TETHER
Spatial Executive Function Map — Anti-PDA Architecture
01. The Problem with To-Do Lists
Linear to-do lists are one of the most common Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) triggers in AuDHD adults. The format itself communicates: here is what you must do, in order, and you haven't started yet. For brains with chronic demand avoidance and executive dysfunction, this isn't motivating — it's paralyzing. TETHER eradicates the list format entirely.
The Reframe
Tasks are not items to be checked. They are physical objects with mass — orbiting planets in a gravitational field. Their "orbit" (distance from the sun) represents cognitive energy required, not deadline urgency. A task that requires 3 spoons orbits closer; a task that would take all 12 orbits at the edge. You interact with them spatially: touch, drag, fling, cluster. The relationship to the work changes when it has physical weight.
02. Features
Matter.js Physics Task Canvas
Tasks are circular bodies with real 2D physics — mass, velocity, collision. A central glowing body (the "sun") exerts gravitational pull. Tasks placed close to the center drift inward; tasks flung outward drift to the periphery. Drag and toss them. Cluster related tasks by collision. The spatial arrangement is the organization system.
Gravity Slider Energy-Based Sorting
When adding a task, one input: "How heavy does this feel? (1–12 spoons)." That's it. No due date required. No priority ranking. No project category. The spoon estimate sets the orbital radius. The task floats into its natural position. Deadlines can be added as optional metadata but don't affect the physics.
IndexedDB Persistent Orbital State
The entire canvas state — position, velocity, task text, spoon weight — is saved to IndexedDB on every frame pause. Reopen the app and your solar system is exactly where you left it. No accounts. No sync. No cloud. Local first, always.
Completion Task Dissolution
Completed tasks don't get a checkmark. They dissolve — a slow particle implosion that pulls the task toward the sun and disperses it. No streak counter. No "you did it!" banner. The solar system simply has one less orbital body. The completion is spatial and physical.