Mandatory Regulatory Boundary & Operational Disclaimer
This guide operates as a voluntary, non-diagnostic, non-clinical planning heuristic for individual self-regulation and workflow accommodation. It does not function as a medical device, clinical decision tool, or performance management classifier. All SC scores and routing decisions are personal planning inputs only — not clinical measurements. This tool must never be used for employment, disciplinary, or fitness-for-duty determinations. Scores carry inherent self-report variance and should be treated as directional planning inputs rather than precise capacity readings.
Functional Background
When your SC score places you in Conservation State (7–11), your available capacity is reduced but not absent. Attempting to force deep single-track focus or multi-hour strategic synthesis at this tier increases attention residue accumulation and risks depleting the capacity needed for sustained operational continuity. This guide operationalizes a protective 20-minute task interval structure to support baseline output while protecting remaining capacity for regeneration.
Theoretical basis (Leroy, 2009 — Attention Residue Theory): Every unplanned context-switch leaves attentional residue on the prior task, reducing the effective cognitive bandwidth available for subsequent work. The 20-minute interval structure is a planning heuristic to minimize residue accumulation during reduced-capacity states. This is a voluntary planning framework, not a clinical protocol.
SC = (MEI + ASI + PRS) − (ABC + SFV) + 7 · Scale: 0–20 · This guide applies to Conservation State (7–11)
17–20
Full Availability
12–16
Baseline Availability
7–11
Conservation State
0–6
Restoration State
Guardrail: If MEI = 1 OR ASI = 1 — do not begin this protocol. Workload-Reduction Guidance is active regardless of total SC score. Refer to the STSHC Creator Capacity Planning Ledger for routing guidance.
Stage 01
Contextual Triage
2-min gate
→
Stage 02
Focus Interval
20-min block
→
Stage 03
Structural Rest
10-min reset
1
Stage 01 · 2-Minute Gate
Contextual Triage — Before Starting Your Timer
Before starting the 20-minute timer, reduce the primary sources of SFV (Sensory Friction Variable) and ABC (Affective Burden Coefficient) in your immediate environment. This protects available prefrontal bandwidth for the focus interval.
- Route to Asynchronous Mode: Close live messaging applications. Route active communication channels to your designated asynchronous queue. Use your scheduled batch communication windows (10:00 AM / 3:30 PM) rather than monitoring channels in real time.
- Sensory Friction Reduction: Reduce ambient noise where possible. Lower notification density. Minimize visual clutter in your physical and digital workspace. The goal is to reduce SFV before the interval begins, not during it.
- Metabolic Baseline Check: Ensure basic physical needs are addressed — hydration, nutrition, and postural comfort — before opening any task files. This supports MEI before the interval begins.
2
Stage 02 & 03 · The Interval Structure
20-Minute Focus Block + 10-Minute Structural Rest
- Set a strict audible countdown timer for exactly 20 minutes
- Restrict active workspace to one single-track objective only
- No parallel workstreams, additional windows, or task-switching during the interval
File updates
Inbox sorting
Scheduling
Routine formatting
Backlog clearing
No strategic synthesis
No complex architecture
- When the timer sounds, disengage from the screen completely
- Remaining at your desk viewing a different window does not constitute structural rest
- Disengage from information consumption and reactive monitoring during this window
Physical movement
Stretching
Distant-focus vision rest
No screen time
No message monitoring
Why single-track only: During Conservation State, available prefrontal bandwidth is reduced. Introducing task-switching overhead during the focus interval compounds attention residue and increases the capacity cost of the session — potentially pushing the operator toward Restoration State. Single-track execution minimizes this risk.
3
Stage 04 · Wave Re-Initialization
After Three Complete Intervals (90 min focus · 30 min rest)
Re-Initialization Protocol
After completing three full intervals, pause and re-score your SC before continuing.
One operational wave consists of three complete focus-rest cycles — 60 minutes of active single-track focus and 30 minutes of structural rest. At the conclusion of three cycles, pause and re-score your SC using the STSHC Creator Capacity Planning Ledger or your morning check-in tool before opening a fourth interval.
| Re-Score Result |
Capacity Tier |
Routing Guidance |
| SC 12–20 |
Baseline or Full |
May transition to standard project tasks or a full focus container if SC supports it. |
| SC 7–11 |
Conservation State |
May execute one additional three-interval wave, or choose to close active work for the day. |
| SC 0–6 |
Restoration State |
Do not initialize a new wave. Protect time for renewal. Optional planning tasks only. |
Guardrail: If MEI = 1 OR ASI = 1 at any re-score — Workload-Reduction Guidance is active regardless of total SC score. Do not initialize a new wave. Refer to the STSHC Creator Capacity Planning Ledger for routing guidance.
Important limitation: SC tier boundaries are theoretically derived and will be empirically calibrated during Phase 3 validation. Treat all routing suggestions as approximate planning ranges, not precise clinical thresholds. Day-to-day fluctuations of 2–3 points are expected and do not indicate meaningful capacity change. All entries and scores are voluntary personal planning inputs only.