Ease is an intermediate state: it is neither the opposite of hard work nor the same as pure rest. It is the pleasant feeling we get when we leave a long-standing, unchanging state and move toward the next one. People get tired when they remain in any state for a long time, whether active or still. Breaking out of a routine brings a sense of ease.
For example, once you’ve had enough rest, continuing to rest can become routine. The feeling of ease may then begin to fade into boredom, monotony, weariness, or emptiness. At that point, occasionally doing something different can feel refreshing.
After staying at home for a long time, going out to stroll the streets, walk around, play ball, and break a sweat—although the body feels tired, the mind is actually relaxed. Of course, doing this for too long will still bring fatigue, so the next activity shouldn't last too long either. If it goes on too long, it loses its relaxing effect. As soon as you start to notice that the activity no longer feels relaxing, you should switch or stop in time—that's the model of relaxation.
Playing video games, binge-watching web series, and other activities commonly seen as relaxing are actually somewhat deceptive. They can easily lead to excessive dependence, and staying in this state for a long time only makes you more and more tired. So no matter what you do, as long as you stay in an unchanging state for a long time, or become overly dependent on a seemingly restful and relaxing state, fatigue will follow. This is the so-called intermediate-state relaxation model. Diligence may make us more at ease, but laziness will definitely make us more tired.
Set 5-10 minutes of rest every hour and a 30-minute break every 3 hours; this can improve our learning state and decision-making ability.