
  "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-0801",
      "to": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0802",
      "type": "useful_with",
      "url": "/knowledge/put-the-buffer-before-the-assessment-and-protect-sleep-opportunity"
    }
  ],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-08B8471D3822CE7C",
      "title": "Build a preparation rhythm that survives cognitive load",
      "url": "/collections/build-a-preparation-rhythm-that-survives-cognitive-load"
    }
  ]
}